Amidst the excitement, preparations, hustle bustle and the shopping of your wedding, have you ever thought about how much food got wasted? How much of decorations, flowers and things, except from wedding tent rentals, were just thrown and discarded to emit harmful gases in the atmosphere and the ozone layer or just lie at the land pills for 100s of years to deteriorate?
Yes!!! A teeny bit of voice at the back of your head did try to stop you, to caution you, but you quickly brushed it away and concentrated on your happiness and future life. But isn’t that voice haunting you for years? Well what’s done is done and can’t be reverted back but you can reduce the carbon footprint and emission of dangerous gases in the future by organizing an eco-friendly wedding for your siblings, your friends or your kids. How? Read below to find out.
Rent, Reuse, Recycle
The first rule for eco-friendly and ethical weddings is to recycle stuff, reuse stuff and rent stuff. We know it’s your first time and you want the best for yourself but you are also responsible for this planet and for the future generations. If the resources are used up at this rate, then what will your kids do? You do not need to reuse or recycle everything but the table runners, the linens, the cloth napkins, the chinaware, the cutlery, the glasses; all these things can be rented from different wedding planners who support the idea of an eco-friendly wedding. Imagine the waste of the paper plates, the paper cups and spoons, the paper napkins, plastic as everyone knows is non-biodegradable and destroys the sea life as well.
Let’s come to the decor. How about using the decoration pieces such as vases, ornaments, mirrors and other things that you already own or you can purchase for your new home and use those only. You can rent the decor as well or if you want to buy then purchase from different thrift stores or vintage stores or opt for second hand stuff. You can then sell them at thrift stores as well.
The Invitations
Do you know much of paper is wasted on wedding invitations? Your guest will then throw it away after attending your wedding. Research shows that the carbon footprint after one wedding is equal to 5 people causing the same amount in a year. This caused a huge amount of guilt inside me. Go for cloth invitations or in this world of technology, how about sending invitations on social media platforms. Another way of giving back to the environment is to get invitations printed on seed papers which when thrown decompose into seeds and grow into plants.
The Gift Registry
How about creating a registry with eco-friendly options such as stainless-steel straws or metal tea bags? Or better yet if you already have everything then you can ask all your guests to donate whatever stuff or money they want in charity. You can get their signatures of names and the item they are giving away.
The Food
Create a menu that uses natural ingredients and less preservatives and opt for caterers that make use of organic meat, chicken and vegetables all cooked in naturally extracted oils. Keep less dishes so there is less wastage. Plated food will lead to less wastage as compared to a buffet. Encourage your guests to fill their plates according to their appetite. Also, instead of drinks and soda go for fresh juices, fruits, natural yogurts and vegetable salads. The vegetable and fruit peels can be used for organic matter as well. All the food left should be packed properly and donated to charities.
Giveaways And Favors
The paper and boxes used in wedding favors are just dumped away and can take years to decompose and cause harmful effects to the environment. Use jute bags for wedding favors and steel boxes with nuts, homemade granolas or oat packs or homemade fruit candies. So, people can remember forever.
Since there is no perfect wedding, there is no perfect eco-friendly wedding as well. But whatever you do can make a huge impact on the environment. Make better choices and select wedding party rentals MD who are eco-friendly.