Eco-Friendly Wedding Tips
We care about the environment. And we know you do too! That’s why we decided to put together a list of easy green wedding tips for our couples.
1. Rent or Borrow Decor
Buying a bunch of decorations for a single day doesn’t make much sense from an environmental standpoint. Save money and help out the environment by renting or borrowing some of your decor! Did you know that The Haven offers a selection of “Something Borrowed” Decor?? Use some of our in-house decorations at no additional cost to you! You can also rent locally from Party Dreams Hocking Hills. Rent everything from table centerpieces to arches!
2. Invitation Options
Let’s face it, sending out traditional wedding invites uses a lot of excess paper. Thankfully there are a few easy options to make your invites ‘greener’:
Send your invites via email. We do live in the 21st century, why not utilize technology and ditch the traditional mail invites all together! Services like Green Envelope make the process easy, not to mention you’ll save a some change on stamps
Not ready to part with the traditional mail invitation? Pick a stationary company that is sustainable. Paper Culture prints on 100% recycled paper and plants a tree for every order. You can also cut back on inserts and simplify your invite to minimize your footprint.
3. Unique Wedding Registry
Picking out what to put on your registry can be a lot of fun, however all those gifts can make an impact on the environment. In the spirit of ‘less’ consider these alternatives:
Ask your guests to make a donation to a charity of your choice in lieu of gifts. Not only does help the environment, it’s a great way to give back to cause that is important to you
But let’s say you really need/want that new duvet cover… That’s okay! You can still register for gifts and be eco-conscious. Consider registering for items from sustainable companies, such as The Citizenry, and be mindful with your selections.
One final option is to ask for monetary gifts to use towards your honeymoon or experience based gifts. Tell grandma to gift you Cooking Lessons!
4. Make Your Wedding Local
Whenever possible, pick local vendors. Not only are you being friendly to the environment, you are helping the local economy. An extra bonus if you can source your flowers and food locally!
You may have your heart set on a destination wedding in an exotic location, however flying 100 of your friends and family half-way across the globe does have an impact. Consider hosting your wedding closer to home. Still got your heart set on a destination wedding? Make your wedding a ‘getaway destination wedding’ by making it a weekend long event in the Hocking Hills!
5. Let’s Eat! – Greener Food Options
Another place to make a big impact is with the food you serve at your wedding. Whenever possible pick some items that are locally grown and in season. Not only does this help your local economy, local items mean less fuel is used in shipping.
You can also make a difference with the servingware. Consider using reusable plates and silverware. If you’re not able to use reusable dinnerware, talk to your cateter about compostable single-use plates and cutlery.
6. Eco Friendly Favors
While personalized drink koozie’s are fun, they aren’t exactly environmentally friendly. Try to pick a wedding favor that is consumable or natural. Some examples could be: tulip bulbs, tea, a packet of seeds, honey, ect.
Another option is to give no favor at all. Some couples choose to donate to a charity in lieu of a favor. You might also consider offering an extra edible treat (ie ice cream, candy apples, ect) instead of a favor!
7. Outside Ceremony & Natural Decor
Maximized your location’s natural beauty to decrease the amount of decorating you need to do and decor you need to buy. Consider holding your wedding outdoors. An outdoor wedding relies on the natural beauty and not on decorations. Along the same lines, pick a venue that is already beautiful and doesn’t take a bunch of decorating and fits your aesthetic. We might be a little biased but we think Hocking Hills is a beautiful location to host a wedding all year long!!
“We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.” – A.M. Banneau
There are lots of small ways to make a wedding a bit more eco-friendly. Don’t feel like you need to do them all; even making one or two small changes helps!! Let us know in the comments below what you did to make your big day a little greener.
Here at The Haven, we’d love to help make your eco-conscious wedding a reality, and we’ve got the perfect beautiful natural backdrop for it in Hocking Hills, Ohio! Check out our website for more info!!
Photo Cred: Elizabeth Nihiser Photography (4 & 7), Wandering Woo Photography (6) & Captured Photography (3)
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