Ways to Incorporate the Three R’s in Your Wedding

Happy Earth Day everyone! Here are some quick tips on incorporating the three R’s in your wedding plans. We’re talking Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

1. REDUCE

Tip: Choose a plated dinner. It is less wasteful than a family style and buffet since you can control portions and not throw away as much food.

Tip: Skip the favors. Many guests leave them behind anyway and they can often end up in the landfill.

Tip: Forgo the layered invite with inner envelopes and tissues. Going for something more simple will reduce the amount of paper waste (and save money).

Tip: DO NOT order enough ceremony programs for every single guest. Most couples/families will only take one program to share. We recommend printing for 70% of the guest list.

Tip: Unless you are serving slices of cake table side as a course, don’t order a piece for every guest. Some guests will pass on the cake and we see a lot of leftovers that get thrown out.

2. REUSE

Tip: Find items from past weddings that you can reuse on your day. It could be anything from decorations to vintage plates to the actual wedding dress.

Tip: Rent your items from an event rental company (or through your caterer) instead of buying new. The quality is always better, and you won’t get stuck trying to clean lipstick and grime off of 140 apple green napkins.

Tip: Ask guests to reuse their glass for the night instead of getting new ones every time. We often write this cute little saying on a chalkboard and put it near the bar- “Keep your glass for the night and fill it up with what tastes right.”

Tip: Have bridesmaids pick out dresses that they will use time and time again, instead of purchasing something they are not comfortable in. Same for the groomsmen. See if they have a suit in your ideal color choice and coordinate that with the other guys. Don’t be afraid of it not matching, a mismatch look is totally in!

Tip: Keep those pretty blooms for another day! We like to take craft paper or yesterday’s news and wrap up flowers for guests to take home. The little bundle will be enjoyed for many more days after the wedding.

3. RECYCLE

Tip: Ask your caterer and bartenders to recycle. This is a no brainer! All those cans and bottles gotta go somewhere, and hopefully not in the landfill.

Tip: Compost on your wedding day or choose a caterer who does. This could include diverting their food scrapes from the food prep and even post-consumer food scraps at the event. Collective Resource Inc makes this super easy to do and keep good soil-making stuff out of the landfill where it doesn’t do much good at all.

Tip: Ask mom or grandma or great great grandma if you can recycle their wedding dress by giving it a modern upgrade. We have had a few clients use family heirloom gowns to create a one-of-a-kind wedding dress that was so special to them. Mignonette Bridal can help here, she’s the queen of recycling fabrics and gowns.

Tip: Before you throw away all those mason jars or painted wine bottles you used as centerpieces, recycle them! Glass recycles really well, or better yet- sell/give them to a couple who could use them at their wedding.

Tip: Avoid incorporating items in the wedding that CAN’T be recycled. Especially avoid anything with styrofoam and floral arrangements that use flower foam. I’d also say, avoid tealights with petroleum based candle wax and opt for a refillable option of soy based wax candles from Bright Endeavors.

BONUS FOR EARTH MONTH

Our next event has all three R’s incorporated! Join us and the Green Wedding Alliance on April 27th for the 2nd annual Great Wedding Recyclery (a wedding garage sale of sorts) at Loft on Lake. Recently married couples are selling their lightly used wedding goods, and newly engaged couples are sure to score big! For more info and to let us know you’re coming visit the Facebook event page.

Celebrate Earth Day 2014 today by thinking about how you will go green on your wedding day and every day!