We’re all for helping the earth, even if your wedding venue isn’t powered by solar panels. Check out Forever Event’s earth-friendly tips, without sacrificing your budget, standards, or rationality. You can go green without walking down the aisle in a biodegradable paper dress.

The Reception Venue

Choosing a venue helps set the stage and theme for any event and is usually one of the first key decisions. One of the biggest ways to cut down on energy is to hold outdoor ceremony and receptions, like on a farm or vineyard where the sun can provide all of your lighting. Make sure to not choose the hottest day of the summer if you decide to go this route.

There are tons of beautiful botanical gardens, hilltops and refurbished bars that offer modern conveniences, like sinks and toilets, so that you and your guests don’t have to sacrifice hygiene. Check out this Pinterest board featuring hundreds of ideas for outdoor weddings.

Outdoor ceremonies aren’t for everyone. If you want to hold your wedding indoors, there are still several ways to make it green. First, make your ceremony and reception in one place – guests will not have to travel to get from one event to the next, which reduces fuel emissions. Or choose a venue that gets plenty of sunlight and host a daytime wedding so you can leave the lights off. Other suggestions: look for hotels that recycle and use energy-efficient appliances and biodegradable products.

The Stationary

Unfortunately, millions of trees are cut down every year to make paper products, and the process of producing these items harms the environment. Many couples are looking at eco-conscious invite choices to help the environment. Additionally, save-the-dates are going paperless. You can direct people to your wedding site for any extra details. For your invitation, keep an eye out for recycled paper products and vegetable-based inks, like The Windmill Paper Boutique (they even source printing from windmill-powered printers!). Some paper products are even plant-able – yes, plant-able! Botanical Paper Works embed their paper with seeds, so guests can plant them in their backyards instead of ending up in a landfill. There are other resources, like cotton items from Crane & Co, or bamboo options by Smock.

The Flowers

It may not have crossed your mind, but not all flowers are organic. Some farms use chemicals to eradicate pests, which can affect the organic matter in the soil, and in some cases, even cause harm to the workers themselves. To keep your wedding blooms on the sustainable side, we recommend to look for companies that cut fresh stems and send them to you within a few days, like The Bouqs Co. (and less refrigeration time means less electricity use J. Ask your florist about in-season and local flowers to insure the freshest, best quality stems at the best price.

Otherwise, look for VeriFlora certified Flowers. This means that the blooms aren’t grown with chemicals or grown under harsh working conditions. Don’t want your beautiful flowers thrown away after your celebration? Work with a company that will pick up the arrangements and reuse them, like Rebloom or Repeat Roses. Another good idea is to choose potted plants and then replant them after the wedding.

Not big into flowers?  Walk down the aisle with a bundle of farmer’s market fruits and veggies (kale, for example, has a sturdy stock and beautiful green foliage) and decorate reception tables with things you can reuse in your home after the wedding, like soy-based candles or stacks of books.

Décor

There are many eco-friendly options in terms of décor. This includes repurposing items and using them in your wedding. For example, some brides and wedding planners have repurposed used glass bottles for centerpieces and décor.  You can also collect seashells from a nearby beach. Search for vintage items and biodegradable materials when making décor decisions.

Food

Aside from the bride and groom, the food will always be the life of the party! Healthy, earth-friendly food is more accessible than ever thanks to the momentum of the farm-to-table moment. Organic food will cost more, but asking your caterer to source from in-season, locally-grown products will help keep the cost down and guarantee fresh food. When bought directly from growers, food needs less time in the fridge and less packaging to stay fresh, so you’re being especially kind to Mother Earth, too. Since food is coming a shorter distance, less fuel is required to transport it.

The Wedding Dress

The first choice when going wedding dress shopping may just be to re-wear a gown, or go to a consignment shop. There are plenty of websites for pre-worn gowns and garments. If you prefer a brand-new dress, check our H&M’s eco-conscious wedding collection or Reformation. Celia Grace also has a line of eco-friendly gowns for brides. Consider letting bridesmaids choose their own dress, provided that it meets your color and length requirements. They may be happy to show off their own style!

Favors

For an eco-friendly wedding, look for plant-able favors like potted saplings, herbs or succulents. If a lot of your guests are traveling, keep in mind that giving out biodegradable seed packets if you’re committed to the plant route. If that doesn’t appeal to you, send your guests home with your wedding flowers – and have an attendant ready to arrange your florals into individual bouquets for friends and family to enjoy for a few more days.

The Registry

There’s now an eco-friendly option for just about everything under the sun. Pay attention to where items are made and which materials were used. Consider items like organic bedding, reusable bamboo kitchen products, and natural body and skincare products. You could even set up a charitable donation to go towards a green or ethical cause in lieu of traditional gifts.