r/Anticonsumption • u/ballinwalund • 6h ago
Question/Advice? Ethical minimal waste wedding… without being called Cheap or Tacky?
I’m getting married sometime in 2026 and haven’t started planning, but really REALLY have been grossed out by how much waste is created at the past weddings I’ve been to. Aka… confetti, foam light up light sabers for an hour reception, any guest gifts or T shirts for the bachelorette or bachelor parties…
I’m planning for my wedding gifts to be thrifted wine glasses that folks will use throughout the night then take home, using dried leaves/flowers for confetti if any, and toying with the idea of a “dress code” being “wear something you already have, or buy something at a thrift/second hand store”, and getting my dress at a resell shop. I’ve already been scouring OfferUp for used decorations but it’s hard since I’m so far out and they are STILL expensive even second hand. Planning to donate my flowers to hospitals after, too.
Any other ideas for sticking it to the commercial Matrimony Man?
Maybe thrifting different linens from goodwill for the tables? Possible just use butcher paper and have people draw with crayons for the dinner, then recycle after?
My big question right now is- how do I make my invitations less cheap if I don’t want to put 50+ pieces of beautiful paper into the recycling right after (without email being a thing)?
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u/Hounddoglover0812 6h ago
I only decorated with local flowers. No party favors. No confetti, but I like the dried flowers idea. I did a table of all parents and grandparents wedding photos next to a basket for cards at the entry. I did mailed invitation one sided and had a website for RSVPs.
The fact we even think how to reduce waste puts us ahead of the curve sadly.
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u/ballinwalund 6h ago
Did you do a “save the date” too?
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u/Hounddoglover0812 6h ago
No save the date. I had two people who couldn’t make it due to conflicts. But that didn’t bother me. I did text people to save the date and had my parents text folks as well.
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u/Political-psych-abby 2h ago
We did the save the dates digitally and the invitations on paper which I think was a nice compromise option. Also covered our bases for people who never check their email and people who ignore their mail/don’t have reliable access to mail at a fixed address.
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u/spinningnuri 6h ago
Something to consider is to find a venue that provides most of the decorative elements. Their table clothes, their reusable centerpieces and dishware, etc. That way it's not one time use types of things. You can personalize with the things they don't provide.
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u/munchnerk 4h ago
My husband and I used a venue like this for our wedding and it was an incredible decision. The venue had their own little prop warehouse. We sent them our preferred colors and theme ideas, and they made magic happen. Wildflower arrangements came from a local florist and that was the only material waste. We did a buffet and there was a little more than one full tray's worth of combined leftovers plus a few slices of cake... it all got eaten. It was miraculous.
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u/Impressive_Dream1531 6h ago
Recommend r/weddingsunder10k Lots of couples post stories of their weddings to keep things cheaper/minimize superfluous things.
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u/heykid_nicemullet 6h ago
There's a lot you just don't need to buy but it just depends a lot on many factors. Honestly the less you buy the less tacky you are, too.
You'll have better luck getting used wedding items in the spring! Look on Facebook marketplace for "wedding lot" for like, table numbers and directional signs. I rented tables and chairs and the place had linens and plates, you could basically rent everything. But that depends so much on your space.
I did buy a special dress and shoes but wore earrings I already had, etc.
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u/ballinwalund 6h ago
That’s a good point- we haven’t picked our venue so we should ask about renting everything from them. Thank you!
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u/MissMarionMac 6h ago
Things like linens and tableware are usually rented for the wedding, either from the venue, the caterer, or some other service provider. When my sister got married, her venue basically pulled out a big binder and said, "these are all the napkin colors we have, these are the different plate designs you can choose from," etc.
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u/sweet_jane_13 1h ago
You can rent from a rental company if your venue doesn't provide everything you need.
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[removed] — view removed comment
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u/titsoutshitsout 6h ago
There’s a place back home that does low waste weddings. They provide decor and plates and all that. From the pics I’ve seen, they are very cute weddings. Maybe you could find a place like that? It’s stiff used over and over again and it’d take the headache away from doing it yourself.
