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Sustainable Wedding Tips That Also Save You Money
- Georgia L
- Aug 13
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 28
Rent Your Wedding Blooms
Silk Faux Flowers
Silk flowers aren’t your average faux florals anymore. Today’s silk blooms are incredibly realistic, making them a beautiful, budget-friendly, and sustainable option for your big day. With the event industry leaning into eco-conscious choices, renting high-quality silk flowers is the perfect way to get stunning arrangements without the waste.
Dried Flowers
Dried flowers, like pampas grass and bunny tails, are another lovely option. These natural elements bring texture, elegance, and a soft, earthy vibe—especially perfect for an autumn wedding. These long-lasting, reusable blooms, make them both practical and beautiful.
Why Rent?
Renting your wedding flowers gives you more beauty for your budget while keeping things sustainable. It’s a thoughtful way to reduce waste and keep your celebration kind to the planet Plus, it leaves real, fresh blooms to feed the bees.
Sustainable Wedding Confetti
Dried Flower Petals and Leaves
When it comes to eco-friendly confetti, the most sustainable options are those made from natural materials like dried flower petals and leaves. These break down quickly without harming the environment and leave no lasting trace. Dried petals are especially popular for weddings—they’re beautiful, biodegradable, and completely safe for wildlife.
Venues often prefer dried blooms confetti because it blends into the natural environment, particularly helpful when hosting multiple events each week.
Confetti Club are my top pick!
All their confetti is made from repurposed flowers and all profits go to charity
Biodegradable Confetti
Other great alternatives include water-soluble options such as corn starch or rice paper, which dissolve when exposed to rain or moisture. However, during dry summer months, this process can take longer.
Choosing these natural alternatives helps reduce litter, avoids plastic pollution, and ensures your celebration stays kind to the environment.
Buy Second Hand
Using second hand décor for your wedding is such a lovely way to add character while keeping things eco-friendly. Think vintage candle holders, mismatched vases, table runners, or signs from another couple’s big day. Add glamour to your event with these little touches while saving money and reducing waste!
You can find beautiful pieces on Facebook Marketplace, eBay, local charity shops, or even by asking friends who’ve recently tied the knot. Giving these items a second life is a simple, feel-good way to style your day and is yet another way to keep your wedding sustainable.
Bar Sustainability
Make your wedding bar more sustainable by skipping single-use plastics and choosing recyclable or compostable straws and napkins instead. If your bartender uses dried fruit for cocktails, that’s an added bonus - it not only looks great but also helps reduce food waste.
Hosting your wedding in a unique location with a DIY bar? Be sure to use glassware that’s either reusable or recyclable. Buying drinks and supplies locally also adds a personal touch and cuts down on carbon emissions. Sounds like win-win to me!
For festival-style weddings, consider setting up a fun glassware decorating station. Let guests personalize their own glasses and encourage them to use them throughout the event. It’s a great way to reduce waste and add a playful, creative element to your celebration.
Sustainable Food Waste
The catering industry is known for generating a high volume of food waste—especially at events, where there's a strong desire to ensure every guest is well-fed. It's something the wedding world has wrestled with for years: how to strike the right balance between abundance and sustainability.
Many venues already have systems in place to help reduce waste, but it’s always worth asking what options are available.
Donate Food Waste
One great approach is to arrange a food collection in advance to donate leftovers to local charities. That way, any unused food is put to good use rather than ending up in landfill.
If you’re interested in donating, chat with your caterer and serving staff ahead of time. Simple steps, like only replenishing buffet trays when needed, can help keep potential leftovers fresh and safe for donation. A little planning can go a long way in making your wedding both generous and sustainable.
Olio App work with catering businesses regularly to donate food and can help guide you further.
Compost Food Waste
Another great way to keep food waste out of landfills is to arrange for a composting company to collect all leftover food. This can include everything from kitchen scraps to plate waste from a sit-down meal. Composting is an excellent way to give back to the environment by turning waste into nutrient-rich soil instead of letting it go to waste.
With Green Box are a perfect example of a company that makes this possible!
