How to make your wedding less wasteful

Did you know that for an average wedding of 100-120 people, over 500 pounds of waste is produced? That much trash is certainly not a romantic thought for eco-friendly couples. But fear not, there are ways that you can easily make your own wedding day less wasteful or where you can produce even zero waste! From food to flowers to favors, here are ten ways you can reduce the waste that is produced from your big day.

  1. Rent Instead of Buying – One of the easiest ways to reduce the waste and product you are left with after your wedding is to rent supplies instead of buying them if possible. There’s a good chance that you’re never going to use the supplies ever again, so it’s in your best interest to only have them for your event anyway.
  2. Donate Extra Food to a Shelter – Most food banks will only accept pre-packaged food, but homeless shelters in your area might take the leftover catered food from your wedding. Ask your caterer or venue in advance if they already have a partnership with a food rescue organization and, if not, research the shelters in your area for more information. Pro tip: Assign or hire someone to be your ‘food runner.’ Have that person be in charge of taking the packaged food directly to the shelter, or refrigerating it until the next day if necessary. 
  3. Donate Your Floral Arrangements to a Nursing Home – Other items you probably don’t want laying around your home are the centerpieces and floral arrangements from your event. Instead of throwing them in the trash, look for a nursing home in your area that accepts them. Your florist may even know of one for you! Pro tip: If it’s a possibility, drop off the flowers together with your new spouse. Take some time to talk to the residents, and ask them for any pearls of wisdom they might have! You’ll be able to spend some quality time with the elders in your community while also starting your marriage on a great philanthropic foot.
  4. Avoid Using Floral Foam in Your Centerpieces – The green foam traditionally used for floral arrangements is a great tool, but it’s terrible for the environment. Formaldehyde-based and impossible to break down in the landfill, it’s a medium you and your florist should try to avoid if at all possible. Instead, select centerpieces that don’t require the use of foam — or support your stems with other reusable materials like glass marbles, pebbles, sand or chicken wire. 
  5. Select Favors Without Waste (Or Ones That Can be Recycled) – While there are a lot of stellar wedding favor options out there, many might be left on the tables or tossed shortly after the wedding is over. Think about what favors will actually be used by your guests or consider ones that have packaging that can be easily recycled. Pro tip: Hosting a destination wedding? Avoid heavy, fragile or liquid-based favors that are almost certainly going to be thrown away before the flight home.
  6. Sell Your Décor Instead of Throwing it Away – If you do decide to buy your wedding decorations instead of renting them, don’t let them collect dust in your attic or end up in the trash. Sell them instead! There’s a massive market for used wedding décor, and you can almost certainly sell your items when your wedding day is over. Look at websites like Wedding Recycle, Bridal Garage Sales or even Craigslist to sell your used items.
  7. Ask for a Donation Instead of Physical Gifts – These days many couples are living together before they are married and in turn, don’t need the traditional wedding registry gifts. Instead of loading up a registry with bulky appliances you don’t really need, suggest that your guests give you cash towards a larger item (like a honeymoon or a down payment on your home) or make a donation in your name to a charity of your choice.
  8. Sell Your Dress & Accessories Afterward (Or Buy Them Used) – It’s easy to tackle the ‘something new,’ but what about the ‘something borrowed’? After your wedding look into selling your gown and accessories — or consider buying yours second-hand, to begin with! Pro tip: Bridal gowns are often custom tailored to a bride, so make sure you allow some money in your budget for extra tailoring if you choose to go this route!
  9. Serve Beer from Kegs Instead of Bottles – If your venue allows you some flexibility with your bar, consider serving beer from kegs with compostable cups instead of individual cans or bottles. You’ll reduce the waste from each one consumed, and there’s less of a chance of a “broken glass on the dance floor” scenario!
  10. Ask That Gifts From Your Registry Come Unwrapped – If you are collecting gifts by way of a registry, talk to the site or store and ask if you can implement a “green” policy. That means your gifts won’t be wrapped up, and will instead be delivered to you just as a normal customer would receive them. Pro tip: Use this “green” policy for all your wedding events. Put a note in the invitations for your bridal shower that you prefer it to be a “display shower”! Have guests bring gifts unwrapped and put them all out for display instead of making a show out of opening them all and producing heaps of wrapping paper waste.

On a special occasion like your wedding day, it can be easy to get stuck in the mindset of having the perfect new dress, Pinterest-worthy decorations and a bundle of housewares to start your new life. However, many of us forget the environmental footprint that weddings produce! By making just a few small changes in your planning process and what you do in the days afterward, you can make a big impact! Do you have any other ideas about how to make your wedding zero or low waste? Share them in the comments below!