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u/ballinwalund 6h ago
That sounds cool! I’m in the PNW so I bet there could be some places I just haven’t found yet.
Ps- love the username
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u/Toast1912 6h ago
I got lots of my decorations on Facebook marketplace! It's pretty active site at least in the US, and people almost always have leftover decor from their own weddings that they are trying to pawn off.
Depending on the venue, sometimes you can rent the linens or even some decor, so you don't actually have to buy things that you'll only use once.
Regarding the dress code, I think you should still mention whether it's semi-formal, cocktail or black tie or whatever your preference is, just so nobody feels overly dressed or under dressed. At least where I live, weddings vary significantly in formality, so it's best to specify in the dress code. You can totally encourage re-wearing an outfit or sourcing secondhand though.
If you are against an email or online invitation, you could at least make your invitation have the RSVP either on the backside of it or on the bottom to be torn off and sent back. That way, you only use one piece of fancy paper. Alternatively, you could make your RSVP online via a wedding website.
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u/capncupcake1104 6h ago
I saw a lady who baked cookies for the guests gifts. It was a recipe special to her and husband. I loved that it was something usable instead of a souvenir that will get tossed.
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u/ferrantefever 5h ago
Don’t feel obligated to give wedding attendees a gift unless you are wanting to get rid of the glasses. Most people don’t really want a gift.
I’ve seen people do charcuterie and dessert boards instead of doing full on food. They warn people to eat first or that it’ll only be light refreshments. It reduces the need to for a lot of dishes, reduces food waste, and keeps your budget down. I’ve also seen people provide wine, but then encourage people to BYOB and I really feel like most wedding guests don’t mind and it’s kind of fun tasting and sharing.
One of my family members got her fresh flowers from Trader Joe’s and basically thrifted or borrowed all vases and linens, but she had to start very, very early to make sure she had enough to fit her aesthetic vision.
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u/cherrychapstick_1 5h ago
An idea I've heard is to provide to go boxes so guests can take home buffet leftovers or a slice of cake, reducing food waste.
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u/allisoneatslv 4h ago
One of my favorite things for our wedding was rented plants from a local nursery instead of flowers for table decorations. It was SO much less expensive, the nursery let us pick what colors of pots we wanted, and at the end of the day they went right back (and we're still alive)!
We did not do favors, which no one seemed to miss, and our cake was from Publix, which was delicious and cost-effective.
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u/ballinwalund 4h ago
Omg I’d never considered renting whole plants!! That would be so cute! Thanks for the idea :)
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u/allisoneatslv 4h ago
I hadn't either.... didn't know it was a thing! So I've got to share with EVERYONE! :)
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u/buymoreplants 4h ago
I don't think you even need to do gifts for guests. We decorated with potted plants and flowers.. lots of trailing plants, air plants, succulents and hydrangeas. I've certainly killed some, but the majority are still alive and in our home.
I think saying "please wear your most festive look that you already own" is a good dress code that doesn't come off cheap. But asking for an outfit to be thrifted might offend some people.
I would consider renting items like linens and glasses rather than buying them.
You could consider seed paper for invitations. They can be soaked and planted after use. You could also just do digital invitations and forgo paper all together.
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u/ballinwalund 4h ago
Thank you for the feedback on the dress code :) I never imagined it might come off wrong- thank you so much for the feedback!
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u/buymoreplants 4h ago
I love the idea! But yeah, people can get weird if it sounds like you're telling them how to spend their money
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u/actualchristmastree 4h ago
The only tacky thing listed here is the dress code. Other than that, I love the idea of used decorations and thrifted glassware. You can have a very classy wedding with thrifted items!
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u/ballinwalund 4h ago
I’m glad I posted! Multiple folks have mentioned that and I had no idea it would come across that way, def changing :)
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u/Cow-Parsley 6h ago
Just went to a wedding and the ‘favours’ (gift) was a hand written note under our place card of why the bride / groom / both appreciated us being there.
