Terri Ramsey Beavers Weddings aren’t just expensive, they can also be unsustainable, involving tremendous use of resources and raw materials.
If you’re an eco-conscious couple, this is a problem. You want to get hitched but, at the same time, you want to protect the environment.
Fortunately, you can have it both ways, as we discuss in the following post.
Propose With Family Jewelry
Crafting and shipping new jewelry requires enormous energy and often involves destruction of the planet. Gold miners, for instance, often have to dig hundreds of meters into the Earth, destroying bedrock and damaging the surrounding landscape.
To avoid this, use family jewelry to propose. If an old aunt left a ring to you, use this instead of buying something brand new from the store.
Make Your Invitations Eco Friendly
These days, there are a plethora of vendors offering eco-friendly invitations. Many of these are made of recycled paper or printed on reusable materials, such as wood. Ultimately, guests should be able to compost the invitations you send them. If they can’t, then they’re not sustainable.
Get Married Outdoors
While marrying in a venue is the most popular option, you can often save time, money and the environment by tying the knot outdoors. But how, exactly?
Well, it’s simple. Many national parks permit wedding ceremonies for a fee. The money you pay them goes towards things like conservation and wildlife preservation.
To turn a random patch of the outdoors into a wedding venue, you’ll need some seating, a portable altar, and, perhaps, a photo booth. Just make sure you go somewhere sunny!
Accept Built-In Decor
Many couples see a venue and then immediately want to transform it into their vision of perfection with decor. Unfortunately, though, this approach wastes valuable resources. Most venue decorations are temporary and discarded after the event.
Instead of adding your own, look for a venue that already has all the decorations you like. This way, you can get married in the ideal setting without creating a lot of waste in the process.
Keep Your Flowers Seasonal
If you’re getting married in the spring or summer, you’re in luck. Most of the flowers on offer at this time of the year are seasonal and freshly cut.
Unfortunately, if you get married outside of the flower season, you’ll need to import. And that’s where things can get particularly bad for the environment.
The good news is that there is always something seasonal that you can use for flowers at any time of the year, even if it is lavender or holly. There are still local flowering plants available in the middle of January – it’s just a question of finding a vendor who supplies them.
Serve Sustainable Food
Lastly, be sure to serve sustainable food. The bulk of the scientific evidence suggests that the most carbon-efficient foods are locally-sourced, plant-based ingredients.
Fortunately, these days, there are many caterers who do delicious vegan or vegetarian meals. Many also buy their supplies from local farmers and producers, cutting CO2 emissions even further.