As climate change becomes more and more apparent, we’ve been finding brides seeking ways to make their weddings more environmentally friendly—after all, the wedding industry can get very wasteful, very fast. For our brides who want all the beauty and fun of their wedding with a significantly lower carbon footprint, we’re sharing a few easy ways to limit your wedding’s environmental impact.
Wedding Dresses
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If you’re someone who’s environmentally conscious, you’re likely aware of the impact that the fashion industry has on global warming. While a designer wedding dress has significantly lower damage than fast fashion, it’s still good to shop smart. An easy way to do this is to shop locally—a local shop near you will have less shipping waste, and if you shop ready-to-wear you’re buying a dress that’s already finished and shipped, so there’s no extra impact incurred by your purchase. If you really want to be sure you get the most out of your dress, you can donate it after the wedding to brides who can’t afford to buy their own dress, or you can have it made into something new—we’ve seen brides turn their dresses into pillowcases, purses, and even art!
Mother of the Bride Dress
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Like your wedding dress, your mom’s dress is best to buy local! You’ll create less shipping waste, and often the two of you can even buy your dresses at the same store. The best thing about a Mother of the Bride dress vs your wedding dress is that your mom likely can wear her dress again, so it’s important to choose one you really love so that you can continue to use it for years to come.
Eco-Friendly Invites
A huge point of waste when planning a wedding: the invitations! The amount of paper used for invites can grow very quickly, but there are plenty of ways to cut down on paper waste. First, you can send online invitations—the only downside being that it does look slightly less formal, and may be difficult for some of your older, less tech-savvy relatives to find. Another great way to cut down on waste? Use biodegradable paper! Plenty of companies can create gorgeous invites on biodegradable paper for your wedding. Some biodegradable invitations can even be made with seed paper, so that when your guests plant their invites they grow flowers!
Flowers
While your flowers themselves aren’t contributing to global warming, a lot of them get thrown out the day after your wedding, when they’re still perfectly gorgeous and can be enjoyed for another week or two. A great way to ensure you don’t have any floral waste is to let guests take home centerpieces, giving them a beautiful reminder of your wedding. Another way to recycle flowers we love: some brides have been donating their flowers to hospitals and nursing homes, so that patients can have a bright spot in their day. If you’re someone who loves flowers in her home, another suggestion we have is to opt for silk flowers for your wedding—you’ll be able to use them for years to come, so there’s no worry about throwing them out (not to mention, a cherished memory of your wedding decorating your home!).
Biodegradable Confetti
For your exit, it’s traditional to throw rice, although plenty of brides have been choosing different exits (sparklers, bubbles, etc) for a few years now. If you’re looking for an environmentally-friendly exit, shop for biodegradable confetti—plenty of companies sell biodegradable options online, so you don’t need to worry about clean up. You can also choose to throw flower petals, a gorgeous and biodegradable option your guests will love.
If you’re still looking for a wedding dress, and you’re located in or near Boston, shop local and book an appointment with us at The Ultimate! We can help you find a gorgeous wedding dress with minimal environmental impact perfect for your eco-friendly big day.