Simple Ways To Have A Green Wedding

I love weddings and I love our Earth too. I also know how large an impact a wedding can have on the environment. Thankfully, you don’t have to skip any of the wedding luxuries to make your wedding a little more green. There are several simple swaps and tweaks you can choose to have an environmentally friendly wedding, while sticking to your budget and keeping all of the elegance. I compiled a list of my favorite personal green wedding tips to help you create your perfect earth-friendly wedding day. 

Your Venue

The location of your venue makes a statement and has the largest environmental impact next to your catering. There are multiple ways to respect Mother Earth while hosting your big day. Backyard and barn weddings are a popular and cute alternative to a formal wedding venue. You can reduce your carbon footprint and use what you have to create a beautiful wedding venue all your own. Not for you? Consider hosting your wedding at a park so that the money goes to support a local nature center. For example, my wedding is going to be at Harkness Memorial State Park in Waterford, CT. The ceremony and the reception will both take place at the park so guests will not have to make an extra commute. Because of this, we were also able to skip hiring a limo and shuttle service, which is also better for the environment. The park has a gorgeous mansion on site so we can still have a formal event, but the money goes to support the state park. 

The Invitations 

Skip all the extras and only include the invite and RSVP cards. The extra reception cards, dinner menus, and maps are rarely necessary. Plus you’ll save money. You can also opt to get your invites printed on recycled or on eco-friendly plantable paper with natural inks. 

Your Flowers

Think local and in season so your blooms will not have to be brought in from afar. The best part is that this also saves you plenty of money when you place your order. 

The Catering

Where is your food coming from? Is it organic? Does your caterer support local farms? These are all questions you may ask when searching for your caterer. For our wedding, Matthew and I are going with a lovely caterer called A Thyme To Cook. They’re local, certified green organic (the only certified organic caterer in Connecticut), and they source their ingredients locally. You may also decide to serve by the plate instead of buffet style to prevent food from being wasted. 

The Party Favors

Do you really need favors? Most often than not, party favors are rarely used and collect dust before being thrown away. Instead, consider giving guests a favor they may use, such as a delicious organic seasoning, pouch of tea, or organic chocolate. You may also decide to skip favors and make a donation to a favorite charity instead. 

Reuse, Recycle, Rent

One of my favorite weddings was Anna and Andy’s backyard wedding which took place at Anna’s childhood home (pictured in this post). Anna and her family were so resourceful when pulling all of the details together. The altar was made from their old French doors and the ceremony chairs were from her grandmother’s attic. A tent and tables were rented, but the rest of the furniture came from their home, such as the sofas placed in the yard with homemade covers. Anna’s aunt and uncle let them borrow their old vintage pick up truck as a unique decoration. The tables were decorated with their family holiday cups holding flowers. Everything else was home made or rented. Use what you have. For our wedding this coming June, I am using my own tea cup collection (and teacups that I found used at Goodwill and flea markets) for a tea station instead of buying all new cups or renting fancier ones from a company. 

Perhaps you don’t have what you need for your vision at home, so you may want to consider a rental service. You will be amazed what items you can rent for your wedding using a local rental or event company. Everything from plates, table cloths, furniture, vintage books, typewriters, picture frames, etc. can be found at a rental place. There are also online wedding swap sites and allow you to find gently used items form other peoples weddings. You can even find incredible second-hand wedding gowns. 

The Rings

Instead of going with a diamond ring that has the potential of being a blood diamond, consider gemstones that have less of an impact from mining and human conflict. 

There are thousands of ways that you can make your wedding more eco-friendly. I hope that my small list will motivate you to make a couple changes. Every little change makes a big difference. What are your favorite eco-friendly wedding or party planning tips? Please share them in the comments below.