Throwing a planet friendly wedding is not hard to do if you just think about simplicity. You don’t need over-the-top décor, clothing and food to make a good party for your wedding day. A wedding is supposed to celebrate the love of the couple, not the excesses of our culture.
Let Nature Be Your Decorator
Nothing is better than a beautiful field of flowers, or a mountain backdrop or the ocean as your muse when it comes to planning a wedding. You have no need to pick a bunch of flowers or put up decorations that will be wasted later. Just let nature provide the beauty. Your pictures will be outstanding too, due to the natural light.
I have also seen many weddings where the bride and groom purchase lots of living plants and trees and then sell or them afterwards. You can use small succulents or other living plants as favors and centerpieces.
Find Fair Labor Gemstones
One of the problems with diamonds is that often they’re produced by unscrupulous companies who use slave labor. If you want an eco-friendly wedding, you need to avoid those companies. You can ask your jeweler about the origins of your stones to be sure. You can also hit up flea marketers, estate sales, antique shops and grandma for an appropriately-used stone instead.
Shop for Decor at Thrift Stores
You can find lots of great decor at thrift stores..faux flowers, planters, pots, mason jars, vases, candles, dishes, flatware, wine glasses, frames, and so much more. You could even thrift yoru wedding dress or bridesmaids dresses. On any given trip to a thrift store I see probably ten different brass or black candelabras. They don’t match but that could be cute! Paint them all gold or rose gold and add a few faux jewels to them for sparkle, then using matching tea lights or candles in all of them.
Buy a Used Wedding Dress
There are plenty of used wedding dresses that are like new that you can use. A good tip is to buy one a size bigger so that you can hire someone to alter it for you to make a perfect fit. It also helps to visit consignment shops in person. Used dresses are so inexpensive that often you can buy more than one and create a one-of-a-kind design with the help of a talented seamstress.
Use Digital Photography
While you’re going to want some images to put on your wall, try to get most of your images in digital form. You can share them easily online with others, allowing them to download and save as desired. Ask your photographer for digital rights so that you can print them yourself when needed.
Use Recycled Paper Invitations
Many invitation makers offer recycled paper as an option now. You will pay more for using it. Another option is to find old cards at vintage shops, cut off the used part, and create unique and original cards for your invitations.
In Lieu of Gifts Ask for Donations to a Charity
Skip the consumption and ask your guests to donate to an environmental charity of your choice, or canned food for a food bank, in place of the gifts they would normally bring. This will cut down on boxes, paper use and more manufacturing consumption problems. Plus, it will mean that your wedding benefits your community too.
Go Camping for Your Honeymoon
Instead of spending money and fuel on a faraway wedding or a wasteful cruise that use unsustainable practices and pollutes the environment, go camping or do something as close to nature as possible within your budget. You can also go on a volunteering adventure for your honeymoon, helping people with food and medicine.
Weddings can be very stressful as well as a lot of fun. If you plan an eco-friendly wedding, you can cut down on a lot of the stress involved with wedding planning to start. It helps you come up with a theme and requirements that will cut down on some options, but it will make your wedding a day to remember for everyone.
