These days, it’s becoming more important to reduce our footprint. Coming up with eco-friendly wedding reception ideas is a good way to create memories while being environmentally responsible. Take a look at some of these tips and tricks as we show you how to plan an eco-friendly reception.
Choose Eco-Friendly Save the Dates, Invitations, and Thank You Cards
Paper is a huge drain on the planet. We cut down 2,000,000,000 trees every year and a lot of that is for paper. There are so many communicatory elements involved in a wedding. There’s no reason not to use recycled material when figuring out how to plan an eco-friendly reception. Artifact Uprising has a large selection of recycled and reclaimed materials for all your paper needs.
Another one of our eco-friendly wedding reception ideas ditches the paper altogether. Do it the way we do it in advertising. Set up a mail chimp account and create a mailing list for your invites. You might want to send out a text to encourage people to check their email as well. Find a good designer on Fiverr and you can save time and money while getting mother nature’s approval.
Create an Eco-Friendly Registry
Who doesn’t love getting presents? One of the best parts of your reception is getting to open all the gifts. If you really want to know how to plan a sustainable wedding reception, start with your registry. Of course, you can spend hours on end finding the most environmentally friendly blenders and potholders. However, there are companies out there that will do that for you. Creating your registry through an eco-friendly curator will guarantee everyone is doing their part.
Opt for a Charity Registry
If you’re already the couple who has everything, a charity registry is a great way to combat your footprint. An eco-conscious registry can help you raise money for the environmental defense fund or the national resources defense council.
It’s a lot of fun to look through different charities and find causes that both you and your guests can get behind. If you love animals, consider adding the Humane Society to your registry. They do national work to find homes for stray animals, keep the wild population down, educate pet owners, and more.
When thinking about eco-friendly wedding reception ideas, think about who you are trying to help the most. Future generations are depending on us.. That reason is why donating to Save the Children is a wonderful way to make a positive impact on the future.
Pick an Eco-Friendly Venue
Imagine how much coal and gas is wasted each year to light, heat, or air condition different venues. The best way to not let your venue leave much of a footprint is to have an outdoor celebration. Serve food on reusable or recyclable materials. Use solar lighting if possible or, at the very least, buy or rent energy efficient lighting systems.
If you decide to grill at your reception, you won’t have a caterer who uses giant ovens and large amounts of gas and electricity. Of course, if you plan to exchange nuptials in the heat of the summer or the cold of the winter, you will do much better in a green building.
Either way, venue hunting while thinking about how to plan an eco-friendly reception can be a challenge. So, start early.
Another thing to consider when coming up with eco-friendly wedding reception ideas is decor. Find a venue that already has a lot of style and imagination. Not only will the venue save money, but it will reduce the amount of throw away decorations in the dumpster out back.
Donate—Don’t Trash—Décor/Rent What You Can
Speaking of disposable decor waste, try looking for reusable items that you can donate to a thrift shop or order them through a rental company. Honeydo Rentals seems to have just about everything you could imagine when you’re thinking about eco-friendly wedding reception ideas.
Doing either of these things will greatly reduce paper use, styrofoam trash, and plastic waste.
Opt for Sustainable Meals & Reduce Food Waste
The sustainable catering industry has exploded in the past few years. More people are wanting to reduce their event footprints than ever before. Make sure you find a caterer that is concerned with these issues.
- Source Locally From Sustainable Suppliers
- Use Eco-Friendly Tableware
- Reduce Water Waste
- Offer Meatless Food Options
- Make Your Kitchen Sustainable
- Switch to Electric or Sustainable Fuel
- Reduce Food Waste
Doing things like reducing food waste, offering meatless options, or sourcing locally can have a major impact on methane and carbon emissions. Reducing the portion size helps keep food waste down. Making sure the food can be saved and taken home or donated to local shelters will ensure it doesn’t expire in a landfill. All of these tips should be considered when thinking about how to plan a sustainable wedding reception.
Eco Friendly Welcome Bag with Edible Party Favors
Traditionally, wedding welcome bags come in paper or plastic. Neither of these options is environmentally friendly and disposable bags can be uninspiring. Instead, get a reusable tote that has your big day on it. This bag will come in handy for the guest down the line as they’ll be able to use it at the grocery store or a day at the pool.
Once you have your bags picked out, now you get to have fun filling them. Think outside of the box… or, rather, think outside of the bag. The bride often likes to give out flowers, but they die so quickly. How about giving your guests little, potted succulents instead? Maybe they’d like a reusable water bottle with a bamboo straw or some packets of seeds to plant their own beautiful flowers.
Likely the most important thing to include in the bag is edible gifts. Everyone loves candy and there are boutique candy makers who can fill your gift bags with beautiful chocolate flowers, hearts, and anything else you can imagine. Finding some edible gifts from local candy makers will be perfect for the guests on their drive home.
These are just some eco-friendly wedding reception ideas. Every single one might not be an option for every wedding reception. However, we hope that we’ve given the eco-conscious bride some inspiration for how to plan an eco-friendly reception.
Once you’ve decided on what style of sustainable wedding to have, reserve your private bridal suite so we can find the perfect dress and accessories for your big day.
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