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Eco-friendly-focused couples may worry that throwing a wedding will have a poor impact on the earth. While certain wedding day decisions can be bad for the environment, you can also choose to have a more sustainable wedding, one that doesn’t involve massively increasing your environmental footprint. Keep reading to learn how it’s done.
Think Carefully About Your Wedding Menu
What you eat plays a big role in your environmental footprint. So, to throw a sustainable wedding, think carefully about wedding catering. There are plenty of delicious dishes that keep the planet in mind! Choose local and seasonal cuisine, for example. Not only will this taste fresher and tastier, but it will ensure the ingredients don’t have to travel far to get to the venue (increasing emissions). You should also plan carefully the amount of food you serve, depending on the guest list, to minimize food waste.
Buy Things Second-Hand
Your wedding doesn’t have to have everything be brand new. In fact, there’s a certain excitement knowing that the ring or dress you are wearing has had a history before your own big day. Buying second-hand massively reduces your carbon footprint, so do it wherever you can for your wedding. There are many beautiful second-hand wedding dresses you could try. If you find one that doesn’t quite fit, you can always get it tailored!
Ask for Donations
If you’re truly focused on hosting a sustainable wedding, ask your guests not to bring any physical gifts. Instead, ask for donations to a charity of your choice (if you can afford to do so). That might involve a green charity that focuses on keeping the local area full of wildlife!
If you would prefer to receive gifts for yourself (which is understandable as weddings are expensive!), you could ask for money rather than physical gifts, as this will mean you don’t receive physical items you don’t necessarily need.
Choose Local Flowers
Most weddings include flowers for decorations. Flowers are great, as they are a renewable type of decoration that you can grow again and again! To keep your wedding sustainable, avoid using plastic flowers. Instead, choose local flowers that are grown in the area. For example, if you are in New England, you might make the most of native flowers such as New England Aster, Bee Balm, Yarrow, and Black-Eyed Susan.
Keep the Guest List Small
The bigger the weddings, the bigger the environmental impact. For a more sustainable day, then, choose to keep your guest list as tight as possible, perhaps only inviting your nearest and dearest. Not only will it make your wedding more sustainable, but you will also save a lot of money. Plus, there’s something special about a smaller, more intimate wedding.
Organize Shuttle Transport
If a lot of people are coming from one area, you can avoid having too many cars on the road, creating more CO2 emissions by organizing shuttle transportation. This will get everyone to and from the venue more smoothly. Plus, it will mean everyone arrives at the same time!