Upcycle Items
There are endless upcycling opportunities to add flare and charm to your wedding day. From vintage gold mirrors as selfie props, large wood photo frames being used to display seating charts,
Add charm and creativity with upcycled wedding décor. It’s such a great way to add a personal and eco-friendly touch to your day. Some of my favourite ideas include using mason jars as vases or candle holders, and repurposing old bottles to create beautiful, simple centrepieces.
Other house hold items such as vintage frames work perfectly for signage, old suitcases can be turned into lovely card boxes or side tables. Even larger pieces, like an old dresser or bookshelf, can be transformed into a unique display for desserts, welcome drinks or photos.
You can even go as far as using fabric scraps, whether it’s for handmade bunting, bouquet wraps, or even sewing them into napkins or favour pouches.
It’s amazing how much character these little touches can bring, while keeping things sustainable too.
Repurpose Your Wedding Decor
Donate
While we’ve already touched on food donation, there are so many other items you can rehome after your big day. For example, if you have a winter wedding, extra blankets can be donated to local dog shelters. Decorative pieces or upcycled furniture can be passed on to charities like Furnishing Futures , who support women and families rebuilding their lives after domestic abuse. It’s a beautiful way for your wedding to have a lasting, positive impact beyond just your celebration.
Re-Sell as Second Hand
Of course, weddings are a big financial commitment, so re-selling items on wedding forums or second-hand marketplaces is a popular option. If you go this route, just make sure to be open and honest about the condition of the items, include clear photos and mention even minor flaws.
Remember, the couples buying from you are going through the same whirlwind of planning and emotions, hoping to make their day just as special.
Repurpose
Another thoughtful way to stay sustainable is to repurpose your beautiful wedding features into your home or gift them to loved ones. Used a large photo frame for your seating chart? Replace it with your favourite wedding photo and display it proudly. Created a welcome sign using a vintage mirror? Repurpose it, after all, you can never have too many mirrors to reflect light and space in your home.
Staying sustainable and giving back to the planet can be as simple as treasuring what you already have, rather than letting it go to waste.
Favours
Favours can be a bit controversial, some couples swear by them, while others wonder if they’re even necessary. I actually attended a wedding recently (as a guest, not a planner!), and despite being someone who notices all the little details, I didn’t even realise they’d opted out of favours until I was back at work the following week in planner mode. I was too busy having a great time!
So while I do love a thoughtful, personal touch, I also totally understand how favours can go unnoticed and even end up left behind.
That said, if you’d still like to include them, there are lovely, sustainable options out there. Consider buying from local makers or offering eco-friendly gifts like seed packets guests can take home and plant. It’s a simple, meaningful gesture that supports the planet—and one your guests are more likely to remember.
Wedding Day Travel
Encouraging your guests to travel together is a simple yet effective way to reduce emissions—and it can actually make the day feel more connected too. With so much to think about in the lead-up to your wedding, consider delegating transport planning to someone you trust in each friendship group or family. Having a point person to coordinate lifts or shared travel not only helps the environment, but also means your guests arrive together, in good spirits, and ready to celebrate—rather than scattered across solo taxi rides.
Beauty and Style
This might already be something you're mindful of, but it’s worth double checking, many beauty products on the market still aren’t fully cruelty-free. If using vegan and ethical products is important to you, don’t hesitate to chat with your makeup artist and hair stylist ahead of time. Ask them to use only cruelty-free, vegan-friendly products on the day. Most professionals will be more than happy to accommodate, and it’s a great way to make sure your beauty choices align with your sustainable values while looking and feeling amazing.
Save The Paper
Digital RSVP's
Saving paper on your wedding day might seem simple, especially with so many great digital tools now available.
Wedding websites have made it easy to skip traditional RSVPs while still keeping guests informed.
My personal favourite is Say I Do.
Recycled Paper
That said, there are still plenty of moments where paper can be the most practical and stress-free choice like table numbers, allergen information for a buffet, unplugged ceremony signs, seating charts, and more. If you're finding it tricky to go fully digital for these details, consider using recycled paper or sourcing items second-hand through wedding resale sites. It’s a great way to stay eco-conscious without sacrificing convenience or style.
Happy Wedding Planning
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