Tips for an Eco-Friendly Wedding
Posted on: May 19, 2009
It’s wonderful to see that more and more brides are looking for ways to be more environmentally conscious on their wedding day.
Here are some of our tips on how to have a greener wedding:
Use natural and chemical-free materials
Look into buying a wedding gown or bridesmaid dresses that are made of natural or even organic fibres (for example, silk or cotton) and are dyed with natural vegetable dyes instead of chemical based dyes. Try not to use plastic or non-recyclable decorations and be conscious of the packaging you use for your wedding favours. The wedding favours themselves can also be prime candidates for landfill (let’s be honest). So keep that in mind when you buy them.
Be aware of your carbon footprint and offset what you can
How about instead of giving the usual small gift as a wedding favour, try donating some carbon offsets for the carbon your wedding would have produced? For example, donate to offset your guests’ flights or car rides. You could also offset your shipping for the items you had shipped to you. See our article on carbon offsetting for more information.
Buy locally
It takes a lot of fuel and energy to ship supplies in from far away, which contributes to carbon emissions. Buying locally and especially locally made products would cut down on this. For example, try buying your bridal party gifts from local artisans or speak to you caterer to find out if they can use only local produce for your reception meal.
Buy organic, fair trade & eco-friendly
In general, the term organic refers to the avoidance of synthetic chemicals and genetic modification in the growing and processing of food and agricultural products. It also refers to the use of farmland that has been free from chemicals for a number of years. Fair trade refers to a social movement that helps producers in developing countries with sustainability of production and “fair price” compensation for their products. Eco-friendly simply means friendly towards the environment and could refer to goods that are recyclable, biodegradable, made with the environment in mind or are not tested on animals.
Look for these types of products when buying what you need for your wedding. And check back with Bridal Clarity often, as we love bringing wedding-related organic, fair trade and eco-friendly products to your attention. You can find these types of products from bridal wear to wedding favours to make-up to the food you decide to serve at your reception…..
Use recycled products
Besides the “something borrowed” part of your wedding ensemble, there are lots of ways to recycle for your wedding. Here are some wedding items you can consider using over again from a friend or family member: wedding veil, wedding gown, jewellery, shoes, purse, wrap, money-box, ring-bearer pillow and any other decorations for the wedding including vases, place card holders, candles, picture frames…the list goes on. An idea for your wedding party is to have the ladies just use dresses they already own – perhaps they could each wear a black dress, which they are sure to already have in their wardrobe. Recycling is always a great way to reduce what we waste and to save money too!
Recycle and re-use what you did buy for your wedding
Let’s face it - all brides think their bridesmaids will re-use their bridesmaid dress. Believe us, ladies….keep looking for other things you can recycle…
How about using potted plants that can be re-planted as your centrepieces or wedding favours? How about giving out seedlings? For your own closet, look for wedding jewellery, shoes, a purse or even a wedding dress that you can use over again. This means maybe buying shoes that are a neutral colour, like silver or gold, instead of white, which is harder to re-use. Some brides opt for a “non-wedding” wedding dress to be different but also because they could use the beautiful formal dress again. The more you can re-use the items from your wedding, the less waste for the environment.
Photo courtesy : Morgan Boszilkov - Natural Bridal Collection