Planning a wedding can be a stressful and overwhelming enough process as it is when focusing on the day alone. But it’s important to remember that every item that goes towards making your big day perfect has been found or created by another individual and that you should be mindful of where you source your items to ensure that all of these individuals are treated fairly. You should also bear in mind that many of the items involved in the big day may be disposable and for one-time use, so you should make sure that they are biodegradable and won’t fill landfills or pollute the environment for years to come. So, here are a couple of pieces of advice to help you in planning the fairest and most sustainable wedding possible!
Conflict-Free Rings
Perhaps the biggest symbol of marriage is the diamond ring. But you want to ensure that yours isn’t associated with conflict diamond trade (otherwise known as blood diamond trade). This is a process in which uncut diamonds are mined in areas of conflict and sold illicitly in order to continue to fund said conflicts. So, when you’re shopping for your rings, consider a fair supplier, such as 77 Diamonds, who can guarantee that they absolutely comply with the United Nations Kimberley process to ensure that all of their products are conflict-free.
Sustainable Table Decorations
“Table decorations” is an umbrella term for everything that you use to make your table stand out and look something special. Many wedding planners will simply suggest scattering wedding confetti or mini gems across the tablecloth and have some form of a bouquet in the center. This is cheap, effective, and looks lovely. However, have you ever stopped to think about what happens to these decorations once everyone heads home? Well, they are often thrown in the bin. This is extremely problematic in regards to the confetti and gems, as they are most often made of plastic and end up in a landfill or polluting waters and won’t biodegrade. So why not opt for something a little more environmentally friendly? You don’t need to compromise on aesthetics, and your guests could get an extra little something out of your alternative table decorations. Have edible, wrapped chocolates scattered around. They can have pretty packaging or shapes: chocolate hearts are perhaps most common. This will minimize wastage, and your guests will get an extra sweet treat too! Now, this isn’t such a big issue with the flowers, as they are biodegradable. However, isn’t it a shame to put such beautiful things to waste? Let the last guests of the night know that they are welcome to take a table piece bouquet home with them at the end of the night. At least it will go to a good home for the next few days.
These are just two areas to focus on. If you give every item you buy for your big day sufficient thought, you will be able to ensure that everything is moral and right!
I’m not a woman, but believe me I know what is the stress before you say official “I, do!”. My best friend is getting married for 2 months and how time is passing, she is more and more nervous and I must be there almost every couple hours because people can’t work normally… I will show her your post maybe she will calm down a little. Thank you, thank you!
I wish I knew about this before I got married. Such great ideas!
Weddings are so beautiful, but the attendees never see how much hard work goes into making the day so special. I’m not getting married anytime soon, but i have a friend who is, and i will be sure to share this with her!
My cousins wedding was a “locavore” event – everything was made locally, from her dress to the food. It was a pretty cool event, and everything was eco-friendly too.
Love.Love.Love. this article. I especially like that you mentioned conflict free diamonds. I didn’t know this was a thing, but now I can be more conscious about it in the future.
It would be nice for the couples who are planning to get married in the future to choose sustainable decorations and what-not for their wedding. It would definitely help the environment. I love all your tips!
Getting married these days is a big expense. You really have to plan it well to have a budget wedding but there are so many ways to do it without breaking the bank.
Planning a wedding is one of the most taxing things as a young adult. This is great advice for sure.
I love this. We planned our own wedding and it was super tiny but these would have been great tips.
Those are great tips for couples who are planning to get married soon. I think it’s nice to have a wedding that’s not only a dream come true for the couple but helpful for the environment as well.
I have never seen confetti or gems on wedding tables, just traditional centerpieces which I tend to like. We had a backyard wedding, I wanted more but we couldn’t afford it.
Great post! It really is easy to plan a fair and sustainable wedding without putting a huge dent in your pockets. For hubby and I we chose a local park that had a gazebo, a pond with some ducks and plenty of parking for our guests. Saving money on the ceremony helped us save money for other things.
Great ideas! I have a few friends planning to get married in the next little bit I will be sure to share all these with them!
These are wonderful ideas! I can’t wait to share this post with my friends who are planning a wedding.
A friend of mine is actually starting to plan her wedding right now and all of these points are something she is trying to accomplish in her wedding too. She wants to make it a cheap wedding but also very tastefully done.
Great ideas! We did the big fancy wedding and spent way too much money. We should have just eloped and saved all the money we spent.
Small wedding are really the way to go. Not spending money on big venues is a waste of money. Home wedding in the backyard are big around here or decorating up old barns to hold the ceremony. Wonderful ideas.
What great ideas! We just had a court room wedding, so we barely wasted a thing! 😉 We were all about saving money.
I need to share this with my daughter. We are planning her wedding, great article!