8 Steps To Help You Plan A Truly Eco-Conscious Wedding

According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the average wedding produces more than 63 metric tons of CO2. Between thousands of miles of flights, hundreds of miles driven, and plenty of food served, is it possible to take an eco-friendly approach to marriage that doesn’t sacrifice style or comfort? As sustainability becomes increasingly important, many couples have sought out answers to the question.

Every wedding is going to have waste. Regardless, an eco-friendly approach can reduce your carbon footprint while actively contributing a uniquely meaningful dimension to the special day. Planning a green wedding can prove that your vow of love can be shared with both partner and planet.

1. Reduce Emissions From Transportation

Cutting down on a wedding’s carbon footprint starts with transportation, which also happens to be the most necessary part of an event for many couples. When you host your wedding, consider how you and your guests can reduce emissions. For those living nearby, perhaps there’s an opportunity to carpool, or a bus service that can move groups between the ceremony and reception sites. Even reducing the number of vehicles on the road makes a big difference.

2. Choose A Sustainable Venue

Even location can have an impact on your carbon footprint. Will the distance make it harder to arrange environmentally-conscious transportation? Is the venue itself sustainably operated? If it works for you, finding a venue that’s both close to home and in line with your vision will help to minimize your environmental impact.

There are plenty of wedding venues which use solar panels, energy-efficient lighting, and water-saving measures in order to appeal to eco-friendly partners. Of course, having an outdoor wedding is another way to minimize impact and save money. If your wedding is going to have multiple events, you may want to consider hosting them in one location or within a walkable distance of each other.

3. Environmentally Friendly Invitations

An invite to a wedding often comes in the form of a paper card and any additional inserts, enclosed in an envelope. Then several different vehicles will transport those already wasteful letters across the country (or the world). A traditional invitation is always nice to receive, but online wedding invitations or an online RSVP system will save on paper and reduce those postage-related emissions. If you’re stuck on a physical invitation, consider using recycled paper alternatives and, if possible, vegetable-based inks.

4. Choose Food That’s Local And In Season

The wedding feast is an important conclusion to any marriage ceremony, but your food and drink choices may have more of an impact than you realize. If you want food that can’t be found near your venue at any time of year, consider scheduling your wedding around its availability or just abandoning specific parts of the meal. Meat is especially important to consider, due to its increased environmental impact. As always, a sustainable option is better than the alternative.

Many eco-conscious wedding hosts are choosing vegan and vegetarian meals to reduce waste and carbon emissions, even if they eat meat. Serving a large number of people a significant quantity of meat will raise the environmental impact of any event, making vegan and vegetarian alternatives more viable for a sustainable wedding.

5. Minimize The Guest List

Speaking of guests, this carbon-cutting measure is perhaps the most difficult — but it may be one of the most effective. By reducing the number of guests who you invite to your wedding, you reduce the impact of transportation, invitations, catering and more. It may be difficult to choose a select few to attend your wedding, so this isn’t a viable option for every wedding planner, but minimizing the guest list can go a long way to ensuring a sustainable event.

6. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

A simple slogan for sustainability, practicing the “three R’s” can truly limit the impact of any event. After reducing the amount of decor involved in your wedding, consider connecting with couples to reuse their decor, or see if you can rent from local companies. So much of wedding decor is bought new and subsequently discarded, but your event can help to mitigate this cycle.

7. Communicate Your Intentions

No matter how well you prepare for a sustainable wedding, the behavior of your guests can help or harm your results. By ensuring that your guests both understand and support your intentions for the event, your wedding will run much more smoothly. Try to use your invitations as an opportunity to explain your decision-making and why it matters to you. This way guests know what to expect and can behave in an eco-conscious manner.

8. Enjoying A Green Wedding

Creating a green wedding is about conscious and balanced choices that set a positive example for you and your guests. Every measure you take toward sustainability reflects your intent and has a genuine impact, doing the best you can to reduce your carbon footprint during this event is enough.

BDG Media newsroom and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content.