It’s no secret that weddings can produce a lot of waste. As a wedding photographer, I’ve seen first-hand just how much trash can be produced in one day. In fact, a single wedding can produce the equivalent emissions that 4-5 people would in an entire year.

“The average wedding produces 400 pounds of trash and 63 tons of carbon dioxide.” — The Green Bride Guide

Based on an estimated 2.3 million weddings per year, that is more than 1.5 billion pounds of trash (and that’s just here in the U.S.) Imagine if every couple made just one sustainable switch — that could save millions of pounds of waste every year. So with that in mind, let’s start talking about the alternatives.

Sourcing Your Outfits

Dress & Suit

Getting your dream dress doesn’t have to come at the cost of the environment. Companies like Ritual Unions, Reformation and Leanne Marshall create amazing gowns with sustainable practices; and thankfully, they’re not the only ones. Bridal shops like Stone Bridal specialize exclusively in sourcing ethically-made dresses, or you can check out this article by the Good Trade for a whole list of sustainable designers for you to choose from.

If you love vintage and want something unique, try thrifting your dress! I personally love curators like Transplant Vintage, who’s bridal collection is full of rare, timeless dresses that will make you feel like the ultimate cool girl. Etsy is also a great option to find vintage sellers, where you can narrow down your search with more specific details you’re looking for.

For suits, seek out ethical companies like Seneca or Moss Bros or who are committed to sustainable practices and fair trade. Really invest in a good one and get it tailored to fit you perfectly, so that you can wear it long past your wedding day. As a wise man (my dad) once told me, “a good suit never goes out of style.”

If you’re not committed to the idea of keeping your wedding outfit, you can also look into renting one at Rent the Runway, Nuuly or Black Tux. This is also a great option for your wedding party (and guests!), especially if they only plan to wear it once.

Rings

“Mining for precious metals leaves behind toxic waste that often winds up in the ocean. Gold mines use 182,000 tons of cyanide each year to separate the gold from the stone. This contaminates the groundwater and results in a significant loss of land. The land is stripped-mined, destroying it forever.” - Going Zero Waste

When you’re looking for rings, try to support small makers or companies that use sustainable practices. I personally love jewelers like Catbird or Kinn Studio who use recycled 14k gold and responsibly sourced or lab-grown diamonds. If you’re into something more untraditional, I recommend going to your city’s local art market to meet small, independent makers to create a custom ring (Phoenix friends, I recommend Hilali Jewelry!)

Did you know, a single wedding ring can produce 20 tons of waste?

If you’re not committed to buying new, try searching pawn shops, vintage stores, or even your grandparents’ jewelry box (with their permission, or course.) Junebug Weddings also has a great list of the best Etsy shops for vintage wedding rings.

And if you’re not a jewelry person (like me), save the money and get a small tattoo on your finger instead!

Rethinking Your Decorations

Elevate what you already have. Instead of buying excess decorations, think about what you are already putting on the table — plates, glasses, wine bottles, napkins, etc. — and make those things a little fancier. Instead of simple white plates, consider renting ones that match your color palette. Since there will already be a ton of drinking glasses on the table, hire a bar service that will throw some extra garnishes onto your cocktails to make them look nice. Maybe use a bunch of wine bottles as your centerpieces over flowers — most labels on natural wine bottles these days are better than the art hanging in my house.

Go thrifting. I recently went to a thrifted wedding that changed my whole world. They spent months thrifting literally everything they could. Instead of buying single-use paper napkins or new cloth ones, they set out thrifted napkins (that they later took home and reused!). For decor, the bride thrifted a ton of different fabrics and spent hours cutting and stitching them into a banner. For wedding favors, they put together an entire wall of thrifted mugs that they spent months collecting. These made for unique gifts, and the guests were able to use them all night without having to use plastic cups.

Skip the stuff that’ll only last two seconds. Try to avoid any single-use waste, including (but not limited to) sparklers, tiny bubble wands, balloons, and confetti. If you still want an epic photo, try using biodegradable alternatives such as dried flowers or hole punched leaves; heck, they even make eco-friendly confetti that dissolves with water. This way, you can still get an awesome photo without creating waste.

Find a local rental company. There are so many incredible rental companies that rent out furniture and decorations for special events (a.k.a. your wedding!) like The Valley Events for table settings and chairs or BBJ La Tavola for linens. Instead of spending money on new items that will probably end up sitting in a Goodwill or being thrown out, rent decor that you know will get reused.

Side note: If you do end up buying new decorations that you want to donate, check to see if any local rental companies will take them! This way, they’re more likely to be reused and you can help out a local business.

Choose eco-friendly invitations. If you want to save paper altogether, you can send out personalized email invitations via The Paperless Post and refer your guests to a website (my favorite’s Joy!). If you want to be more formal, work with your local print shop and put your invitations on sustainable materials like recycled paper or wood instead. If you want to get a little fancier, print your invitations on seed paper by Botanical Paperworks that your guests can plant and grow.

Repurpose. Instead of buying excess decorations, repurpose things you already have from the ceremony at the reception. Turn bridesmaids bouquets into table centerpieces. Use the ceremony arch as a backdrop for your sweetheart table or cake table. Anything you use to decorate your ceremony space can easily be repurposed to help decorate your reception too.

Floral Arrangements

Work with your florist to create a bouquet with seasonal and locally-sourced flowers. If the florals you want aren’t in-season for your wedding day, check to see if they’re VeriFlora-certified to ensure they’re coming from a good source.

