Weddings can transport us to beautiful places—whether a micro wedding in a backyard, on the beach, in a local garden, at a modern magnificent ballroom, a farm, or at a gorgeous chateau. Yet, regardless of your wedding style, location, and number of guests, the unfortunate reality is events and weddings can produce a lot of waste. The good news is there are many ways to reduce waste!

I was thrilled to have one of my favorite wedding images published in Top Tips for Throwing Zero-Waste Weddings in St. Louis in St. Louis Best Bridal. They shared fabulous tips including:

• Choose a mindful caterer that values local, seasonal, and sustainable ingredients and creates farm-to-table menus.

• Pick locally grown flowers and request that your florist doesn’t use flower foam. This lovely couple cared deeply about using local vendors for their St. Louis, MO wedding. They hired the fabulous Urban Buds: City Grown Flowers who grows their beautiful blooms locally in greenhouses.

• Find an earth-friendly event space. “Sustainability-focused venues and caterers will have built best practices into the core of their mission statements and train their staff accordingly”.

  • For NYC couples, check out Ecocult’s list of 15 Coolest Sustainable Wedding Venues for Brooklyn Couples.

• Hold your wedding in one place—this cuts down on travel and fuel emissions.

For more guidance, journalist and sustainable fashion expert, Alden Wicker, shares fabulous tips on throwing a sustainable event in NYC (I photographed this event for Alden—it was SO much fun!) and how she made her Brooklyn wedding eco-friendly.

Alden points out that while electronic invitations are often a popular option, digital invites and RSVPs can get lost in cyberspace. She used Bella Figura who” uses vegetable-oil based and low-Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) inks, and low-VOC and citrus-based solvents. They recycle and compost their waste, and use recycled packaging materials. The papers themselves are made of reclaimed cotton fibers from the garment industry, and colored papers are FSC-certified. They are entirely powered by wind through the purchase of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs).”

Alden also highlights sustainable fashion, non-toxic makeup, reusable or biodegradable favors, non-disposable decor, and hiring a compost company. Read her full article here.

Featured here are photos of Urban Buds’ stunning creations at the elegant wedding of Boston-based couple, Natalie & Brice. Locations include Missouri Botanical Garden and The Caramel Room in St. Louis, Missouri (Brice’s hometown).

Do you have sustainable or eco-friendly practices in your daily life that you’re passionate about? Share in comments below!