If you’re totally committed to doing your best for the planet with recycling and other green practices, here’s one more area where you can minimize the impact – by having an eco-friendly wedding. More couples are now recognizing that needless expenditure and generating copious amounts of waste can be avoided with a few simple choices. The Knot Real Weddings Study conducted in 2017 reveals that on an average, couples across the country spend around $35,329 on the wedding not counting the expense of the honeymoon. It may also interest you to know that each ceremony complete with the reception likely generates 63 tons of carbon dioxide and 400 pounds of trash.
Cutting back on the waste need not take away from the happiest day of your life. In fact, making green choices will only enhance the joy you get, the reception dinner will be healthier, and the decorations will seem all the more beautiful. Wondering how that is even possible, read ahead and understand how to organize the perfect eco-friendly wedding.
1 – Choose the Most Gorgeous Dress Ever
For any bride, wedding planning begins with the dress. Like this feature on WeddingWire outlines, most couples spend around $400 to $1700 on a formal gown with the national average for 2018 standing at $1050. How about you do something different for your special day. Consider pulling out a gorgeous vintage dress that belonged to your mother or grandmother. Take the dress to a great wedding dress preservation company and discuss the best methods they have for restoring the heirloom with the gentlest solvents. Such agencies use the innovative SYSTEMK4 system that can clean garments without causing damage to the environment or to humans.
The SYSTEMK4 is well-suited for delicate fabrics and embellishments and protects as it cleans. You will also be pleased to learn that any yellowing or graying areas can also be safely treated. Once you have the dress as good as new, you can take it to a reputed couturier who can alter it so that it fits and also make changes to lend a contemporary touch to the gown.
If you don’t have any special dresses handed down to you, make sure to choose fabrics that have been created using sustainable methods. Choose from some of the most beautiful fabrics available such as fine linen, Peace silk, hemp fibers woven with silk, and organic cotton adorned with rich European lace. If you’re planning on a winter wedding, you could go for wool that will keep you warm and also look amazing. Now, that’s the ideal first step to organizing an eco-friendly wedding.
2 – Choose a Venue with Lots of Natural Lighting
One of the best ways to cut back on the environmental impact of your wedding is to organize the ceremony and reception at a single location. Plan a daytime wedding on a lovely sunny day choosing a scenic venue so you can eliminate the need for power and artificial lighting. For instance, think about having a beach wedding or check out the local botanical gardens with beautiful flowers in bloom, a quaint barn on a farm carpeted with green, or a hillside spot. With couples now trending toward an eco-friendly wedding, you’re sure to find a location that also includes modern conveniences and arrangements for hosting the reception. You’ll save on time, energy, and transportation costs traveling to a different venue for the reception dinner.
3 – Choose a Green Caterer
Finding green vendors who share your commitment to protecting the planet is actually quite easy just as this article on the DIYNetwork advises. When finalizing the catering company for your eco-friendly wedding, ask about how they source the ingredients for the meals they serve. Many companies partner with local farms that grow fresh fruits and vegetables and supply other produce needed for preparing the food. Not only can your guests dine on organic and healthy food that is free of preservatives, but you’ll save on the costs of prep-packaged food transported over long distances to reach your city or town. Be prepared for friends and family loving the food so much that they’ll want the contact details of the caterer.
4 – Choose Flowers from Organic Farms
If you’ve never really thought about it, know that flowers can also be inorganic. Many gardens that grow flowers may use chemicals to fertilize them or keep away insects similar to other farm produce. These chemicals may poison the soil and cause illnesses in the workers that handle them. Check around your hometown for seasonal flowers grown using green methods. You can also ask the vendor for VeriFlora certification that confirms no toxins have been used. To go one step further when organizing an eco-friendly wedding, consider donating the flowers after the event.
5 – Choose Recycled Paper for Invitations
One of the most wasteful expenses incurred on weddings is on the invites. While sending out fancy invitations with pretty lettering, “Thank you!” notes, place cards, and other stationery are the done thing, you could replace them with more environment-friendly options. For instance, try recycled paper or e-vites over digital media. Many couples now also opt to organize a website where they put up details of the event and send the links to their loved ones. Guests knowing of your commitment to the planet will understand the gesture and may use the idea for their own weddings. As for place cards, combine them with green favors and return gifts like small potted plants or reusable items that people can take home to remember you by. Look for more ideas by checking out this slideshow on Martha Stewart.
These are only a few of the many choices you can make to have a wedding that respects the planet. Every little step you take will make a difference in the future home of your kids and grandkids. Be trendsetters and come up with innovative options that will earn you regard from your loved ones.
Have a lovely green wedding!
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