The Eco-Friendly Wedding Checklist

Prefer audio? Me too! Listen to the podcast episode here.

A listener wrote in with the following question:

I’m getting married next August. My fiance and I want our big day to have the least impact possible. We want to create little waste + choose sustainable options. We will have about 250-300 people.

Some questions I have are:

1. What’s the best way to responsibly dispose of guests’ food waste? 

2. Where can I buy biodegradable or reusable dishes? 

3. How can we ask guests to not wrap presents?

4. What’s a sustainable meal for guests?

Thank you!

– Abbie from Michigan

Eco-Friendly weddings can be luxurious, too.

The Sustainable Wedding Photo Gallery boasts sustainable trends in photograph form! 

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1. What’s the best way to responsibly dispose of guests’ food waste? 

Utilize my 4-bin system for collecting trash, recycling + food waste. (Need additional clarification? I discussed the 4 bins in-depth on Episode #015 of the podcast.)

Bin One: Instruct guests to place compostable food scraps such as fruits, vegetables + grains within.

Bin Two: Label this bin for non-compostable food scraps, including meat, fish + dairy.

Items from this bin cannot be composted in a backyard composting bin, so their fate is either the trash or the kitchen disposal. Neither is preferred: while food waste in landfills contributes to carbon emissions as it decomposes, food down the disposal stresses sewage treatment plants + potentially pollutes waterways.

Bin Three: This is the recycling bin for anything that can be recycled including glass, aluminum, plastic + paper that does not have food remnants on it.

Bin Four: This is a clearly marked trash can for anything that cannot be recycled or composted. Ideally, this bin is nearly empty at the end of the evening (+ almost nothing is headed to the local landfill.) Hooray!

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2. Where can I buy biodegradable or reusable dishes? 

For fine china, head to your local thrift store. You’ll find china in good-to-great condition at a fraction of the price of new sets.

For biodegradable dishes + cutlery, I prefer bamboo, such as this set.

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3. How can we ask guests to not wrap presents?

Take care to register for gifts at a store that offers a Green Wrapping option. The store will politely notify guests of your eco-friendly wishes when they purchase items from your registry.

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4. What’s a sustainable meal for guests?

The meat industry is notorious for its contribution to carbon emissions; that’s why vegetarian + vegan meals are widely considered the most sustainable choices.  When creating a vegetarian meal at your wedding, take care to showcase produce that’s local + in-season.

If you choose to serve meat or fish, spend the extra money + serve items that are local, organic + free range (or wild, in the case of fish) wherever possible.

Did you know? The average wedding creates between 200 to 600 POUNDS of waste. 

More eco-friendly tips:

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Purchase your dress secondhand.

WHY? When it comes to polluting water, utilizing toxic chemicals + creating textile waste, the fashion industry is a MAJOR culprit.

Start your online search at Nearly Newlywed + Tradesy.

Extra Credit! Encourage your bridesmaids to buy secondhand, too.

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Adorn your tables with native flowers.

WHY? Foreign blooms travel thousands of miles from Central + South Americas on refrigerated trucks.

Extra Credit! Place your arrangements in repurposed vases or jars.

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Invite electronically.

WHY? Paper invitations travel great distances on diesel-burning trucks + planes.

I love the ease of Paperless Post. The company offers countless design options that look + feel luxurious, even though the invitations are entirely electronic. Even better? they’re a fraction of the price (literally!).

If you choose to go with paper, opt for recycled varieties. Avoid purchasing the optional add-ons such as lined envelopes + embossed printing, too.

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Create a detailed wedding website.

WHY? A website eliminates excess paper waste because it allows you to convey the important details – the map to the ceremony site; the rehearsal dinner’s time + location – online..

Bonus! A website is the perfect place to list your unique requests without committing any wedding-y faux-pas.

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Say ‘no’ to confetti.

WHY? Confetti is essentially plastic litter. Confused animals will eat it, or it will head straight to the landfill.

Use dried flower petals instead. They’ll degrade naturally.

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Forego balloons, too.

WHY? Balloons are extremely harmful to birds, sea life + other animals that swallow them.

Retain the aesthetic by making balls from recycled paper instead.

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Repurpose a chalkboard or cork board for menus + seating charts.

WHY? Upcycling items is always more sustainable than buying new.

Find cork boards + chalkboards at secondhand stores then repurpose them to match your wedding’s aesthetic.

Bonus! Doing so negates the need for excess paper waste in the forms of individual printed menus + seating cards.

Visual inspiration starts here. 

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6 Eco-Friendly Wedding Tips for Guests:

Don’t be a party pooper. Enjoy wedding season responsibly!

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1. DON’T wrap the bride + groom’s gift. If you must wrap, use repurposed gift wrap.

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2. DON’T purchase the happy couple a new gift. Give money or – even better! – gift an experience, such as an excursion for the couple on their honeymoon.

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3. DON’T take the favor home.

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4. DON’T waste food. Take only the food you can reasonably consume. Bring Tupperware containers + bring your uneaten dinner home.

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5. DON’T purchase a new outfit. Rent your tux or dress instead, or borrow from a friend. (Remember:  no one will be looking at you, anyway!)

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6. DON’T take multiple cars. Carpool!

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