Tips for the Eco-Conscious Chattanooga Bride

The wedding industry accounts for around 7.3 billion dollars in the U.S. every year. It’s not hard to understand why. Weddings are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for couples to dazzle their family and friends with a d*** good time. Most of us 90’s kids grew up watching Julia Roberts in Runaway Bride. Or Jennifer Lopez in The Wedding Planner. We started daydreaming… at a very young age… about what our day will look like. Dreams evolve ( I no longer want my dress to look just like Cinderella’s)... but the foundation is still there.

And yet… the average wedding produces 400lbs of trash and 63 tons of CO2. These numbers are pretty staggering. Especially for the average Chattanoogan, who has a fierce love for mother earth. And all the scenic ceremony options she gives us. And yet… working in the industry… it’s easy to see how this much waste ads up.

Weddings are honestly so much work that often it’s easier to just say “toss it” at the end of the long night. Rather than worry about washing dishes or packing away decor to donate.

But it doesn’t have to be an either/or type of situation. You don’t have to choose between a massive carbon footprint or the wedding of your dreams. Is being eco-conscious is important to you? If so, here are some ways you can opt for a gorgeous eco-friendly wedding:

Food/ Beverage 

When choosing your catering, opt for in-season food. For example, don’t choose a strawberry balsamic salad for the first course of your December wedding (even though that sounds delicious). Instead, you could do a poached pair goat cheese hors d'oeuvre (Ok now I'm making myself hungry). Pears are best and most easily grown in December. So much extra water and energy (in the form of UV lights) is required to grow food out-of-season. Choosing in-season options greatly reduces your carbon footprint.

Likewise, opt for local options when possible. Choosing a local farm-to-table restaurant instead of Olive Garden, for example. This applies to beer and wine choices too. Using beverages from local breweries or wineries decreases the need for cross-country transit. Voila! Fuel and carbon emissions are reduced. As a bonus, local brews are usually tastier (and stronger… Woop Woop!)

Have a plan for your leftovers… because you will have leftovers. And as much as I love taking home leftover catering to my family… there’s absolutely no way I can eat 8 trays of chicken biscuits. It will go to go to waste. And end up decomposing inside a trash bag in a landfill. Pick out a local charity for your leftovers to go to. Many local places will even pick up leftovers directly from your venue. It'll be one less thing we’ll have to worry about on the day of. When in doubt, the boys at local fire stations are always thrilled to have a free, delicious meal.

Paper Products 

How many paper products do we use daily anymore? Personally, I don’t use many. I used to be a day-planner journal girl, but now I use google calendar and a spreadsheet to-do list. I even use dishtowels instead of paper towels for cleaning the house. (This article about how millennials are killing the napkin industry is hilarious) 

But most brides find themselves using more paper products than they’re used to.

But there are plenty of options out there.

I don’t care what people say, e-vites are not tacky. Maybe they would have been 10 years ago… but we’ve evolved as a society. It’s not 1950, and you won’t also be serving Jordan Almonds at every table. So why not evolve our invitation process too?

But if you revel in the beauty of details and know you want physical invitations, I absolutely love this seed stationary. Recycled paper invitations are delicate and beautiful too.

Linen napkins are surprisingly not as expensive as you’d expect them to be. Showtime Rentals rents linen napkins for only 60cents per napkin. That’s 90 dollars for a 150 person wedding. Not bad! 

Tablescapes 

Re-usable dishware is always an option. Even if you’re wanting to use your own china, you can offer to pay caterers a little extra to wash and pack your dishes. So that you (or let’s be real… your wedding party) doesn’t have to deal with it later. 

If you are going to use disposables… trust me, I get it. Dealing with dishes can be a lot. Just pick out recycled dishware instead. For example, these wooden square plates are gorgeous. And they break down much faster than plastic disposables, which take 1,000 years to decompose. 

Transportation 

Think small… even down to how many cars will need to travel to your venue. Arrange for shuttle transportation to your venue. It's surprisingly more affordable than you’d think. Chattanooga Bus Company only charges $400/ day for two full-sized school busses… and a driver… for 12 hours! A bonus is that you don’t have to worry about late stragglers interrupting your ceremony. AND you can feel confident that all of your guests will get home safely after partying hearty.  

Decor 

90% of wedding decor is lighting and flowers. Luckily it’s easy to make that eco-friendly. Use solar lights and/or candles for your mood lighting. Make sure the bulbs you’re using are LED. LED’s don’t have to be harsh or bright, there is plenty of mood-lighting and dimmer options for LED bulbs. And they’re also low-energy.

Use vintage or upcycled decorations. My favorite way to do this is with vintage mismatched china and candlesticks.

When picking out your bouquet, choose flowers that are in season. This reduces the amount of water and UV lights that are required to grow them. Supporting local florists just feels good too!

Favors 

If you’re planning on giving out party favors to your guests, give them the gift of oxygen! That doesn’t mean give them a big gift bag filled with nothing. Give them a little plant that can grow and produce oxygen for us all. Or if that’s not in the cards, even just some seed packets will do. You can do a mix of flowers, herbs, and vegetables. It also works as a good metaphor for the growing love between you and your new spouse.

Greenifying your wedding is easy. It just takes intentional decision making. Need help thinking of new ideas? Have anything to share from your experience? Let me know. I’d love to hear from you!