With climate change and all the environmental issues currently affecting our planet, we must all begin to give our contribution even with small actions.
How about considering greener options for your wedding?
One of the first steps is reducing single-use plastic on your special day.
It takes little to replace unnecessary decorations or made of non-ecological materials
with more environment-oriented choices.
Weddings can be surprisingly full of single-use plastic. To make a sustainable decision, brides don’t have to give up the details of their dreams or settle for a simple and barren wedding.
On the contrary, they will have the opportunity to unleash their creativity by finding ecological alternatives to acrylic and plastic decorations.
So, if you’re looking to make your special day environmentally sustainable, here is how to host a plastic-free wedding:
- Eco-friendly wedding outfits
Did you know that your wedding dress can be a hidden source of plastic? Choose ethical, sustainable clothing brands and watch out for synthetic, plastic-based materials such as polyester and embellishments such as sequins or glitter.
Instead, opt for a beautiful dress made from a natural fiber like certified organic silk or the most original pineapple fibers.
All brides and grooms want to look their best on their big day but often this result is related to excessive use of plastic. Choose shampoo, shower gel, make-up remover, and make-up made with ecological products and packaged in glass bottles or, if possible, without box like soap bars.
Going plastic-free starts with researching teams that can bring your ecological vision to life. Food packaging is one of the biggest contributors to plastic waste. Look for local suppliers that provide seasonal, organic food and who try to keep the kitchen plastic-free.
The same applies to beverages and the open bar: drinks are often provided in single-use plastic bottles. Keep your bar plastic-free by adding refillable water jugs and using custom clear glasses. If you can’t give up the straws, opts for more ecological versions as reusable metal or biodegradable paper ones.
- Add natural and reusable decorations
Give a careful consideration to your decor to avoid unnecessary plastic waste. There are many organic, reusable or recyclable decorations to choose from including flowers, candles and fairy lights.
Give your wedding a green touch adding fragrant and colorful flowers from local markets and avoid cellophane wrapping. Another choice is to opt for potted plants that can be re-planted in your own garden or at the venue after the wedding.
Light up your guests’ tables with handmade candles in glass jars or fairy lights in drinks bottles. This way you will give a romantic and personalized touch to your special day.
What do you think also about wooden name plates? All the placeholders can be made out of wood to create a great look for your meal and remind people that there are alternative solutions.
Lastly, replace the synthetic confetti with dried flower petals, a much greener and creative option.
Rely on reusable rentals for your crockery, cutlery and glassware in place of plastic solutions, which end up contributing to plastic pollution. You can also look for utensils made from environmentally friendly materials such as bamboo or palm leaves.
Include original options that can be used in more than one way, like a printable fan that doubles as wedding program and as present for your guests. The key to sustainability is repurposing as much as you can, so don’t be afraid to give more than one use to an item.
Change your acrylic and plastic decorations, which as we know can take hundreds of years to biodegrade, with timber, bamboo or glass and try to reuse items as much as possible!
Finally, remember that the simplest way to go plastic-free for your wedding is to cut back on what you don’t need and find sustainable and ecological solutions to enrich your special day.
