I have to be honest that while we are both generally concerned about making our wedding an environmentally low-impact affair, we haven’t gone to the full extent that one could. Travel and food are unfortunately our biggest regrets in terms of things that we didn’t go “green” on. Everyone we know is scattered, so to get everyone in one place travel was unavoidable. And we will be requesting that our caterer source locally and organic when possible, but we weren’t able to secure a caterer who specialized in completely organic and local foods… money being the biggest issue. So our big focus has been on reusability! Below are some of the things we’ve done to make sure that our affair is at least a little eco-friendly.
-No Flowers! This is, I think, a pretty big one. Most flowers from the typical florists are transported VERY long distances (and utilizing exceptionally high-energy refrigeration systems), grown with a considerable amount of pesticides, and most often unethically harvested by exploiting workers (particularly women and children) in developing countries. We are using no flowers at all, choosing instead to use feathers to create “wear’em-again” accessories (boutonnieres, corsages, and fascinators) and our decorative centerpieces. Our centerpieces are actually going to be lamps made with feathers, mirrors, and these crazy glowing orb things (rechargeable battery-powered) – so lamps are actually something people will take home and use again! *using cruelty-free feathers when possible*
-No Disposables! We’ll be renting all our tableware, etc. so we are completely avoiding any disposable products for the dinner. And my hope is that we can negotiate with the caterer for food waste to be composted. We plan to make sure the bar gives out water by the glass instead of bottled-water, serves fountain instead of canned soda, and recycles all beer and wine bottles. I’m wary that plastic cups are going to come into the mix: I know for the bar that the price difference between plastic and renting is going to be huge, and I have yet to figure out for sure if we can afford to make the bar completely plastic-free. But plastic-free would be our ideal situation, so I’m gonna push for it!
-Cut Down The Travel! It’s bad enough a lot of people will have to travel long distances to get to our wedding, so we’re trying to keep travel to a minimum the weekend they’re there. We’re having the ceremony and reception in one place, and have chosen hotels in walking distance for our guests. And we’re making efforts to encourage our guests to use public transit while visiting – people often get intimidated by the New York subway system and resort to taking cabs everywhere (justifying it because, at least in Manhattan, it’s always short enough distances that the cost is never too high), so on our website we are providing detailed instructions, maps, and info on how to use the subway.
-Reusable Favours! Our favours and gifts all avoid any disposable material: no paper, no boxes, no wrapping, etc. We are giving out martini glasses, drink recipe cards, and some other little goodies in reusable bags.
-Keep It Simple! There are lots of small choices we’ve made along the way to just try and keep our consumption to a minimum. We are both pretty simple people, and don’t feel the need to use the wedding as an excuse to buy a lot of “stuff”. There are lots of traditional wedding stuff we’re skipping altogether, and using things we already own, etc. We reduced our paper use by using postcard Save-The-Dates (no envelopes), did simple invitations that only used a single layer of paper, and skipped the extra paper in the invite by using a website for additional information like maps, rehearsal dinner and after party info, accomodations, etc.
I’ll admit that they are all very small things, but I like to think that it adds up to make a difference. I know a lot of weddings of our size can generate a lot of waste, and I’m happy that we’ve at least made some efforts to keep it to a minimum.
I’m right there with you. We are using a caterer who will focus on local and organic food, but some of the food won’t meet those standards. And, we are also having lots of out of towners. I found a nearby hotel where our guests can take the public ferry to the ceremony/recpetion venue. And, because the wedding is in a major city, many will be flying, but driving will be minimal. It’s certainly not as “green” as possible, but thoughtful consumption is a good starting point. I’ll be sharing more this week.
Also, thanks for getting me thinking about the bar waste. We are renting the glassware, but we should see if we can recycle the used bottles.
Very few people can go 100% green. It’s important that you thought about it and took the steps you could take! No go forth and enjoy your wedding! Your lamp centerpieces and martini glass favors sound fabulous and will help you set a celebratory tone for your festivities.
You have a right to be proud of yourselves. It’s possible to get frustrated that you can’t go 100%, so why bother to try… That’s when we start to back slide. Remember that every little bit makes a difference!
Best wishes to you both.
Marilee Karamanski
Planned Spontaneity LLC
Madison, WI
With regard to your plastic-cup conundrum, would it be possible for your caterer to use compostable cups? It’s a little more expensive than plastic, but more convenient and surely cheaper than glass. Of course, you would need to ensure that the waste actually be composted, not tossed away with the trash!