On average, the standard DC Wedding produces roughly 400-600lbs of waste. This includes leftover flowers, invites tossed after the wedding, bridesmaid dresses that never get worn again, etc. Now multiply that number by 50+ (the average number of weddings occurring on any given weekend day in the DMV)! That’s a lot of waste! So you may now be thinking to yourself, how can I do my part to eliminate waste? Well you’ve come to the right place because we’ve got you covered with 5 ways you can do your part and waste less on your Wedding Day 🙂

1. Kuddos to such catering companies such as Eat & Smile Catering that are trying to make a difference when it comes to one of the biggest ways to waste on your wedding day. Their meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy, and bread are all purchased directly from farmers within 150 miles of the city so this helps reduce waste when it comes to shipping food from distant locations. They buy directly from their producers whenever possible, which in return ensures more income goes directly back to local economies. They’re super big on biodegradable and compostable cups, cutlery, and plates whenever possible. They compost all of their organic waste and recycle their used fryer oil into biodiesel. And on top of that they provide incentives to their staff to encourage them to carpool to events! I mean can you get any more environmentally friendly than that and waste less on your wedding day??
2. Recycle your Flowers! It’s the end of the night and all of your florals have been gathered onto one table ready to be done with them as you please. What do you do with them? Well first let me tell you won’t you don’t do – DON’T THROW THEM AWAY! There are sooo many local organizations in the area such as Petal Share that will happily donate your flowers at the end of the night to local hospitals and elderly homes to help put a smile on someone else’s faces. Didn’t think to purchase favors? How about having your DJ making an announcement at the end of the night for guests to take home arrangements as they please! Having a Farewell Brunch the next morning? Hello next day flower décor!
3. Need help paying for your Honeymoon? Instead of registering  with Target or William & Sonoma for wedding gifts, opt for instead registering with a company such as Honeymoon Fund where your guests can either contribute to your Bora Bora stay, or purchase a couples massage on the beach or a room upgrade! This cuts back on wasted wrapping paper and plastic wrap for mailed gifts. Doesn’t that sound way better than a toaster?
4. Rent as much as possible! Did you catch our blog post on Rent the Runway? The odds that your bridesmaids are going to re-wear their dresses, especially if they’re identical to the other girls, is slim to none. Why not opt for having them rent their dresses instead? Now they can save a few extra bucks and you do Mother Nature a favor when she’s not tossing it in the trash. Sorry, not sorry!
   “/>
   

   Photo Cred: Brandon Boger Photography

5. Last but not least your paper products. From start to finish paper is used for save-the-dates, invitations, RSVP cards, seating programs, menu cards, seating cards, thank you cards, etc. For 120 guests, and test runs, and mistakes made, that’s a lot of paper! Recycled and post-consumer waste paper, tree-free paper, soy inks all offer awesome ways to reduce resource consumption. Many couples now are finding ways to cut down the use of paper in their invitation suites. Instead of including separate papers for reception cards and maps and directions to the wedding, how about including all of your important wedding information on your wedding website! When it comes to your escort cards, some couples now are opting for Seating Charts mapped out on a board or frame, or choosing seeds or love plants to double as Place Cards and then as favors for their guests to take home at the end of the night. Extra points to waste less on your wedding day!

Photo Cred: Cynthia Shipp Photography

Tiffany Rivera is a DC WEDDING PLANNER & DC EVENT PLANNER serving DC, Maryland, Virginia and beyond!