All of us know that to be eco-friendly we must reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible…I mean we all learned this in like the 1st grade, right?  But, what does that mean for your wedding or event?  In this post we’ll share some ideas on how to throw an eco-friendly event.  Even a few little changes to the standard can make a big impact.

Eco-Friendly Decor

• Use what you have or have access to via friends/family, rent what you can and as a last resort buy or repurpose used/recycled decor.
• If you have to buy something for your event that you will not use afterward, sell it somehow or give it to whomever you know that is have a wedding soon.  Remember that what you buy doesn’t have to be brand new! Check out these options for buying and selling:
  • Tradsey: Up to 90% off wedding decor and last I checked they had over 9,000 items listed!
  • Ruffled:  Has a section called Recycle Your Wedding where you can buy, sell or post a picture of what you’re looking for.
  • Wedding Bee Classifieds:  Decor, dresses, shoes, you name it, someone is selling it here.
  • 100 Layer Cake Marketplace:  You may need to sift through some spam posts, but tons of great stuff here!
• Minimize the number of tables that need to be decorated by using larger tables or seating without tables…picnics are always fun!
• Use live plants and natural components for decor.  Don’t worry you black thumbs out there, you can rent live plants. Succulents are a great option even in bouquets because they can be planted after the event.
• If you are going to have cut flowers, use in-season local flowers arranged by a local florist.
• Consider donating your flowers after your event.  After our wedding we gave our centerpieces and aisle flowers to the local senior center.  Be sure to call ahead to make arrangements.
• Favors should be reusable instead of one-time-use items. Confetti Daydreams shares some creative suggestions.
• Don’t forget eco-friendly confetti if you are doing a send-off. The Bridal Guide lists five biodegradable options.  And please, for the love of all things cute, not so cute, furry and not so furry roaming about in the outdoors, do not release balloons or Chinese lanterns…this is littering people.  {Stepping off soapbox now.}

Eco-Friendly Apparel and Accessories

• The Outfits:
  • The Ladies: Wear used dresses or rent dresses and wear shoes you already have.  You can also sell your dresses after the event if you are unlikely to wear it again.
  • The Men: Have the men wear something they already have, will wear again or can rent.
• The Rings: As Ruffled suggests, “Select environmentally conscious metals. Ask your jeweler about rings made of recycled metals. OR — collect jewelry from family and have it melted down and crafted into your own personal ring design.”
• Bouquets and Boutonnieres:  If you choose to have real flowers, keep the bouquets and boutonnieres small and made from local flowers.

Eco-Friendly Food

• Serve a local, in-season menu cooked by a local caterer in order to reduce fossil fuel emissions and support your local farmers. {Insert shameless plug here}
• Be conservative with the number of guests so that you don’t have a lot of leftover food.
• Have to-go boxes for guests so food isn’t wasted, especially the cake! But, if there are leftovers you can donate them to a local organization. Be sure to discuss this with your caterer in advance.
• Minimize the paper products need and use recyclable/compostable materials when possible.  Green Party Goods and Susty Party have some really cute options.
• Serve water in pitchers or dispensers instead of bottles.
• Make recycling and composting easy for your guests and caterers by providing labeled receptacles.
• Ask guests to reuse their glass.  Simply post a sign with the request.

General Eco-Friendly Suggestions

• Choose a venue with lots of natural light, hold your event during the day and outdoors if possible to minimize the energy consumption.

• Hold the ceremony and reception in one place so everyone doesn’t have to drive between locations.
• Use local vendors as much as possible and book hotels near the venue to reduce travel time for everyone.  Warrenwood is located within two miles of several hotels.
• Minimize paper used for invitations, programs, place cards and other event correspondence.  Consider an online RSVP, printing double-sided on recycled or plantable paper and going without a printed save-the-date.
• Request monetary gifts or donations to your favorite charity.  This cuts down on shipping and wrapping.
• Keep the guest list to people you really want to be there. To keep our guest list short, we made the rule and if we didn’t both know the person (well), they weren’t invited.  Sorry distant relatives!
• As you’re shopping for event items, use reusable bags.
• The Knot even goes so far as to share traditions you can skip.

Even if you only incorporate one or two of these eco-friendly event suggestions into your wedding or any event for that matter, you will likely save money AND lower your environmental impact.  It’s a win-win!

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