You are engaged! It’s time to start celebrating and preparing for the big day. But large weddings can quickly become wasteful. Why not plan for a more sustainable celebration?
Looking to plan an eco-friendly wedding? Maybe you’re looking at boho venue options or a more rustic theme? From vintage wedding dresses to disposable wedding plates, we have 8 tips to help you plan a beautiful eco-conscious wedding.
1. Find sustainable wedding venues
Tie the knot in locations surrounded by nature, such as botanical gardens or lush woodland. Directly connect to the environment and encourage conservation, while enjoying the beauty of the natural décor.
If an outdoor wedding isn’t possible, ask potential venues about their energy and waste practices, to ensure their ethos matches yours.
Location-focused weddings generate large carbon footprints, due to the travel required for you, your guests, and suppliers. Find venues nearby, where possible. Consider also organising group transport, such as hired buses, for those further afield.
2. Use natural wedding decorations
Sustainable wedding flowers bring a beautiful, natural touch to your day. The harvesting and growing processes of your chosen florist are important for reducing waste and avoiding damage from chemicals.
Florist’s foam is not biodegradable. If you wish to have cut flowers, opt for seasonal blooms. Use reclaimed vases to display them.
Potted plants can stand in for cut flowers. Try also making use of existing foliage for the perfect photographic backdrop, such as ivy or wisteria on buildings, blossoming trees, and countryside or woodland vistas.
3. Catering and eco-friendly disposable tableware
Whether the venue offers catering services or not, you can do your part to make it as eco-friendly as possible. Tailor your wedding menu to reduce food waste as much as possible, and provide plant-based options, if not a full menu. Ask your venue to compost food waste and eco-friendly disposable plates to save resources used on washing up and landfill build-up.
Palm leaf tableware is the perfect addition to a rustic, boho, or outdoor eco-friendly wedding. Made from dried palm leaves that are heat moulded into shape, our palm leaf tableware is 100% natural and does not contain any harmful chemicals. Each piece has a unique pattern on it due to the production process, making idyllic table settings for different wedding themes.
Our compostable serving trays can be cleaned and reused. Present canapes on bamboo skewers or display the entire evening buffet on eco-friendly serving platters. Palm leaf bowls can hold liquids, as well as wet or oily food. There is no need to worry about spillages or breakages; eco-friendly palm leaf tableware is robust and resilient. At the end of the night, they can go straight into the compost, food scraps and all.
To cater for your event sustainably, check out a range of compostable, eco-friendly wedding tableware options .
4. Consider a vintage or second-hand wedding dress
Give a vintage wedding dress a chance instead of buying new. Wedding dresses often take enormous amounts of production, materials, and investment. only to be worn once. Consider donating your dress after to share the gift of pre-loved sustainability with other brides.
Wedding suits can be made from materials of natural origin such as woollen tweed, cotton, or silk, instead of synthetic materials. Considering hiring a suit to reduce waste or opt for vintage too.
Choose ethical bridesmaid dresses and groomsman suits from eco-friendly clothing brands and designers. Allow the wedding party to choose outfits they’ll likely wear again or shake up tradition and encourage wearing wedding or party dresses they already own.
5. Send out eco-friendly wedding invitations
You have your venue, dress and eco-friendly disposable plates and tableware, now it’s time to invite your guests. Sustainable invites set the tone for a more eco-conscious celebration and show guests you care about the impact of your wedding day.
The most sustainable options are plantable wedding invitations. These utilise seed paper: compostable paper with embedded seeds that germinate once planted. The paper breaks down harmlessly, leaving no waste and can produce beautiful flowers and other plants.
6. Ask for eco-conscious wedding gifts
Consider requesting donations to climate or conservation charities, instead of material presents. In addition to reducing waste from packaging or unwanted gifts, this also makes a direct positive contribution to your day. You can also add sustainable options to your registry for those that want to contribute to your day.
7. Make your own confetti
Thankfully the days of throwing dry rice or shiny plastic confetti to the wind are over. Even biodegradable or dissolvable paper can damage the environment, as inks and dyes seep into the ground as they degrade.
Go natural by collecting and drying fallen petals and leaves, or find fresh, soft petals in the days before the ceremony. Avoid picking whole flowers or healthy petals to minimise damage.
8. Give sustainable wedding favours
Finally, once your special day has come to an end, you would like to thank your guests. Source local produce, such as organic hand soap bars, for a memorable and useful keepsake. You could also gift each guest a reusable bamboo straw to use during and after the reception, to save from generating disposable plastic straw waste.
Finish your favours with packets of wildflower and herb seeds. The lasting utility of wildflowers for pollinators and waste-free cooking herbs will allow the positive messaging surrounding the environment to endure, long after the celebration ends.
So, whether you throw a large boho wedding party or are in the mood for a minimal, rustic celebration, there are many ways you can make your day more eco-conscious. Like and follow our Instagram for sustainable, eco-friendly wedding tableware ideas, and make sure to tag us in any photos of your big day!
You can find our full range of compostable, biodegradable wedding tableware options on our website.