Wedding planning features a dizzying array of decisions, from who you’ll invite to what you’ll wear to what sort of party you’ll throw after the ceremony. Hosting any large event can be rough on the environment, but thinking outside the box will give you plenty of ways to go green while celebrating.

Be Deliberate With Diamonds

Are you and your sweetheart dreaming of a diamond ring? If so, lab grown diamonds are just as sparkly as the underground variety, and they avoid the environmental damage and human rights issues associated with traditional diamond mining.

Get Creative With Clothes

Your wedding gear doesn’t have to be new to be stunning. Check specialty consignment shops and even thrift stores for unique and vintage styles, or look into renting or borrowing. Consider letting your attendants choose their own dresses or suits; you can still specify a general color scheme and level of formality without requiring your friends to buy brand-new duds that use up resources and may well only be worn once.

Minimize Makeup

Makeup can be fun and festive, but it comes with a lot of packaging that requires energy to make and ship. Taking good care of your skin and lips (using sunscreen and medicated lip balm, carefully washing your face before bed, not smoking, and getting plenty of sleep) can help cut down on the number of concealing and correcting products you use. Don’t feel obligated to go on a shopping spree for special wedding makeup. Using products you already have and feel comfortable with helps you avoid both unnecessary waste and the possibility of a bad reaction or disappointing result you don’t have time to fix before walking down the aisle.

Decorate Durably

Decorating for a wedding is the perfect opportunity to get a head start on future festivities by choosing items that will last for years instead of being trashed the next morning. Flowers are so lovely that it’s a shame most arrangements only last a few days. How about having potted plants that you and your guests can enjoy long after the reception winds down? You can reuse sets of LED tealights or string lights at all sorts of events for years to come. Look for table centerpieces you can repurpose for baby showers, birthday parties, and holiday dinners.

Prioritize Plants

You’ve probably heard that the meat industry has a huge carbon footprint, so it’s lucky there are so many delicious and unusual dishes that focus on plant foods instead. You don’t have to go completely vegan, but nibbles like Caprese salad skewers, risotto with truffle oil, a sweet and spicy fruit salad, or a colorful stir-fry topped with just a little pork belly make for a banquet that’s heavy on flavor and light on the environment. If you’d prefer something more casual, how about a make-your-own taco bar with smokey jackfruit, hearty beans, and a rainbow of different salsas?

Harmonize Your Honeymoon

There’s a whole world of travel possibilities out there, so you have plenty of chances to choose greener options without sacrificing adventure. Planes produce more pollution than trains and automobiles, so think about which of your dream locations will keep you on the ground even while your heads are in the air. If you do fly, don’t automatically assume you’ll have to rent a car at your destination; many cities of all sizes offer more than enough to do within walking distance of where you’re staying. When booking hotels and activities, check for third-party certifications and specific facts and figures showing the business’s ecological efforts.

With some creative thinking and an eye to the future, it’s easy to plan a beautiful wedding that’s still gentle on the Earth.