Sustainable weddings are picking up speed for many regions around the world, primarily Australia. They’re a hit with eco-friendly celebrities that have tied the knot and we’ve seen them all over Pinterest when we look up rustic and fairytale weddings. As wedding planners, we want our clients to have the wedding of their dreams, whether it is a star-studded ceremony that pulls out all the stops, or much more demure. But does sustainable mean extravagant is completely out the window? Not necessarily.
Nature is your wedding guest
Natalie Portman and husband Benjamin Millepied had a beautiful vegan wedding in the coast of California, Big Sur. Instead of floral decorations being shipped from other parts of the world, the bride and groom thought local and used the wildflowers that were indigenous to the coast as decorations. Completely organic, the wedding guests also received wedding favors in the form of packets of wildflower seeds.
Taking a cue from Natalie Portman’s wedding, Anne Hathaway used the same wedding planner and wedding location while also thinking locally and having decorations created out of the flowers and branches in the area.
Up-cycling can be chic
When thinking about ‘cute and chic’, Keira Knightly’s up-cycled wedding dress comes to mind. Keira Knightly’s and James Righton’s wedding in 2013 featured Keira reusing her Rodarte dress a second time. The first being at a pre-BAFTA party a few years back. This time around, her wedding dress was paired with a white Chanel tweed jacket. Perfect for saying ‘I do’… or ‘Oui’!
Raise Awareness for a cause
Who says you can’t have an extravagant wedding and still be sustainable? When Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bateman married in 2005, they decided to have a fabulous wedding celebration with an incredible eco-friendly idea: Instead of gift giving to the bride and groom, donate money to an organization linked to helping New Orleans after it was struck by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
These are only a few of many ways that a wedding can be both extravagant and sustainable. Eco-friendliness is not only a trend in weddings and health, but also a responsibility. When planning your next wedding, think about ways you and your wedding guests can be green.