Based on 2019 statistics, there were approximately 2.02 million weddings in the U.S. And annually, around 2.5 million marriages happen. At that rate, all those celebrations produce an estimated 400 to 600 pounds of garbage. Additionally, they also release 62 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
We understand that getting married is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and you would want it to be a day you will remember. But you also wouldn’t like to contribute to the worsening climate crisis.
Fortunately, there are ways you can celebrate your wedding with lesser negative impacts on the environment. And we have some suggestions that you could incorporate into your wedding.
Green Wedding Ideas
Once couples exchange their I do’s in big wedding celebrations, we tend to be so festive that we forget how much waste our special days can generate. So, here are some ways on how you can have a green and environment-friendly wedding:
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Choose a sustainable wedding dress.
For most brides, their wedding dresses are something that they invest so much time, money, and effort in choosing the best. Of course, you’ll only wear it once, so you might as well rock it. But that’s also the reason why you should consider a more sustainable option for your dress: because you will only wear it once. You don’t need to spend all that money. And we all know how fast fashion is one of the most significant contributors to climate change as it is depleting non-renewable sources at a rapid pace.
You might be wondering how you can turn your wedding dress choice into something sustainable. First, you can consider supporting eco-friendly and independent wedding dress designers who use green sourcing methods.
You can also go into a vintage store and wear a secondhand dress. This choice means that you’re giving a second life to a wedding dress that made someone’s wedding unforgettable while lessening the waste in the world. Thrifting is a fun activity you can have with your bridesmaids, rather than going to different designers who will charge you so much money. You never know; maybe you’ll even find some closet design franchise opportunity or start your sustainable vintage shop. Old items tend to give many inspirations.
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Print your wedding invitations on eco-friendly paper.
It’s been a massive trend for a few years now for couples and wedding planners to print wedding invitations on paper that would make less waste. It’s your time to join the sustainable invitation club by opting for recycled paper, biodegradable paper, or paper with seeds embedded in it that you can plant on the soil.
You can also consider sending invitations digitally. There are many options on how you can invite your family and friends to your wedding. Choose the green options because they can make a huge difference.
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Use alternatives for balloons.
Balloons can be a traditional way of making any celebrations more colorful. They bring a festive mood out, but they are not biodegradable. They are also harmful to the environment, especially birds, marine life, and many other animals.
You can choose alternatives for balloons. Maybe it doesn’t seem like there are many choices, but think about how different your wedding will look if you use paper flowers, umbrellas, bubbles, paper kites, and paper banners.
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Replace confetti with petals.
Throwing confetti is one of the most exciting parts of being married for both the newlyweds and the guests. It’s a way for guests to welcome the newlyweds into the world. But, plastic confetti is a known plastic waste that produces litter that destroys the surrounding areas and damages wildlife. Even if there will be a cleaning service after the ceremony, that confetti will only add to the growing piles of unrecyclable plastics in landfills.
So, instead of using plastic confetti, choose petals. Not only are they eco-friendly because they are biodegradable and won’t harm nature or leave behind waste, and they also smell good.
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Serve sustainable meals.
Food is a vital part of any celebration, and your choice of food could also have an impact on the environment. We are not suggesting for you to serve vegan food — although that would also work — especially if your guests are meat-eaters. But you can support local farmers to avoid using any food that needed to be shipped from a faraway place because it produces more carbon footprint/.
Just Got Married
With these options to make weddings — or any occasions for that matter — sustainable and environment-friendly, there will never be a reason for any weddings not to be eco-friendly. Let your celebrations be guilt-free.
