Many say ‘I do’ to Zero-Waste weddings
CENTREPIECE AND OTHER DECOR ITEMS, LIKE FLOWERS, CAN DOUBLE AS GIFTS FOR GUESTS
To protect the environment, many couples are saying “I do” to Zero-Waste weddings, focusing on sustainability for everything from floral design and dresses to invitations and food.
The goal is to recycle, reuse, compost and otherwise keep anything from becoming trash in a landfill. Whether or not couples succeed in reaching the ZeroWaste goal, “they’re certainly more conscious of the ecological impact of what they do, and are aiming for something as close to that as possible,” says Rachel Sylvester, lifestyle editor at Real
Simple magazine.
The key to success, experts say, is letting wedding planners, vendors and your reception venue know from the start that you’re serious about going Zero Waste. Then be flexible enough to facilitate that.
“Flexibility and creativity are essential,” Sylvester says.
Focus on quality
Bea Johnson, one of the pioneers of the Zero-Waste movement, says, “You’d be amazed at what you can find secondhand if you’re open-minded and really look around.”
Her Zero Waste Home blog features a “bulk finder” tab that helps locate businesses selling food, drinks and other items free of plastic packaging.
Focusing on quality instead of quantity also helps, Johnson says: “The smaller the party, the easier it is to make it truly Zero Waste.”
Her own Zero-Waste wedding was on a yacht, so space constraints limited the guest list to 40.
‘Don’t stress things’
Kathryn Kellogg, who wrote extensively about her ZeroWaste wedding on her Going Zero Waste blog, hosted a reception for 60 people on a shoestring budget of $200 (Dh734) for everything. She bought bedsheets from a thrift shop to use as tablecloths, and borrowed dishes, tables and seating from friends and family.
“We were on a tight budget, so we were married at city hall with our closest family there, had a separate reception for about 60 people, and decided to save most of our money for a really great honeymoon in Maine,” she says.
“Honestly, the hardest part was convincing our families to go along with it all. My biggest tip is not to stress things, and to balance expectations with reality. Ours may not have been the perfect Pinterest wedding, but that didn’t make it less fun or meaningful.”
The hardest part was convincing our families to go along with it all. My biggest tip is not to stress things, and to balance expectations.”
Kathryn Kellogg | Wrote extensively about her ZeroWaste wedding on her blog