Sustainable Wedding Ideas

With Earth Day fresh on our minds, you may be considering different ways to incorporate sustainable practices in your life. If you're engaged, now is a great time to consider eco-conscious alternatives and put them into action. Here are six tips for a sustainable wedding that will save you money as you save the planet!

1. Start with the Venue

A great place to start with hosting a sustainable wedding is the venue. Choose a venue that already prioritizes sustainability. These locations will have sustainability practices built into their operations, such as banning single-use plastics. Another sustainable venue option is an outdoor wedding! A lot of stress, money, and time is put into decorations, the benefit of an outdoor venue is the décor is already done for you! Eliminating the need for décor helps reduce waste. Some scenic backdrop ideas are wineries, national parks, botanical gardens, and greenhouses! Some venues also let couples throughout the day use the same setup! This option eliminates a lot of the stress, money, and waste for your wedding!

2. Hire a team that shares your values

Along the same lines as your venue, make sure the vendors you hire share your values in maintaining a sustainable wedding. Wedding planning can be stressful, so it’s important to make sure everyone is on the same page. Vendors that share your views will make wedding planning that much easier.

3. Minimize Stationary

Minimizing waste is an important part of sustainability. While there are many areas to reduce waste at a wedding, a great place to start is with stationary. When sending out your save the dates and invitations, use recycled paper. Or you could even skip the save dates and only send out invitations. Some couples forgo paper stationery altogether and opt for virtual invitations.

4. Keep Your Guest List Small

While you may want to share your special day with all your loved ones, having a smaller wedding keeps the amount of waste down. The plus side is a very intimate wedding that guests will always remember!

5. Utilize Facebook

Facebook wedding planning groups and Facebook Marketplace are the places to look to reuse and recycle. After a wedding, couples are often looking to sell their decorations once their wedding has passed. Groups and Marketplace are great places to find your décor, glassware, linens, etc while being eco and budget-friendly! After your own wedding, you then can sell to another eco-conscious couple!

6. Go Plant-Based for the Exit Toss

Exit toss materials such as paper confetti aren’t the most eco-friendly. Instead, opt for some natural alternatives that are just as pretty! Lavender, rose petals, and leaves are great biodegradable and colorful options!

These are just a few of the many ways to host a sustainable wedding. Reduce waste where you can. Even accomplishing one thing on the list is a great start to an environmentally friendly future!

Do you have any more ideas on how to plan an eco-friendly wedding? Share your tips with us below!