One way to preserve the beauty of Canada and make the world a better place overall is to find ways to be sustainable with everything you do, including preparing wedding celebrations. As a planner, it’s essential to realize that without the right strategy, you may create a lot of waste and harm the environment while organizing the nuptials. The good news is that vendors and folks who run wedding venues understand the desire of couples to host an eco-friendly wedding, and they have many ways to help you plan accordingly.
However, you need to find them first.
Consider these tips and important questions to ask on the pre-wedding planning journey so a lovely ceremony and reception can go on without a hitch and without an unnecessary cost to the environment.
1. Check Out Vendor Websites
Planning a sustainable wedding in 2024 and beyond is much easier than it was in the past because more people are jumping on the sustainability bandwagon. Like you, others want to do their part to make the world a better place for themselves and future generations. Wedding vendors are not blind to this fact and want to be a part of the solution.
Many vendors are proud of their efforts to help the planet and run an eco-friendly operation. So much so that they will list their promise to sustainability on their website and describe exactly what they do to fulfill that promise. For instance, many vendors will mention that they only work with recyclable materials or make outfits out of natural fibers. When in doubt, check the websites of vendors in your area.
However, beware of greenwashing. This occurs when companies or vendors falsely advertise themselves as eco-friendly, when in fact, they’re not. For example, many companies will advertise their use of carbon offset credits as a way to reduce their carbon footprint. However, this ultimately means they’re purchasing carbon credits as a way to negate any non-environmentally behavior they may be participating in instead of simply reducing their carbon footprint in the first place.
2. Consider An Outdoor Wedding
As a next step, talk to the couple about the idea of having an outdoor wedding. Depending on the weather, you can have the ceremony and the reception outside, and it’s worth the effort to help the environment. Though string lights and electronics like DJ equipment may use electricity, the usage will be much less than it would be in an indoor venue with overhead lighting, heat or air conditioning, and other unnecessary utilities. If the space is surrounded by gorgeous, natural Canadian scenery, you can also cut down on the cost of decorations, which are also often thrown away after the event.
You can help the couple cut even more costs by having the wedding and reception in their backyard, but take the time to make the outdoor space functional and beautiful. Start by taking a tour of the yard as you map out different areas for their unique purposes so you have a blueprint to go off of going forward. Make an area for seating, an area for the dance floor, and a space for the ceremony. Think carefully about the seating and choose comfortable options that are resistant to weather, including resin wicker or teak. Finally, plan for the night hours by adding lanterns and solar-powered path lights that won’t use electricity.
3. Ask Questions About The Catering
It’s easy to forget that the catering at the wedding can also negatively impact the environment. Many vendors don’t put consideration into where they get their supplies or food, but it can make a big difference when it comes to sustainability. When it comes to planning the catering for the wedding, inquire with vendors about whether they use recyclable place settings and reusable plates and dishware that can be cleaned and reused instead of thrown away.
Also, ask where they get their food and opt to go with vendors that get it from local sources. Vendors who purchase their food and ingredients from the grocery store often require those goods to be transported from across the country, and those trucks produce pollution along the way. By shopping locally, extensive transportation is no longer required. Also, ask if their food is organically grown, which eliminates the use of harmful pesticides that are bad for the soil and the surrounding environment.
4. Ask Questions About How They Eliminate Waste
Once you have determined that a vendor or wedding venue intends to offer eco-friendly services, dig down deeper to see how they eliminate waste along the way. You may already know ways of how to reduce your own waste. For example, sending e-invitations instead of paper invitations can save the waste of paper or the harvesting of trees.
However, to find out how each vendor handles waste, talk to them directly. For a wedding venue, you can ask if they value energy efficiency by using efficient dishwashers and operating out of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified buildings. Ask how they handle waste management. Do they compost and recycle? How is the bar situation? Do they skip cocktail napkins so there’s less to throw away?
If the wedding venue uses its own vendors, you can also ask if they have researched who they work with to determine if they also run eco-conscious operations. Granted, not every venue will be 100% eco-friendly, but it may be worth doing business with them if they’re making an effort.
Conclusion
There’s a lot to consider when searching for sustainable vendors and wedding venues, but it’s worth the time if it means preserving the environment. The celebration will be beautiful, and you and the happy couple will be thrilled that you’re doing the right thing.
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