Weddings, a time for celebration, bubbly and joy! But it is also unfortunately a big contributor to global warming. Why should we worry about the earth during such a joyous occasion? We only have our wedding once in our life! Consider this: the carbon dioxide emissions from a single wedding is equivalent to what a person would produce in four years. In America alone, there are 2.3 million weddings happening annually. We definitely aren’t going to stop any nuptials, and totally eradicating waste from an event like this is near impossible, so here are some simple steps to reduce emissions that you can incorporate into you big day.
Invitations
Paper invites are easy to misplace and are more expensive to print and mail out. In this digital age, millennials are starting to turn to more mobile-friendly options for wedding RSVPs. One example would be Google forms that allows your invitees to state their attendance and how many guests they are bringing as well as any other details that will be recorded into a system. This will also be one less thing to keep tabs on as the results are collated into an excel sheet where you can view all the data at a glance efficiently as compared to the traditional RSVP method of calling up a person.
Flowers
It’s every bride’s dream to have a beautifully adorned wedding aisle complete with Calla Lilies and Tulips –– after all weddings are almost synonymous to these blooming creations. But what happens after the ceremony ends? Instead of chucking these beauties away, give them away to guests or donate them to organisations. Bloomback is a non-for-profit that collects said flowers to send them to beneficiaries or put them for sale to raise funds for supporting their beneficiaries’ employment. You can even opt for a floral repurposing jamming session with you and your friends with the blossoms that you donated –– giving back while still having fun!
Catering
Wedding lunches are usually catered buffet style, hence wastage is aplenty with single-use plastic utensils and plates used by your guests. To remedy this, talk to your caterer of choice if you are able to opt for more sustainable options like bamboo cutlery and paper straws. Food also plays an integral role in carbon emissions as poultry is the main producer of carbon emissions in the world, due to the gasses they emit through feeding and transport. You don’t have to give up meat entirely, but you can try to limit it to at most 30% of the menu. Otherwise, a vegetarian menu isn’t out of the question as there are increasingly more faux-meat options, that taste exactly like the original product.
Instead of serving dessert at your wedding, opt for a beautiful dessert table where guests can pick what they want without wasting and it also serves as a great photo opportunity! Check out this extensive list of 28 dessert tables in Singapore to find The One for your special day.
Wedding Favours
As much as we don’t like to admit it, guests don’t want another wedding favour coaster with you and your spouse’s face on it. Instead of wasting materials for gifts that your guests may not utilise (after all, you can’t please everyone), try giving them a plantable seedling that can be grown into kitchen spices. Mints, oregano or cumin are viable options for this idea. Another alternative would be making a donation in the name of your guest. If there is a charity or not-for-profit group that you hold dear to your heart, make a monetary donation on behalf of all your guests. Some organisations will print appreciation cards for your guests if you hit a certain amount which will make perfect place cards and help to inform your guests of their indirect goodwill.
Check out unique wedding favours on Delegate now!
