Did you know that an average wedding of about 100-120 guests produces 63 tons of carbon dioxide and 400 – 600 lbs of trash? It can take a toll on the environment.
When planning a wedding, the last thing you need is to contribute to the destruction of the planet with your big event. We’ve compiled five small but effective changes you can make to have a sustainable wedding and create a brighter future for your kids and grand-kids.
1. Consider Virtual Invitations
Invitations are an important part of any wedding, providing guests with vital information about the big day. However, traditional paper invitations can have a negative environmental impact, due to the materials used and the energy required for production and shipping.
One way to reduce this impact is to send virtual invitations instead.
There are a number of advantages to doing so.
First, virtual invitations can be designed to match the theme of your wedding and personal style. Second, they can be easily customized to include all the information your guests need to know. And third, they can be sent electronically, eliminating the need for paper and postage.
As a result, virtual invitations offer a more sustainable alternative to traditional paper invitations, helping you to reduce your environmental impact on your special day.
2. Opt for Ethical Wedding Rings
This one might come as a surprise to you. But yes, you can have a sustainable wedding by changing the choice of your wedding ring too!
Traditional wedding rings, i.e., diamond rings have been damaging the environment drastically. How so? Well, careless diamond mining can lead to deforestation, soil erosion, and ecosystem destruction.
Before you set out to buy your wedding ring, inspect the vendor and its origins. Check out where the diamonds come from and what’s the mining process. If it’s Eco-friendly, you can buy it from the shop. But if not, you’ll have to look for another ring manufacturer.
Since searching for such a manufacturer can become quite hectic, we recommend opting for lab-grown diamonds as they are 100% environment friendly. Most manufacturers promising synthetic diamond jewelry are promising you sustainable goods.
If the idea of lab-grown diamonds happens to be new to you, check out this guide about lab-grown diamonds VS natural diamonds. You’ll get better clarity about the subject.
3. Hire Carefully & Consciously
Wedding planning is quite a messy process. You’ll find yourself working on multiple things at a time, and there will be occasions when you just cannot look into every single one personally. You’ll be hiring help.
When you do so, you won’t be able to personally care for the sustainability of the processes involved.
Therefore, be careful when hiring teams and individuals to help you with the wedding tasks. Make sure they are as sensitive and caring about the environment as you are. Otherwise, your wedding may end up damaging the environment despite you taking all measures.
4. Choose an Eco-Friendly Venue
When choosing the venue for your wedding, don’t just weigh your options based on looks and popularity. Instead scrutinize each wedding venue you have on your list. Determine how green and Eco-friendly the venue is.
Most sustainable wedding venues offer:
- Recycling and composting bins
- Renewable energy resources (like solar generators)
- Sustainable operations (like gravity rainwater harvesting, carbon offsetting, etc.)
You can further verify their interest and dedication toward sustainability by checking out their involvement with local conservation organizations. Plus, keep an eye on their achievements and features. If they have an active history of working for the green cause, they may have received awards, endorsements, and recognition.
Alternatively, you can plan an outdoor wedding. Most outdoor weddings save a lot of money and resources as you get to enjoy the natural background and lighting. You won’t be wasting electricity powering air conditioners and coolers.
5. Reuse Flowers
The wedding flower industry is a major contributor to the waste produced per wedding. The resources used to refrigerate, store, haul and decorate flowers bring about massive carbon emissions, which can be damaging to the environment.
Therefore, we recommend investing once in the flowers, i.e., for the first event and then reusing them for later events. Alternatively, you can use:
- Dried flowers
- Wildflowers
- Fabric flowers
- Paper flowers
- Potted plants
These are low maintenance, reusable, and of course, environment friendly.
Final Thoughts
We hope you implement the measures listed above and have an Eco-friendly wedding event. Ultimately, when you give a green, positive, and considerate beginning to your lifelong relationship, it’s going to be nothing but blessed!
