When it comes to wedding planning, there are tons of questions running through your mind! When do I send my invitations? When should I get my dress altered? Which linens should I choose? How can I make my wedding more eco-friendly? Wait…let’s go over that last one again! 2021 couples are becoming more and more eco-conscious, and believe it or not, it’s easier than you may think to make some simple swaps to have a more eco-friendly wedding experience! We’ve teamed up with our friends at Be Inspired PR to pull together tips from industry experts themselves on how to go green for your wedding day. 

Vendors for above photo: Event Planner: Alston Mayger Events; Photographer: E. Ann Photography; Florals: Jodi Iverson Floral

Single-Use Florals → Donating Your Florals “When it comes to your florals, it’s heartbreaking to see all that beauty go into the trash at the end of the night. One of my couples chose to donate their florals to a local nursing home for its residents to enjoy versus leaving it all to the clean-up crew. The nursing home was overjoyed to accept this donation, and (especially in a time where folks aren’t allowed to visit as often) they provided a much-needed pick me up for their residents.” – Ashley Lachney, Owner of Alston Mayger Event 

Vendors for above photo: Event Planner: Orange Blossom Special Events; Photographer: Jennifer Emerling; Gown: Miss Tashina; Florals: Inessa Nichols Floral Design

Traditional Honeymoon → Ecotourism “Consider choosing a trip based on ecotourism for your honeymoon. Ecotourism is tourism that’s sensitive toward exotic and often threatened natural environments, with a special focus on supporting conservation efforts and wildlife. Costa Rica leads the way in ecotourism and has an abundance of protected land to explore while honeymooning. Other great ecotourism destinations include Norway, Kenya, the Galapagos Islands, Antarctica, and Brazil, to name a few.” – Brooke Avishay of Orange Blossom Special Events

Individual Drivers → Carpooling & Ridesharing “Encourage guests to carpool to your wedding or use a rideshare company that services the area of the wedding. A great place to note this option is your wedding website or an inset sent with your wedding invitation (or a note on your electronic invitation if you’re attempting to save paper). Also, consider carpooling to meetings with family or your wedding planner. It leads to extra productive car time.” – Brooke Avishay of Orange Blossom Special Events

Vendors for above photo: Event Planner: Weddings by Susan Dunne; 
Photographer: Sposto Photography


One-Time Décor → Reusable Décor Items “Instead of having a disposable mask, why not invest in a mask your guest can also take as a favor and reuse? I love to encourage my clients to have their welcome sign be printed on fabric so they can hang in their new home or frame. It’s a lovely piece of their wedding they can reuse! Now let’s talk about escort ideas: why not incorporate edible escort cards such as cookies?! It saves paper and it’s much more delicious!” – Weddings by Susan Dunne


Vendors for above photo: Wedding Stationery: A Good Day Inc; Photographer: Charla Storey Photography; Planning & Design: Meggie Francisco Events

Regular Invitations → Seed Paper Invitations  “For invitations and stationery, there are so many eco-friendly options available! Plantable seed papers are so unique (your guests plant your invitations after they’ve received them to grow a little garden) – they use post-consumer recycled cotton as the base to break down and are environmentally safe. Other paper lines include recycled hemp or denim and can be printed with soy-based inks.” – Jordan Kentris, A Good Day

Vendors for above photo: Wedding Stationery: Plume and Stone Invitations; Photographer: Danielle Rouillard

Paper Goods → Digital Info “Sending a digital invitation is acceptable for casual weddings, while a traditional paper invitation is still considered the polite way to invite guests to a formal affair. Consider having your digital invitation created by a designer to avoid the cookie-cutter look and feel, and add some customization to your invitation with custom monograms and details. Having a wedding website is a fantastic way to save on paper and provide your guests with information such as accommodations, directions and transportation. In addition, your guests can email their RSVP replies or submit them through the site. If going with printed invitations, eco-conscious brides can choose recycled papers and environmentally friendly printing process and inks.” – Lilia Shatnaya, Owner and Designer of Plume and Stone Invitations

Vendors for above photo: Event Planner: Experiences by Taylor Brione; Photographer: Lydia Williams of Diaography

Florals For Every Moment → Repurposing Your Florals Throughout the Day “There are always so many beautiful floral arrangements that are usually tossed at the end of the wedding. One of the easiest ways to be eco-conscious (and budget-conscious) is to reuse florals in multiple places; bridesmaid bouquets can double as centerpieces, ceremony flowers can be used on the sweetheart table, and other loose florals can be used to create a photo station! Once the wedding is over you can also send flowers home with guests or catering staff as an added favor! Good for the environment and good for your budget!” – Taylor Brione Ballard, Experiences by Taylor Brione 

Vendors for above photo: Event Planner: Kirkbrides Wedding Planning; Photographer: Renee Lemaire Photo; Floral: The Budding Tree

Individual Programs → Program Display “A very eco-friendly trend we are seeing for 2021 that also couples with a safety trend is to create one beautiful board display of the ceremony program, seating board and any dinner or drink menus, instead of distributing one to each guest. This not only reduces paper and waste but also cuts down on the possible spread of germs. We’ve also seen the increase of donating wedding items instead of trashing them, such as having any leftover food or desserts be donated to a local homeless shelter.” – Valarie Falvey, Kirkbrides Wedding Planning

Vendors for above photo: Event Planner: Experiences by Taylor Brione; Photographer: Lydia Williams of Diaography

Brand New Gown vs. Previously Owned Gown “Connect with your local brides. The beauty of the Internet is that there is now a place for brides-to-be & newlyweds to link up! Finding your dream dress doesn’t have to lead to disappointment now that there is a marketplace for past brides to pass their wedding baton (and dress) over to the about-to-be-wed bride! Purchasing pre-loved dresses not only saves you money but helps to create less waste!” – Bruno Szajer, Co-founder of Stillwhite.com

Mined Diamonds → Lab-Grown Diamonds “Choose lab-grown diamonds for your engagement ring and wedding band! Lab-grown diamonds are chemically and optically identical to their mined counterparts, with none of the negative impacts on the earth. Lab-grown diamonds are sustainably grown, and when set in responsibly sourced precious metals, are a far superior choice for the environment. Lab diamonds are human friendly, too: they’re guaranteed to be of known origin and conflict-free. Best of all, lab-grown diamonds typically retail for about 30% less than mined diamonds! We know that for the modern, socially conscious bride it matters where your diamonds come from. Lab-grown diamonds are the only way to guarantee your diamond is truly conflict-free and of known origin.“ – Lindsay Reinsmith, Co-Founder of Ada Diamonds