With global warming on the rise, people are rallying for pro-environmental policies and practicing eco friendly methods in order to reduce their carbon footprint. Aside from planting trees and protecting the environment, another helpful way is to lessen the resources.
Unfortunately, when we have grand events such as birthdays, parties, or weddings, there is an overuse of resources which create tons of waste and pollution in the process. In the US alone, each wedding produces about 63 tons of carbon dioxide pollution and 400 pounds of waste on average. To reduce this, we must remember that it is imperative to change the way we do weddings.
If you are a bride/groom-to-be that wants to incorporate zero-waste practices in your wedding, here are some ideas so you can have a sustainable wedding and save Mother Earth in the process:
Use recycled paper
Using brand new paper for invitations, food menu, name cards, program notes, thank you letters can add up if you have a considerable amount of guests. Instead of buying new paper, opt to buy recycled paper that is made from 100% post consumer material.
Another option is to scrap all paper materials during the wedding day. You may substitute other options like a chalkboard for the menu list or use tree leaves as name cards.Use biodegradable or second-hand decorations
As much as possible, try not to use decorations made out of plastic. Opt for decorations like plants and flowers, or those made from wood, paper, or cardboard. Use paper straws and reusable utensils.
If it can’t be helped, buy or rent second-hand materials. The cost would be cheaper and no resources will be further wasted.
Choose bridesmaid dresses they can wear again
Don’t let pretty dresses be a one time thing. Instead of going all-out on bridesmaid dresses and going for designs that they can only wear on special events, consider a design that your bridesmaids can wear again even on a regular weekend.
That way, the dress can see the light of day again instead of gathering dust in the closet. Or worse, ending up in landfill.
If your bridesmaids already have a nice dress that fits your wedding color palette, let her wear that to the wedding if she doesn’t mind reusing it again. It’s not a crime to repeat outfits more than once in photos.
You may also try to outsource organic or sustainable materials for your bridesmaid dresses or shop at a thrift store. You will be surprised at the clothes you will find!
Use emails as invitations
Anyone who owns a computer most probably have an email. Many people regularly check their email everyday too.
There are many sophisticated wedding email invitations these days and email invitations are convenient and faster to send compared to physical wedding invitations. While it may be unconventional, it allows you to communicate to your guests easily.
Forget sending hundreds of invitation cards, response cards, stamps, envelopes, and other add-ons. You can collect and send out your invitations easily by email in just a click of a button.
Opt for a wedding website
Many people easily have access to Internet and Wi-fi these days. Instead of a guestbook, an RSVP card, or invitation, consider a wedding wedding website where it can act in place of all of those. Not only will you be able to save paper, you will also be able delegate your wedding budget for other things.
A couple website have the following details in it: An announcement page; invitation page, about the couple page; guestbook page; RSVP page; gallery page; couple story page; and more. It is so versatile and personal that you can let your guests on both sides of the family know more about the two of you as a couple.
Moreover, you could put post-wedding details and photos in there as well for everyone to see. So in case you have a friend or relative who couldn’t come to the wedding, they will still be able to see photos and videos of the wedding.
If you want to have a couple website for cheap, you can create a free website using the hPage website builder where you don’t have to learn any coding or technical knowledge at all. Just choose from one of their design themes and start creating web pages in minutes!