How to Have a Sustainable (and beautiful) Wedding
When planning a wedding, sustainability isn’t usually the forefront of our minds. But with blog posts like this and venues encouraging couples to “go green,” it’s now easier than ever! We have a list of 10 simple things you can do to try and have a more eco-friendly wedding, ranging from all sorts of vendors, venues, florists, stationary, caterers, and more!
01. Chat with your florist! There are a lot of ways to cut down on costs and have a more sustainable wedding through just chatting with your florist! One tip is to cut down on wearables: skip boutonnieres altogether, or have one just for the groom. Wrist corsages are so pretty, but totally unnecessary. Reuse reuse reuse!! We love repurposing florals throughout the day in any way possible. Our go-to repurposing floral element is using your ceremony backdrop again at or behind your head table.
Another tip is to ask your florist to source as much locally as possible, which cuts down on shipping costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Here at Essen, we do our best to source locally from Twin Cities Flower Exchange, and Prairie Garden Farms in the warmer months. Sourcing locally often means you get fresher blooms that haven’t been shipped across the world and it gives you a sense of home-grown Minnesotan pride! Our last tip when talking with your florist is to ask them to avoid using floral foam; it’s not biodegradable and is a known carcinogen. Instead, ask your florist to use chicken wire or other eco-friendly options! Keep in mind that some of these choices may impact the pricing from your florist. Eco friendly doesn’t always mean less expensive.
02. Book with a venue that has their own sustainability pledge! Several venues across the state are making their own sustainability pledge for their venue (recycling properly, composting leftover food, encouraging guests to use their approved eco-friendly vendors, etc) and we are all for it! One of our favorite eco-friendly venues is Paikka, who gives couples a 10% discount if they pledge to have a sustainable wedding!
03. Chat with your bartenders! Oftentimes when bartenders make a mixed drink they serve it with a small straw, so either chat with them about skipping the straws or supply them with paper straws that will biodegrade. There are some really cool companies online where you can customize paper straws, which adds an extra special detail to your day that your guests will love.
04. Use recycled paper for your stationary! Sending out wedding invites involves a lot more paper than people realize, and throughout the entire wedding planning process it adds up quickly: invitations, wedding programs, menus, escort cards, signs, thank you cards, etc. One way to reduce all of that would be to digitize everything, but stationary holds a special place in our hearts over here at Essen. Find companies that use recycled paper or paper that easily biodegrades. Better yet, find a calligrapher who specializes in writing on various reusable materials such as mirrors, wood, and windows that you could then reuse in your home!
*Extra fun tip: After the wedding, save your table numbers! Use them in “month-old” photos for a future baby or pet in the family ;)
05. Serve a Vegan or Vegetarian meal! Meat production is one of the biggest industries creating greenhouse gas emissions that harm our environment. Several caterers are making the switch to sourcing locally and offering incredible vegetarian options that your guests won’t even realize there’s no meat on their plate! One of our favorite local and sustainable caterers here in the Twin Cities is Chowgirls, who were one of the first caterers to “go green.” They put in a lot of effort to minimize food waste and maximize flavor, you won’t regret booking them!
06. Don’t buy your decor - rent! Since it’s just one day of your life, it makes the most environmental sense to rent your decor rather than buy new. There are countless amazing rental companies out there where you can rent furniture, linens, vases, centerpieces, and even wedding dresses! It’s less stress on you to have to deal with those items the big day, and it saves on resources that can be used to make other things. If you absolutely want to buy new, consider reselling them to other brides or incorporating the items into your home so they aren’t just used once and then tossed. Here are our cream-of-the-crop rental companies: Linen Effects, Apres Rental, Collected & Co., Style Society, Fond Collective, and Rudy’s Rentals.
07. Have your guests donate to sustainable charities! When making your gift registry, consider adding a sustainable charity for your guests to donate to. You could pick something close to your heart - if you and your partner love camping, have Save The Boundary Waters as a possible charity! Look for charities that have their own mission of sustainability or sourcing locally that resonate best with you, and put that on your registry. You’ll be surprised at the amount of people that choose to donate to something knowing that it’s important to you! And as you’re registering at stores, you could even consider finding stores that are eco-friendly or have their own sustainability pledge.
08. Plan your wedding digitally! Everyone is already doing this, but avoid printing every document and spreadsheet you receive and try your best to just get everything done online. If you book with us here at Essen, we use a snazzy project management software (shoutout to Aisle Planner!) that you’ll have access to, where you’re able to plan and visualize everything! We are obsessed with it and how easy it makes everything, and you will be too.
09. Offer a shuttle service for your guests! If your wedding is far enough from where your guests live that they need to stay at a hotel, book a shuttle service for the night to take your guests to and from the venue. This not only cuts down on all your guests driving and parking their cars, but it also prevents drunk driving and encourages guests to feel safe to have a good time. Shuttle services start typically around 9 or 10 pm so if some guests want to leave early they don’t have to worry about driving separately. Our go-to shuttle service in the Twin Cities is Renee’s Limousines.
If your wedding is near where your guests live so they don’t need to stay in a hotel, encourage carpooling! This cuts down on every person driving and taking up precious parking spaces and is ultimately better for the environment. Even if you get two couples to carpool together, you’ve at least eliminated one car’s gas emissions for the evening. Go you!
10. Throw biodegradable confetti! Rather than throwing rice or non-biodegradables that harms the birds and the earth, throw something that comes from the earth! Flower petals, sprigs of lavender, confetti hole-punched from leaves, etc. Just be sure to talk with your venue to see if they allow it and if they do, be sure to have a clean-up plan in place. You could even blow bubbles outside (be careful about blowing bubbles indoors as the soap often lands on the floor and gets slippery).
And there ya have it! Of course there are countless more ideas for having a sustainable wedding, but these are just some of our easy faves. If you’re seen some cool ones please let us know, we’re always on the hunt for great ideas!
It’s important to note that with sustainability, it’s not about being perfect. It’s about trying. As long as you are trying to make your little corner of the world as eco-friendly as possible, that’s what matters. Climate change, and the myriad of issues that come with it, won’t be solved in a day - it takes everyone coming together and trying their best to make a difference. Encourage your friends and family to do so, maybe make a note of it on your wedding invites! Invite your guests to join you on your quest to live sustainably and see who takes up the helm.
All it takes is one step.