Sustainable Weddings

Sometimes, having a wedding can seem unnecessarily eccentric and wasteful. The average American wedding produces 400-600 pounds of trash —that’s about 1 billion tons of waste each year. This waste includes food, flowers, & paper products. All this waste seems silly when you think about how much money is spent on these items!

If this seems crazy to you, know that it doesn’t need to be this way! You can have the wedding of your dreams and be mindful of the waste you create. There are plenty of ways we can reduce the waste generated by your wedding, and many vendors who want to help you achieve these goals! Whether you want to reduce the environmental impact of your big day or just want to feel like your money isn’t being tossed in the trash, I would love to help you plan your sustainable wedding!

Locally Sourced Botanicals Local Wedding Planner Durham NC
Locally sourced botanicals from Durham florist Rabbit Foot Florals. Photo by Rose Trail Images.

A few ideas to inspire you...

  • Invitations - Go paperless! Or print on recycled or sustainably sourced paper.
  • Food - Work with your caterer to provide local or organic food. At the end of the night, have leftovers boxed up and table scraps composted.
  • Flowers - There are tons of options when it comes to your sustainable flowers! Go faux, to create something you can keep forever. Bonus points for creating bouquets out of recycled materials, like book pages or sheet music. If you want real flowers, try potted plants, or arrange to have your flowers do double duty and donate to a hospital at the end of the night. You can also source flowers from local/organic farms!
  • Favors - Choose something consumable that won’t end up in the trash. Or opt out of “favors” entirely by making a donation on your guests' behalf to your favorite charity.
  • Decor - Rent your decor or purchase second-hand. You can do this with your attire as well!

Resources

Emily Katherine Events is proud to work with CompostNow to reduce the amount of wedding waste ending up in landfills! We also work with many great local florists, caterers, and venues who support green weddings. Check out the growing directory of eco-conscious wedding vendors, focused on sustainability and environmental education!

Compost Now