Five Planning Tips for an Earth-Friendly Wedding

Tomorrow is Earth Day (Saturday, April 22nd), so we’ve got sustainability on the brain. Most people know that weddings can be extremely wasteful and can have a large carbon footprint- but that doesn’t have to be the case for yours! With a little bit of conscientiousness and planning, you can host a stunning and memorable eco-friendly wedding. One awesome benefit of having an eco-friendly wedding is that many times it means it’ll be more cost-effective as well. Everyone loves a win-win! There are many tips and tricks you can consider when planning a green event, but here are five to get you started:

Photo by Indigo Lace Collective

1) Ditch the paper goods. Most weddings use some or most of the following paper goods: save the dates, invitations (sometimes with a bunch of inserts), ceremony programs, escort cards, menus, table setting cards, and table numbers. That’s a lot of different paper goods, and especially if every guest is given one of each. We understand that it might be difficult to eliminate ALL of these items, but even just opting out of some creates less waste. Here are some ways you can reduce paper consumption at your wedding: 1) Send a digital save the date. 2) Send digital invitations, or if sending physical ones, consider sending them without any inserts and provide all the necessary information on your website instead. 3) Eliminate programs altogether. 4) Have a dinner seating chart sign instead of individual escort cards. 5) Provide one menu per table. 6) Ditch the table setting cards and have people choose their seat when they get to their table. 7) Opt for non-paper table numbers. 

Photo by Ed and Aileen Photography

2) Rent instead of buy. One of our favorite ways to reduce waste and cost is renting items instead of buying them. We, for example, offer the option to rent many decor items like vases, lanterns, terrariums, and candleholders. Many wedding planners rent other items like card boxes, table numbers, and cake stands. Not only does renting decrease your cost, but it also leaves you with less items to have to organize and coordinate. Leave as many decor items to your wedding vendors as possible - they’ll bring them, set them up, and return them at the end of the night. Easy peasy!

Photo by Andrew Hayden Photography

3) Support local businesses. This may sound obvious, but do your best to hire vendors that are hyper local. Instead of flying out that photographer you found on Instagram, hire one that is in the same general area of your wedding. Or, instead of requesting out-of-season flowers that have to be shipped from South America, work with your florist on seasonal blooms that can be sourced from the surrounding region. Supporting local midwest flower farms is one of our favorite green initiatives.

Photo by Allison Williams Photography

4) Have a local wedding. Yes, yes, we know that destination weddings can be super tempting. But still, consider having one near to home. Chances are, many of your wedding guests are probably from the same area. Think of all the airplane travel you’d be eliminating. If Chicago is home, this is an especially great place to host a wedding, because it is so centrally located. It’s typically super accessible and affordable to get to.

5) Donate your wedding flowers at the end of the night. Nothing is more sad than seeing perfect wedding flowers go into the trash at the end of the night. Instead, give them a second life by donating them when your wedding ends. We work with a couple of amazing organizations called Bloom ‘N Toss and JourneyCare Hospice, who help us transport flowers at the end of the night to places like nursing homes and hospice care. Think of all the people whose days will be made by receiving unexpected flowers!

Photo by Maddie Blecha Photography 

If you’re planning a wedding and are worried about your carbon footprint, don’t stress! With a few simple planning tweaks, you can substantially reduce your wedding’s waste and carbon emissions. Working with eco-friendly wedding vendors makes it all the more easy, because they can provide you with helpful suggestions and tips. That being said, if you’re looking for an eco-friendly wedding florist, you’ve come to the right place! We’d love to chat about your wedding flowers and ways to make them as eco-conscious as possible. Fill out our contact form and let’s get started.