A Green Wedding
Is it possible on a budget?
The wedding rings, florals, catering, linens, decorations, the wedding attire; you want them all to showcase who you are as a couple. You are also the kind of person where being eco conscious is a must. Keeping your day personal while focusing on low impact choices is truly daunting. Known tips to combat single are amazing options... for those that can afford it. With the right knowledge you can most certainly have a memorable day with as little negative impact as possible.
Having the wedding of your dreams with as little impact as possible easily ends up costing a lot of money. Like a lot a lot. As well, some great options for low waste wont even be an option to you due local resource limitations. So what options do you have? I took a deep dive and have put together some strategies.
Make A List
Oh! or even an Excel table. If you are anything like me you will enjoy this part. envision your wedding. Now write it down. Every piece of decor, the outfits including shoes, jewelry, and hair and suit accessories. The color themes, food drinks, guest stops I.E. cafe bar or a photo booth. Truly every item. Now after about a week of updating and organizing this list this is where the work comes in.
Take stock in what you already have access to. You, friends, family, neighbors, that one coworker of your mom, who's super into carpentry. What do you already have that can make this inherent shopping list a less daunting? Don’t forget some of these things you can alter! Trim, dye, and attach. Get crafty. That old table cloth that’s the perfect size fore your head table? It’s suddenly the perfect fit with some Rit fabric dye.
Can you get it free?
This one is self explanatory. When looking for accessories or decor you can’t go wrong with Facebook market place filtering for free items. There are also other apps like BuyNothing that are independent from social media. With first hand experience myself, these kinds of apps really are welcoming with friendly conversations and a community focused approach. Also You can never go wrong with curb hunting! Got my living room rug that way. After a few deep cleanings.
Keep it local, keep it in Season
This advice isn’t just for your color scheme. Foods are an amazingly large part of your day and the bill can add up fast. If you are catering or cooking yourself think of instead of getting imported fruits and vegetables for your winter wedding, you could find what kinds of foods are in season and cater a menu around your pallet. Less imported ingredients mean less energy needed to travel and a lot of times easier on the wallet. If you are renting a venue that caters in house your options are limited. if you are lucky sometimes there will be venues that collaborate with local farms or have compost programs.
Florals keeping in season keeps resources more attainable, and like food it keeps travel lower. Try to stay away from pre-made fabric bouquets as they are one time use items and will inevitably end up in a box in the garage or thrown out. If you are the sentimental type you can have your bouquet dried. that way you can display the bouquet in your home for years to come. There are some programs that you can actually donate your bouquets like Random acts of Flowers.
The Rings
I hadn’t thought about wedding rings and bands before researching this topic. It’s obvious now with the sourcing of new precious metals and gem stones being what it is. I took a step back and looked at my own ring. While it has no stones, it’s gold had to come from somewhere. Thankfully in recent years options have become much more abundant.
Going to pawn or thrift shops is always a good option, but to some the need their own unique vision is a must. Reclaimed materials and lab made diamonds are all the rage for custom bands. They are also much more affordable. Some examples are: Benchmark , Rustic and Main, and Plum Diamonds just to name a few. Some couples forgo the rings altogether and commemorate their love with tattoos. Don’t feel stifled by tradition.
A hard stop is needed as I could keep going... and I will in part two!
