The other day, I was talking to a friend who’s getting married in a few months time. She shared that she wanted her wedding to be as eco friendly as possible by recycling and minimising waste. As we chatted a bit more, it became pretty clear that an eco wedding didn’t mean you had to necessarily skimp on everything looking cute-sie!
We came up with a few ideas which I decided to round up into a blog post for my couples, so we can all be mindful of our earth whilst planning for the pArTy oF yOuR LiVeS!!!. HERE GOES!!
P.s. You can also check out my Pinterest board here for more eco friendly wedding ideas!
1. Consider your favours and place cards.
Make them useful for your guests. If your favours or place cards serve a purpose, your guests are more likely to take them home (and you’ll have less waste!). One of my brides used photos as place cards which guests could take home after. Another of my brides had matchbox favours which doubled up as place cards and I thought it was freakin genius.
2. Plan ahead if you want to collect things.
If you want to upcycle and reuse items, then you must plan your decor ahead to know which pieces of treasure to collect! Some ideas of things you can collect are bunting from your galfriend’s baby shower, pieces of wood from a renovation project to be turned into cute signs/sign posts/table centrepieces, and pretty paper to be made into confetti cones. You can even consider collecting glass jars or beer bottles to display your flowers in.
3. Paperless wedding invites.
I’m all for wonderful stationery and lurrrve photographing it with all your other details. But if you’re on a lower budget and would like to save some trees (plus postage stamps!) then consider paperless post for sending out your wedding invites or save the dates.
4. DIY confetti.
I wrote a blog post not long ago with some eco friendly confetti options including biodegradable confetti. Read all about it here.
5. Go for a venue which requires minimal decoration.
If you’re planning to have your wedding in Mother Nature, you probably don’t need much decorating 😉 Venues for a woodland wedding like Wickerwood farm, an elopement deep in a forest, or a reception in the middle of a vineyard don’t require much to look pretty.
6. Embrace the minimalist look.
Reduce the amount of things you buy by embracing one or two feature pieces, like a boho floral arch or floral installation hanging above your heads. Keep the rest of your decor simple with fairy lights and wild flowers in jars.
7. Hire, don’t buy.
If you do want to add a lot of sparkle to your venue, try hiring pieces. Chances are your venue has a TON of things you can hire for your own wedding such as chalkboards (so you won’t end up piling half your wedding decor in your garage). You can even find a wedding decorative hire supplier for unique pieces – they’ve basically done all the hard work for you! Make sure to enquire your vendors too. For example, my friend Mako from Berry and Brie offers the option to hire her catering equipment and cute decor pieces!
8. Borrow from your married friends!
If you’re on a budget and can’t afford to hire, ask around your friends! Chances are they probably have a few pieces dotted all around their house from their wedding. Stuff like bird cages and photo frames, leftover materials from DIYs like ribbon, twine and fabric. Reuse all that gold.
9. AFTER your wedding…donate your flowers.
Know a friend getting married after you? Upcycle and turn your bouquets/centrepieces into confetti to be tossed at their weddings – it will be a great way to bless their wedding! If you’re using faux flowers, you can also lend them to future brides. Consider donating your flowers to care homes or hospitals too and extend your celebrations that way!
10. Plan for AFTER your wedding.
If you really want to recycle and reduce waste efficiently, you must plan for what happens after your wedding. Chances are you’ll be knee-deep in your celebrations and off to your honeymoon the next day. So make sure that the people tidying up/setting down your wedding know exactly what to do with the pieces and where to put them to be organised/donated.
heather sham x
Eco friendly wedding tips and ideas | London eco friendly green wedding photographer | Surrey modern wedding photographer | Natural and relaxed wedding photography in the UK