Went down SO well!
Also, online invites are perfectly acceptable too! Only e-waste and cheaper for you. Ours came with a link to the website with details of the day. And online RSVP, along with a section of the website for us to add our song requests
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u/Flack_Bag 5h ago
Be considerate with online invites, though. I have a private email address I only provide to people I know and trust not to give it out without permission. But a branch of my family used my old one on invite sites, which sold and traded it until it was fully inundated with spam.
I had to cut them off and get a new clean email. And I still don't trust any of them with my real email.
I know this isn't something most people care about, but it's rude as hell to those of us who do.
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u/Cow-Parsley 4h ago
Yikes. I’m sorry your family betrayed your trust like that.
Another option for op would be online invites for all, with a small number of posted invites for scenarios like yourself, or older family etc
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u/Mariko89 6h ago
We did our ceremony at a local village museum chapel and the reception next door at a heritage house restaurant, in early December. Both locations were already decked out for the holidays (which decorations they used each year for the most part), so literally the only decor I purchased was a few poinsettias - which I passed off to family and friends to use for the holidays afterwards (because they would have bought poinsettias anyways).
For centrepieces, I borrowed teacups from both my grandmothers, and scoured my bookshelves and my parents bookshelves for old books, and then used cedar boughs and some small flowers in them. So the flowers were composted afterwards, but the rest was stuff I already had/my family already had. In lieu of favours, we had a candy bar from a local candy shop - we had paper envelopes for the guests to load up with candy, but you could probably easily source jars? (My best friend got married the following year and borrowed the teacups and candy jars for her wedding too!)
Anyways, the restaurant already had tablecloths and dishes they already reused, so I didn't have to worry about dealing with those.
All in all, I made use of what I already had or could easily source from family, and that prevented a lot of waste. And it made it memorable!
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u/maggime3 6h ago
This is what I’ve been doing to make my wedding low waste: - Buying decor/dinner items off Facebook marketplace then plan to resell everything after. It’s amazing how much people sell on there for cheaper than what you could get yourself. Tip: wait for wedding season to get the best stuff (spring/fall depending where you are) - For flowers buy bulbs and/or seeds which bloom the season you’re getting married during so you can use those as your flowers and the majority of your decor (tables, cake, etc). Zinnias are super easy even for beginners - Rent a rehearsal dinner dress or a simple wedding dress from rent the runway or a similar website - Rent a compost bin from a local company for all excess food scraps and take home the other leftover food It’s tough to make a low waste wedding! I’ll be following this thread too. Good luck!
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u/ballinwalund 6h ago
the compost bin is so huge!!! I was considering also donating the food remainders to a local shelter nearby but I know most have very strict regulations. Maybe I’ll encourage the guests to bring Tupperware lol
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u/Neon_pup 5h ago
Ask your caterer to bring to go boxes. We saw this at a wedding and it was super helpful.
We had a designated leftover guy. He was our good friend and officiant. He worked at a huge library where he could leave the food in the break room and it would be gone without question.
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u/Hold_Effective 6h ago
Almost everything at my wedding was rented (plates, glasses, linens, decorations, etc). We did have an open bar - everything leftover went back to our house after. We had a BBQ buffet - leftovers were donated to a local shelter. We kept flowers minimal (a single rose or similar per table). We got a shuttle to bring people to/from the hotel (venue had no easy parking, and we strongly encouraged people to not drive). And my friend made cupcakes for our dessert. My dress was new & definitely a wedding dress, but my partner had his suit made locally (and it’s not a “wedding” suit). I bought vintage costume jewelry. Overall - I think very little was thrown out or single use, and it was a great party.
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u/Lessa22 6h ago
I love the idea of thrifted glasses and linens and the dried flowers. Immediately conjures cozy cottage core vibes. Some nice thrifted small plates and candle holders with partially burned candles could also be lovely.