If you plan to make your own florals, try searching farmers markets and support your local growers.

If you don’t have a place to compost your flowers after your wedding, consider working with Rebloom, where they’ll be picked up and reused (plus, you’ll also be supporting charities!) You can even check with the florist you’re already working with — some companies like FORM Floral will automatically pick them up after the wedding and do this for you!

Alternatively, you can also donate your flowers to any local nursing home or hospital and help make someone’s day.

Alternative Natural Decor

Want to try something different? Instead of flowers, fill your tables with potted plants like cacti, houseplants, or even some fresh herbs that can be used with dinner. Potted plants make for great centerpieces for tables and can also be used as ceremony decor around the altar. These can also double as party favors for your guests (or you can just keep them all and turn your house into an indoor jungle). For easy care, I personally recommend any kind of cacti, pothos, or philodendrons.

Aside from plants, you can also use all kinds of natural materials straight from your backyard. For my fellow desert friends, you could use branches from your overgrown olive tree, boulders and rocks, cactus skeletons or a bouquet of creosote (hot tip: hang these in your shower the morning after for a spa-like experience!)

As another option, you can use different kinds of fruits, pickled veggies, nuts, or breads to garnish your table — think mini charcuterie boards as decor. These are plants too, after all. This is a great option, especially if you’re opting for a buffet-style dinner, so that guests can munch on snacks while they wait for their turn.

A biodegradable paradise —trimmed olive branch centerpieces (from their yard), rocks as candleholders, pears and persimmons as additional decor. Beck

Enoki mushrooms as table decor. Photo: Eunice Beck

At the Dinner Table

From an all vegan wedding dinner last summer. Photo: Eunice Beck

Build a locally sourced menu. Work with your caterer to find a menu that’s locally sourced (bonus points if the produce is in-season). You’ll support your local farmers and your food will taste better too. If you want to go the extra mile, try serving an all vegetarian menu to cut back on the carbon emissions that come from meat (even just cutting red meat from the menu makes a huge difference!)

Try biodegradable or reusable cutlery. If your caterer doesn’t include plates and silverware, try opting for biodegradable plates and cutlery instead of plastic. Palm leaf plates and bamboo utensils are super pretty and are an awesome sustainable option. Plus, wood always looks better than plastic.

Skip plastic straws. I recommend bamboo or reusable glass straws instead (these double as party favors!)

Skip the plastic water bottles. Plastic water bottles are extremely wasteful, especially if your venue doesn’t provide recycling. They’re also easy to lose during the chaos of a reception, which results in wasted water and encourages guests to keep grabbing new ones (which means more waste). Plus, from a photographer’s perspective, they don’t look great on tables, especially next to all of the decor you worked so hard to pick out. Instead, opt for a water station where guests can refill their glasses — you can even elevate it by infusing it with fruit and herbs. If you’re really set on having individual bottles, go for aluminum cans like Liquid Death.

Give out mugs or cups as party favors. Custom mugs, cups or pint glasses are a great wedding favor, especially because your guests can use it day-of for all of their drinks. Bonus points: try to keep the design somewhat neutral, to encourage guests to reuse these at home instead of donating or tossing them. This will also save a ton of cups from going in the garbage!

Recycle and compost. Try to find a venue that offers recycling and composting. If they don’t, find an outside company who will drop off bins and pick them up for you (or you can do this on your own). Any food or recyclables that can be saved from being thrown out is a win.

Keep the leftovers. Make sure to communicate with your caterers and let them know you want to save the leftovers rather than throw them away. You paid good money for the food, so it’d be a shame to let it go to waste! You can wrap these up and share them with friends, or donate them to your local food rescue program. If you want more ideas, Bustle has a great post with a whole list on what to do with your leftovers.

Gifts and Registry

Skip the physical gifts, and fill your registry with experiences or payments. Instead of filling your registry with physical gifts like home goods, try listing experiences you’ve wanted to try instead. Maybe they can pay for a cooking class or a horseback riding tour while you’re on your honeymoon. Maybe they can contribute to a future vacation or that down payment on your future home. There are plenty of other ways that your friends and family can spoil you. Plus, it saves them the hassle of needing to wrap it.

Be intentional about party favors. If you want to thank your guests with party favors, make sure to choose something that won’t just be thrown in the trash. Like mentioned before, custom pint glasses and mugs are a great gift that they’ll definitely reuse over and over again. I also love the current trend of custom matchbooks — they’re cute, practical, and don’t take up a lot of space. Edible goods like donuts, snacks or candies are also a good option (just make sure to package them in glass jars or wrap them in paper!) Want some more ideas? Here’s a whole list of zero-waste favors to treat your guests with.

One of my favorite quotes by Zero Waste Chef says “We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.” This applies to your wedding day, too.

Trying just one thing from this list can make a big impact.

Like I said at the beginning of this post: imagine if every wedding made just one of these changes. Think of all the waste that would save. If you’re currently planning a wedding, I hope you found something on this list that you’re willing to try. If you have any ideas that I missed on the list, please share them with me over on Substack!

This post was inspired by one of my favorite festivals, Outside Lands. With their commitment to sustainability, they were able to divert 90% of their total waste from landfills at last year’s festival. If they can achieve that level of success at such a large event, it’s definitely possible to do it on your wedding day. Hope this fuels your fire.

The Zero-Waste Wedding Guide