Sustainable Ideas For The Perfect Eco-Friendly Wedding ~

Are you planning a wedding in the near future? Are you looking for ways to ensure that your day is extra special all while making sure that your wedding is eco-friendly and sustainable so that you can enjoy a guilt-free wedding day? Well as much as we, especially us gals, live for the excitement of this once in a lifetime celebration, it’s no secret that weddings can cause us to rack up a larger carbon footprint between our family and friends traveling to gather together for the big event, not to mention the food waste produced by the meal and all of the optional extras that you may want incorporated into your special day……….. it can all add up to be a lot. This is why sustainable and eco-friendly weddings are becoming increasingly popular. With an eco-friendly wedding, you can still enjoy that special day via the most amazing of wedding celebrations but with a green, sustainable touch. Let’s take a look at ways that you can incorporate sustainable wedding ideas into your wedding planning to ensure the perfect eco-friendly wedding that you will be reminiscing about for years and years to come and that you can be proud to have hosted with all of you closest friends and family.

Choose Sustainable Engagement Rings

Choosing sustainable engagement rings for both the Bride & Groom is a fabulous way to ensure your wedding celebration will be eco-friendly and sustainable. There are several reasons that sustainable engagement rings are a great choice for both you and the planet including the fact that eco-friendly engagement rings help to preserve the environment by reducing the consumption of natural resources like water, metals and gemstones. It’s also about ethical considerations as sustainable jewelry are pieces created with materials that are sourced responsibly and the workers that create them are treated fairly. Purchasing sustainable engagement rings can also represent a commitment to a healthier planet and peaceful communities and they can help to inspire change within the diamond industry as well.

If you are wondering how you can purchase sustainable jewelry pieces….. you can do so by simply choosing pieces made with recycled metals as they reduce the demand for new mining operations and the need to exploit workers into dangerous mining operations. It’s also important to look into purchasing lab-grown diamonds as they reduce the environmental degradation caused by traditional diamond mining and lastly… you can also purchase second-hand as second-hand rings from places like auction sites, consignment shops, or even Etsy are a great option as they do not have a new carbon footprint.

Choose A Central Location For Your Venue

Choosing your wedding location wisely is a must when it comes to an eco-friendly wedding because airplane and auto emissions are the top contributors to environmental damage. By choosing a location that does not require your guests to do heavy traveling, you are making a huge eco-friendly impact to the planet which is everything. It is always hard to choose your wedding location, and yes you should do it where you want to, but it does not hurt to take a look at your guest list so that you can figure out which location will require the least amount of travel for all involved via plane and even car travel to and form the event.

Choose An Eco-Friendly Wedding Venue

Now that you know your wedding location, it’s time to find the perfect eco-friendly wedding venue. This is where you will have to do some research on the various venues you have in mind for your event as some may just be getting into the idea of recycling and sustainability in general, while others will be well ahead of the game by instituting sustainable and eco-friendly policies that will ensure your event is perfect all while reducing your carbon footprint. If you find that you’re concerned about reducing the environmental impact of your big day, you can ask questions like…… What is your plastic policy? What do you do with any food waste from the event? Where do they source the ingredients for your meals or do they cater the meal? What type of cleaning products and practices do you use? By asking these questions… you will ensure the perfect eco-friendly venue for you, your guest and ultimately your big day.

Choose Eco-Friendly Invites

When it comes to your wedding correspondences such as your wedding invites, RSVP’s, place settings, and menus, most sustainably-minded couples choose to do everything digitally to avoid paper wastage. If you choose to go with actual stationery, make sure it is created using recycled paper and other materials.

Choose A Sustainable Wedding Dress & Wedding Attire

There are several ways that you can support ethical bridal, bridesmaid or groomswear by choosing sustainable pieces for your big day. There are several ways that you can do this….. such as buying a vintage wedding dress or by asking your Mom or Grandmother to reuse theirs. You can also buy second-hand and find an amazing wedding dress at a fraction of the price that you would pay for something brand new. If you do choose to purchase the new wedding dress of your dreams, you can always rewear, swap, resell, donate or recycle your wedding dress after the big day!

Choose An Eco-Friendly Menu

Choosing an eco-friendly menu is a great way to ensure your wedding is sustainable. Maybe the wedding venue you selected is providing the meal or maybe you are having it catered… no matter which you have chosen it is important to find a catering company that sources organic, local, Fairtrade and ethically-produced ingredients whenever possible. You can also opt to aim for a wedding menu that provides 50% of its meals to be vegetarian because vegan and vegetarian meals reduce the environmental impact of the wedding meal overall. You can also source your alcohol from local wineries, distilleries and breweries as by doing so you will also be reducing your overall carbon footprint and that’s what it is all about.

Utilize a Local & Seasonal Florist

Flowers are always a special part of anyone’s wedding day and utilizing a florist that shops locally and seasonally is a must. Some may suggest that you cut out the flowers on your wedding day all together and instead utilize potted herbs and greenery in their place but if you are like myself and love beautiful flowers on such a special day….. you do not have to ditch them all together. Choose a florist that provides sustainable options and that use locally-grown flowers too. Some will even suggest fabulous seasonal alternatives and/or provide living plants for the event. You can also chat with the florist you choose about what happens to the arrangements after the wedding and suggest that they donate them to local hospitals, hospice or nursing homes.

Choose Reusable Decor For the Event

There are always traditions and trends when it comes to the decor for the wedding but instead of using balloons or sky lanterns, which can be quite harmful to the environment and local wildlife…. choosing reusable decor is a much more sustainable approach. For a more eco-friendly wedding you can try to look for recyclable or reusable items like vintage candlesticks, glassware, ribbon, books, bunting and more. It is also a good idea to incorporate non-toxic candles to the mix plus also confetti and glitter that are biodegradable.

Ask For Gifts That Give Back

I love the idea of asking for charitable donations in place of gifts at your wedding. There are so many fabulous environmental charities that can use all of the support they can get including…. Greenpeace, Sierra Club, Ocean Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund and so much more. I also love the idea of seed wedding favors for your guests as this way you can encourage them to plant a tree using the favor your gifted them. You can also create your own DIY sustainable favors too to promote others to think about their impact on the environment because each and every little thing we can do for the better…. it all adds up to big changes.

Choose An Ethical Honeymoon Destination

This is my favorite step as your honeymoon is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and adventure that you will never forget. Research is the key to finding the perfect destination for your eco-friendly honeymoon needs, so make sure that you do your homework before you settle on a location. You can utilize the services of a travel agent that specializes in eco-friendly travel destinations and ask them to support locally owned hotels, stores and attractions when you get to your honeymoon destination.

So what do you think of these sustainable practices for the perfect eco-friendly wedding? Remember that as you plan your dream wedding, incorporating eco-friendly choices can significantly reduce its environmental impact and add a huge dimension to your celebration. You can opt in for sustainable practices by donating your flowers post-ceremony, using potted plants for decor that guests can take with them, purchasing second hand items for attire and choosing sustainable fashion options, encouraging carpooling among guests whenever possible, considering sustainable engagement rings or lab-grown diamonds to add both beauty and responsibility to your choices. When it comes to your wedding invites, go paperless or choose products made with recycled paper plus select a venue that prioritizes natural light and green practices. By doing all of the above you are ensuring the sustainable and eco-friendly wedding of your dreams and I would love to hear your thoughts too. If you have other ideas… I would love to hear from you by commenting below!

This is a collaboration between Deliciously Savvy and Responsival and all opinions are 100% my own. Thanks for stopping by and enter a giveaway or two before you so and Good Luck!