We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
Without stressing out too much there are lots of things you can do. These 24 Eco-friendly wedding ideas can easily be incorporated into your plans and won’t hurt your wallet. I don’t really know if there is such a thing as an eco-friendly wedding. However, with the spotlight firmly on the impact of global warming, it is a good time to start making better choices.
Related Posts:
- 15 huge stress factors you will face planning a wedding
- How to plan a wedding; the ultimate guide
- The must have Wedding Planner (and it is FREE)
It is a sensible idea to review the decisions you are making about our wedding plans. Can you make better choices to reduce waste and your impact on the environment.
It’s only one day right, does it really matter? Yes it does. Everyone really has to do their bit and the cumulative effect will have a positive impact.
24 Eco Friendly Wedding ideas
1.Wedding dress
We talk about fast fashion but you wonder if this could be the exception to the rule. Could we have a dress for just one occasion never to be used again. I think you have to decide where you stand on the eco spectrum and how far you want to go to do your bit. For those that would’t consider getting married in a dress they already own buying vintage or a preloved wedding gown is still a better option. Consider selling on your dress, normalising the trade for second hand dresses will help to continue to remove any negative associations with buying second hand.
2.Wedding Rings
Second hand or ethically sourced conflict free stones are the way to go with this. There are many lab grown precious stones surfacing at the moment that offer the same properties but without the environmental impact. Make sure you ask questions before handing over your hard earned cash.
3.Transport options
Organising the logistics of your wedding day can be quite a challenge but this is also where you can make the biggest difference to your eco-friendly wedding ideas. This starts from collecting goods that you need for the day, last minute trips out when you have forgotten something, deliveries from suppliers setting up at your wedding as well on the day transport. Reduce journeys between the venue etc. It is worth conducting an audit of your transport requirements and see if you can reduce your mileage.
This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I’ll earn a commission, at no additional cost to you.
4.Guest Travel
Think about your guests travel arrangements, look how guests can share travel plans to make this more convenient. Have you picked your dream venue with this in mind?
5.Honeymoon
Try interrail rather than flying. Or a glamping honeymoon closer to home. There are so many options available to create a one off unique honeymoon experience.
6.Flowers
Use British grown where possible or plants that can be grown on in your garden. Bulbs in planters are another great way to create floral arrangements that have a better carbon footprint than cut flowers. For Winter weddings when cut flowers in the UK are at their scarcist, you could opt for dried flowers or just greenery.
7. Table Centers
Opt for planted arrangements that can be used at home
8.Food and Drink
Try to use caterers that support local food producers.
9.Reduce Disposables
Avoid single use Tableware
10.Stationery
Go digital. Table plan get creative and make it.
11.Recycled Paper
Ensure your supplier uses recycled paper.
12.Do without
Go without table favours, don’t be afraid to go without this tradition. The original idea was based on showing your appreciation to your guests for attending your wedding. Guests would be presented with 5 almonds to represent the five blessings; health, wealth, happiness, fertility and Long life. Incorporate these blessings into your official toast as a thankyou to your guests.
13.Think Edible Wedding Favours
If wedding favours are definitely a must for your wedding ensure they are edible or drinkable. This is usually a big area of waste, yes we love you but do we want to take your cute picture home with us, probably not.
14.Charitable Donations
Raise money from wedding guests with a charitable donation instead of asking for a gift.
15. Re-use Decor
Re use decor throughout the event, ceremony to reception to evening. Flowers on pedestals that can be taken from the ceremony and used at the Reception and into the evening. Aisle or ceremony decor could double up as a backdrop for a DIP photobooth area. Think how things you are setting up can be used over again to reduce unnecessary waste.
16. Be considerate
Gift Registry – do you really need all of those items. We had the same conversation recently about replacing our pans and the existing pans won! Yes it would be lovely to have sparkly new things but at what cost, replace things that are broken or completely worn out but not just for the sake of vanity.
17.Single Use items
Conduct an audit of your wedding wedding reception, venue and catering options to ensure that single use items are kept to an absolute minimum. Things like reusable straws or just go without
18.Glassware
Provide guests with a glass for the day, just make sure each guest has their name on a label in case the glass gets lost or mixed up. This is another great idea to conserve water and energy and reduce waste.
19.Fast Fashion
Fast fashion is a huge contributor to environmental pollution. The big offender is bridesmaid fashion, those gals really are only likely to wear that dress once. Options here, ask the bridesmaids to wear a dress of their choice preferably something they already have. Buy secondhand dresses and ensure you resell the gowns afterwards. Hire isn’t that common these days but if you find an outlet that hires that would be the best choice.
20.Things that have a dual use
Choose wedding decor that could be reused in your home, wooden signs and guest book ideas are all elements that can be displayed at home afterwards.
21.Balloons and Lanterns
Don’t use balloons or lanterns. Another one to give a miss, balloons are not going to be greatly missed as there are so many other decor options to make your wedding look amazing. Chinese Lanterns have also crept on the wedding scene where guests would light these and release them into the night sky. Again if you don’t have them they won’t be missed. To do this everyone has to congregate outside at a stage of the wedding guests are in full flow; it seems a shame to disrupt the wedding just to disperse a few lanterns at night.
22.Fireworks
Give Fireworks and sparklers a miss no one will be the wiser and it will save you a whole lot of cash. Great music food and friends is usually the only ingredients you need for a brilliant event.
23.Confetti
Only use bio-degradeable confetti, this generally tends to be naturally harvested petals and foliage. To be sure your guests don’t bring their own put a note on the invitations that confetti will be provided. Some church venue’s may also restrict the type of confetti allowed. Don’t assume it will be allowed! Another ideas we love is asking your ushers to organise an arch or aisle of guests that you have to walk through as you leave the church. I have seen this work with the military and other uniformed organisations.
24.Beer Kegs
Use kegs not bottles and cans at the bar is another one of the Eco-friendly wedding ideas we think works great at a wedding. This is also a chance to serve up some slightly different beverages rather than just lager on mass.
Eco-friendly wedding tips
If you have already got plans under way there is still the opportunity to make small changes that will make a difference. Conduct an audit of your wedding plans to see what changes you can make to increase the number of eco-friendly wedding ideas you can introduce.
