The honest truth is weddings can be a waste intensive, unsustainable business. So what’s the eco-minded couple supposed to do to get started with their magical celebration? A few key considerations early on can help reduce the environmental footprint of your wedding. Planning a sustainable wedding doesn’t have to be a headache, in fact, it can be quite fun.
Offset Carbon Emissions for Guest Travel
The Carbonfund makes offsetting carbon emissions very easy. If you’re having a destination wedding, simply calculate the air travel involved and purchase credits, which in turn plant trees to offset the carbon emissions involved in traveling. The same can be done for car travel, or if you’re feeling ambitious, your guest travel as well!
Ask Your Florist to Source Local Flowers
When you work with your florist ask him/her to source seasonal and local flowers. Bouqs is a company based in Southern California that makes arrangements based on the season and available flowers sourced locally. This can cut down on thousands of miles of unnecessary travels for your flowers. Check to see if a similar service exists in your hometown.
Opt for Conflict-Free Jewelry
Jewelry is energy, people and resource intensive. I have outlined how to find conflict-free jewelry HERE, your best options include borrowing bling from friends and relatives, hitting up the local estate jeweler, or hand picking items from the company Brilliant Earth.
Plan a Smaller Wedding
Less people means less impact and waste!
Skip the Guest Gift Bags
It’s okay, people won’t miss the small white boxes stuffed with chocolate covered almonds. This reduces waste and most important, is one less thing you need to think about.
Let the Bridal Party Wear Their Own Suit/Dress
If you have a bridal party, let them wear their own dresses and suits. This will reduce the expense to your friends and family and avoid having extra dresses headed for Goodwill or the landfill.
Choose a Consciously Made Dress
Companies like Reformation now carry wedding dress lines, which means you can rest easy knowing your party attire was hand sewn in the United States.
Go Plastic-Free
When choosing your flatware, utensils and drink cups, choose glass over single use plastic. This makes things more enjoyable for your guests and prevents necessary waste from entering the landfill. Let your bartender know ahead of time that you won’t be providing straws for your guests.
Source Organic Flowers & Food
Organic flowers and food means that you’re sparring the Earth and your guests pesticide exposure.
Skip the Gifts, Ask for Donations Instead
If you’re getting married after the age of 30, you likely already own a blender…so instead of registering for a bunch of things you don’t need, try an “alternative registry”. So Kind Registry is my favorite service, where you can have guest donate to your favorite organizations or your honeymoon fund, all free of charge to you.
Choose Green Beauty Products
Whether you’re wedding is outside or inside, you’re bound to be lathering on everything from sunscreen to foundation and a sultry smokey eye. Below are my favorite safer beauty products that are formulated to last a full day with friends and family, without the toxic ingredients. You’re skin will be free of harmful chemicals and your makeup will last!
- Protect Body Stick SPF 30 (easy to apply, doesn’t leave white streaks and isn’t oily)
- Tint Skin Foundation (this stuff is amazing)
- Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 (formulated to layer under the foundation listed above)
- Concealer Pen
- Mattify Powder (for those who want a matte look, designed for all skin tones)
- Eye Shadow in Slipper/Slate (for that beautiful smokey eye)
- Brow Pencils
- Cream Blusher (I love all three colors, the Hibiscus is particularly beautiful for your wedding day and can double as a pink lipstick)
Elope
You may think I’m kidding, but having a private ceremony and doing a casual party with friends and family can be a great way to cut down on the environmental impact of your wedding. Plus, WAY less stress.
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