What Isn’t Eco-Friendly About Weddings?

In a word? Everything. Dresses, decorations and diamonds have long been a problem for the environment. Decorations and dresses are usually only used once. Diamond mining is also a problem. You’re so excited to get married, but if you want to do it without hurting the environment the wedding industry is actually working against you! The wedding industry is very wasteful, and not at all eco-friendly. So it’s up to you to make your wedding better for the environment!

Diamonds

When picking a ring, think about the benefits of lab grown diamonds vs real diamonds. Real diamond mining isn’t good for the environment. Lab grown diamonds can be identical to real diamonds, except they are created not mined. This makes them better for the environment and perfect for your eco-friendly wedding!. Lab created diamonds of the same cut, clarity, carat and color tend to be slightly cheaper than their mined counterparts.

Dresses

A huge issue with the luxury fashion industry and wedding dress industry is that these items are only made to be used a few times, with wedding dresses being meant to only wear once. This is so wasteful of materials, and resources. The solution? Buy used!

Decorations

The flowers, the stationary, dinnerware, the decor, it can all be made more eco-friendly! While changing to recyclable or compostable dinnerware is a more obvious way to be more environmentally aware, changing the flowers is a bit more subtle. What’s the problem with the usual flowers? Many flowers aren’t organically grown, which causes bad chemicals to leach into the soil and can harm not only the environment but also sometimes harms the workers that handle them. Organic, locally grown flowers are the most eco-friendly. Plus, local means less environmental impact with the delivery.

Stationary can be taken out all together for invitations, if you like. But many people still love to use snail mail to send out the invites. This is good too, as long as you use good recyclable paper and ink. As far as decorations are concerned, try going with something that is less paper, and more reusable or recyclable items. For example, instead of a paper confetti, try using biodegradable confetti. Using something like dried flower petals that are already naturally in the environment can give you a natural aesthetic, and be much more eco-friendly.

Venue

In addition to diamonds, dresses, and decor, you can also choose an outdoor venue. That will save energy, and if you decide to have the reception and ceremony at the same place you’ll save on travel time and fuel emissions. But if you do decide to do it inside because that is what is most convenient for you then try having a solar powered wedding! Not only will this save money but it absolutely helps the environment especially if you’re gonna be using a lot of electricity. If you live in a sunnier place like California, try to find local companies to set you up with solar power San Diego or Los Angeles. This way you know that the source of the power is eco friendly so you can dance the whole night away!

You Can Make A Difference With Your Wedding

There are so many ways to have an eco-friendly wedding! Despite the wedding industry working against you, anyone can have an eco-friendly wedding. It’s not as hard as it would seem.