Tips for a Sustainable Wedding

Don’t worry—this isn’t going to be a list of criticisms that calculates the_{CO2 emissions} associated with every aspect of your wedding. The very fact that you’re here shows that you care about sustainability in the context of your wedding. We think that’s great, and with these tips, we’d like to share some ideas on how you can make your wedding greener without changing your color scheme.

1. Sustainable Wedding Venue

We’re the first to tell you that you should definitely get married at the place of your choice—a wedding venue that suits you. But if you have several wedding venues to choose from, it might be worth taking a look at your guest list to see which venue is the easiest for your guests to get to.

The type of venue can also affect the sustainability of your celebration. While a wedding reception in the woods or in a large flower-filled meadow may sound like it’s in harmony with nature, the process of setting up and taking down all the equipment quickly shatters that illusion.

Organic hotels, organic farms, or organic restaurants—which can be rented as wedding venues —are a great alternative. But don’t give up if none of these are near you; even many wedding venues that don’t have “organic” in their name prioritize sustainability. That’s why it’s often worth doing a little research in advance or simply asking the venue you have in mind directly.

Fortunately, you'll find plenty of beautiful wedding venues in Austria here.

2. Shuttle Service

At most weddings, the ceremony and reception take place at two different locations. As much fun as the motorcade between the two venues is, it also has two drawbacks: first, the exhaust fumes from all the vehicles, and second, the annoying question of who will be the designated driver. You can solve both problems by providing your guests with a shuttle service.

3. Sustainable Wedding Menu

Just as with the organic hotels, farms, and restaurants recommended above, you can also make sure that catering providers prioritize sustainability. If they use regional products for food and beverages, that’s already a big step in the right direction. In addition, the menu can consist of two vegetarian dishes and just one meat dish.

If you’re still looking for a venue, why not just grab your families, best men or best women, and use the search as an excuse to go try out all your favorite restaurants? That way, you can get a feel for the quality and atmosphere ahead of time, and maybe you’ll even manage to convince Uncle Helmut—and his so-called tofu allergy—to try something new.

4. Eco-Friendly Wedding Stationery

From save-the-date cards to wedding invitations to place cards and menu cards —there’s a lot of printed material involved in a wedding. If you want to literally put your vision of a sustainable wedding on paper, pay attention to the type of paper you choose. Fortunately, the days when eco-friendly paper looked like cardboard that had been rolled out with a rolling pin are long gone. There are now excellent eco-friendly papers available that easily rival conventional papers in both look and feel.

When making your selection, simply look for the EU Ecolabel or the Blue Angel. You can take it a step further by choosing FSC-certified paper. This guarantees that the paper comes from sustainably managed forests.

But of course, even the best paper is of little use if it’s subsequently hot-stamped or “embellished” with various coatings. Fortunately, that isn’t necessary, because minimalist designs often look much more elegant and graceful. These Austrian wedding stationery designers will surely be happy to help you find the right paper and the right look.

5. Natural, Organic Decorations

After some wedding receptions, you can observe something reminiscent of black holes in space: staff members go from table to table carrying large black plastic bags that swallow up everything that comes too close to them. The paper plates from the cake buffet, along with the discarded bubble wands and the laminated place cards, all disappear together into the dark abyss.

So here’s our tip: Opt for natural materials when it comes to decorations. Instead of giving all your guests the usual plastic bubble wands, hand them small paper bags filled with dried flower petals to scatter. Talk to your wedding florists about how to create floral arrangements using seasonal, regional, and perhaps even fresh flowers. The latter can also double as favors for your guests.

6. Recycled Wedding Rings

Okay, I’ll admit it: The word “recycled” doesn’t exactly exude romance. But the idea behind it certainly does. Instead of buying new wedding rings, have old jewelry that’s no longer worn melted down and turned into new rings. These could be earrings or necklaces you received as gifts when you were children, for example, or you could ask your grandparents if they have any jewelry they no longer wear. This way, you give your wedding rings additional symbolic value. If you don’t have any old jewelry to use for this purpose, be sure to buy rings made from fair-trade gold. Many goldsmiths and jewelers can help you with this.

7. Sustainable and Long-Lasting Party Favors

If you already know that your guests don’t have a green thumb and flowers are therefore out of the question as party favors, we have another idea: Give your guests something they’ll enjoy for a long time— small decorative items, accessories, or pretty espresso cups.

For example, you can place a cup at each seat, use them as place cards, and fill them with small candies. All the guests can then simply take their cups home as a little souvenir.

Tip: You'll find beautiful espresso cups and pretty decorations at our friends' store, CASA.

Save the World

One last quick disclaimer: Even if you follow all these tips, your wedding probably won’t be perfectly sustainable. By the time the first bottle of champagne is opened—or you find yourselves wondering why the coffee beans aren’t locally sourced—it’ll become clear that you’re not likely to save the world with a wedding. But you don’t have to. Your wedding isn’t about saving the world—it’s about you. It’s great that you’re making ethical and eco-friendly choices, and maybe you’ll even inspire other couples to do the same. Enjoy your day. You can still save the world after your honeymoon.