Eco-friendly wedding. Green wedding. Sustainable wedding. Are all these terms the same? My guess is, all of these (and the countless other synonyms that exist out in the world of wedding blogs) basically mean one thing: a wedding that cares about its environmental impact. As someone who’s been in the business of event-prep for a while, let me tell you in no uncertain terms: big events cause waste, and lots of it. There’s almost always leftover food, trashed party favors, plastic decor, gas for shipping, all the packaging, and cheap versions of things that break easily (but you didn’t have the budget to buy the fancy version).
Thankfully, lately, as things like climate change and unsavory labor conditions become common knowledge, there’s been a shift in our collective conscience. It’s no longer thought of as “fringe” to be intentional about your footprint, or care about the world at large. In short: this shift is awesome news. But it’s no secret that being eco-friendly can require extra foresight: research, planning, and funds. Have you ever looked at the budget needed for local, organic catering or ethically made outfits? It can easily feel like there’s no easy way to care about the world… and keep the planning process low-key.
But around APW, we’re always coming across tip, tricks, and hacks that our savvy readers have pulled together to lower their impact. And there’s even certain weddings that have their values woven into most planning decisions, like this one (vegan food), or this one (public transportation and local vendors), by our own copy editor Kate. In fact, some of the #lazygirl green wedding methods are already staff faves.
There’s an endless number of small (and big) ways to have an eco-friendly wedding, and the way we figure, lots of you have probably figured out one or two of easy ways to lower your impact (intentional or otherwise.) So now’s the time to tell us how you did it!
Did you try to make your wedding eco-friendly, ethical, local, or green? What worked surprisingly well? What wasn’t as awesome? Is there a #greenwedding struggle you’re currently facing?
