How To Make Your Wedding More Eco Friendly!

In honor of Earth Day (we know, we’re a few days late…), we’re sharing a few of our best tips and tricks for making your wedding more eco friendly and sustainable. It may seem like something you don’t have to worry about, or that isn’t your style, but weddings can create a lot of waste. Think about it– what happens to all that extra food and all those flowers at the end of the night? Most likely, it all gets trashed. That’s a lot of time and money to let the cycle end there! So in honor of making our planet a little better than before, here are a few ways you can make your wedding more green. 1) Consider paying it forward with your flowers. Wedding flowers often have a lot of life left in them! Some couples opt to partner with a organization like Full Bloom or Repeat Roses, that collects flowers after an event and repurposes them, giving them to places like hospice care and elderly living facilities. Some couples want close family to take home centerpieces or arrangements at the end of the night and enjoy them for a bit longer. Whatever works for you, consider giving your gorgeous floral decor another life! 2) Rent instead of buying. We’ve talked before about the big debate over renting vs buying your wedding decor. Renting not only means you don’t have to deal with 32 vases after your big deal, but it means the items you did use will go on to serve many more brides after you! If you do find yourself forced to buy some items for your wedding, consider giving them a new life after your big day as well– either by reusing them in your home, or gifting to selling them to another bride. Don’t just let them sit in a box in your garage! 3) Shuttle guests, or ask them to carpool. Help cut down on vehicle admissions by offering shuttles for guests, or asking them to carpool if possible. Every little big helps! 4) Consider letting your bridal squad pick something they’ll rewear, or rent outfits. Whether you want them to pick a dress they’ll actually rewear, or rent something a la Rent The Runway or The Black Tux, don’t let your guys and gals get stuck with an outfit that will get shoved to the back of the closet after your wedding! 5) If you opt for favors, go green. If you plan to offer favors for guests, select something eco friendly, like seed packets or sustainable sourced or locally made goodies. You’ll feel good about supporting a local, small business or doing a small part to save the bees and your guests will love your thoughtfulness. 6) Ask your venue and caterer to have recycling bins on hand. Asking your caterer and venue to have recycling bins available means you’ll help create a little less waste for your event, whether it’s tossing tin cans from the bar or throwing food waste in a compost bin, it all makes a difference! 7) Consider including donations on your registry. If you’ve lived together for a while and have everything you need, or have a charity that’s really close to your heart, consider giving guests the option to donate to charity in lieu of a wedding gift.