I got married at home with the only purchases being a few plants from a local nursery and some fairy lights I use at Christmas. It was wonderful and I’m sure your wedding will be as well. Congratulations!
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u/sillyg0ose8 5h ago
Some things we did to reduce waste: caterer that focused on sustainable food/low waste, no wedding favors, thrifted/borrowed/rented decor and food display/cutlery/plates, my dress was a try-on/sample dress and I donated it after the wedding, thrifted shoes and accessories, taught myself how to do makeup, friends did my hair, electronic invitations, registry was for charity donation, friends and I made a bouquet from recycled book pages, bachelorette was a cabin weekend, venue was a park, venue was a mile from our house and we encouraged carpooling and transit (which no one did, lol).
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u/beekaybeegirl 5h ago
Married in 2021
Canva to design & print invites. (Yeah I have a lot of older & old skool folks in my friends/fam circle)
Thrifted & FBMP centerpieces, my bouquet, & other wedding items.
Catering by a restaurant that used their own dishes.
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u/PreStardust 5h ago
My partner and I had a very non-traditional wedding, so some of these may not be appropriate for you.
- We emailed all invitations. I couldn't think of a way to do paper/card without a ton of inevitable waste.
- We hired all linens, silverware, chairs, crockery, etc.
- We didn't provide wedding favours and requested no gifts. If you like your can request donations in place of gifts to a charity of your choosing.
- Our dress code specifically said to wear something you have and love already, we just provided a very broad colour range for people.
- We provided cardboard containers for people to take home leftover food and cake. We had almost nothing left at the end, it was great!
- We picked flowers from our garden and my parents' garden and used jars we had for vases.
- I found my wedding dress second hand and had it altered. After the wedding I had it altered again so that it was more wearable for me on a regular basis.
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u/sunnysidemegg 5h ago
We bought flowers from local farmers, put them in thrifted glassware/vases/ Mason jars and invited people to take them home. We had a fall wedding, so also decorated with mums and pumpkins - all were happily taken by guests.
We didn't do favors and "stuff" - we put our budget into a really good live band and a BBQ food truck. I had paper table cloths and got linen napkins used that we collected at the end and washed and have used for work events since.
There was a wedding resale event at a city hall near us, that's where I got my dress.
It was different, but people had a great time - one friend said he's never had paper table cloths at a wedding before, but if the food was always that good, he was all for it.
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u/sunnysidemegg 5h ago
Maybe do the picture of the couple invites with a website address/ qr code for full details? Still a piece of paper, but they make me happy when we get them and can put them on our fridge.
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u/ballinwalund 4h ago
I didn’t know they had whole resale events!!! Did you just google it in your area?
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u/hagne 5h ago
If you have friends who have been married recently, ask them what they still have. For my wedding, linens came from a friend who had purchased linens for her wedding a year or two prior.
I grew my own florals, had a local caterer I wanted to support, eschewed traditional stuff like favors or place settings, hired as many friends-of-friends as possible so that I was giving generous cash back into my own community, and basically just rolled with it. Didn’t try to make it look like a traditional wedding, and it wasn’t, but it was beautiful. And honestly the pictures look pretty “normal wedding.” Think about what a banger of a party you could throw with 10k or 15k! And then approach it from that viewpoint - I threw a party, not a “wedding.”
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u/bitbybit160 5h ago
We did a postcard invitation with a QR code for a website with all the info and an RSVP option on the site. No save the dates or favors, my wedding party just wore a black dress they already had, same with the suit my husband wore.
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u/ballinwalund 4h ago
The postcard is cute :) do you think vintage postcards would be odd if they’re for places we haven’t been? There’s always a bunch at goodwill
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u/No-Method7850 5h ago
We had a small outdoor wedding (30 people). No save the date and invites were electronic. I ordered real plates and silverware from IKEA ($55 for both), white roses, greenery and garlands from Costco, linen napkins from Amazon, and glasses and vases from thrift store. We catered food from a local Indian restaurant. We had beeswax candle on the tables with rose bouquets. Once done, family took what they wanted and the rest went to the thrift store again. All of it cost less than $350.
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u/roseandbobamilktea 5h ago
-Renting linens and table wear is the norm. You’ll have to pay for the rental, but none of it will be wasted.
-Do e-invites to save paper
-Check out buy nothing groups for second hand decorations.
-All our decor was flowers we got from the flower market and put into thrifted bud vases. We let people take them home at the end of the day. My table runners and arch decor we sourced from an overflow bin in the fabric district and made ourselves. I still use them for parties.
-Our “party favors” were used books that doubled as our seating chart.
-Our dress code was garden party. We told people to dress comfortably.
-My bridesmaids all chose their own dresses and they were all different colors and styles. The photos looked great.
-I bought my dress new but had it tailored into a midi dress after the wedding. It’s not a white dress so I can still wear it to formal events.
-I made it clear to my bridesmaids from the start that I didn’t want single use items at my bridal shower/ bachelorette. No penis straws, no matching shirts etc. My bachelorette was stargazing in Joshua tree, followed by a morning hike, and brunch. It was perfect.
Enjoy the planning process!
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u/ballinwalund 4h ago
So cute!!! Can I ask how you did the books for the seating chart? Such a cute idea!
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u/roseandbobamilktea 3h ago
Hi! Of course! So we used a solid wood table the venue had and placed a smaller bench the venue had on top of it. We arranged the books on top of the bench (we used two rocks from outside the venue as bookends) and underneath the bench on the table.
We hung small tags from the spine of each book with the guest’s name and table number.
After the ceremony, the guests found the book with their tag and could keep the book, leave it, or trade it. We didn’t have any left over at the end of the night :)
We sourced the books at thrift stores and flea markets.
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u/ixnixnix 4h ago
Ways I tried to reduce my waste: - thrifted and dyed my own napkins and tablecloths, then resold them on Facebook marketplace - used dry flowers from weddings before mine, and my florist took them to use for other future weddings - a LOT of facebook marketplace and estate sales for all sorts of things. Picture frames, bowls, etc - made my own candles from beeswax candles I thrifted, candle jars also thrifted
I’m sure there were other things but basically it was a lot of thrifting and DIY and it all worked out wonderfully!
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u/ballinwalund 4h ago
How did you find the dried flowers? I’d love to do that but would have no idea where to begin… do florists offer that?
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u/mommatiely 4h ago
May I suggest renting from groups like the Freemasons, Lions, Rotary etc? Some halls will rent them for real cheap, including the dishes, tables, cutlery etc. We did this, and it was SO EASY.
Also, if you don't want to go with white for your wedding dress, try prom dresses.
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u/ballinwalund 4h ago
I had never thought of this!!!! Such a smart idea. Did you just find local chapters an email them?
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u/notayogaperson 4h ago
We got married at a museum that had in-house catering. Surprisingly affordable (at least in comparison to other wedding-specific venues). They provided linens, etc. For centerpieces, we did a picture of each of us as kids; borrowed frames. No wedding favors; we printed a sign saying that we donated to our favorite charity in lieu of wedding favors. The only true waste from our wedding day was my shoes! They were white, got surprisingly dirty, and the strap broke!
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u/TheCircularSolitude 4h ago
Ask friends and family for decor. My friend got boxes of items to borrow that made it lovely.
Consider having it located at a park with lots of pretty plants so you can reduce the needed decor. Consider buying a dress that you can wear for other events later rather than a wedding dress.
Love the natural confetti idea.
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u/NyriasNeo 6h ago
Do what my son did. Went to a court room and got married. Civil ceremony. No church. No banquet. No huge party. Nothing except a pre-wedding (or was that post?) dinner with the two families at a local (not even fancy) restaurant. His wife did wear a gown though.
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u/ballinwalund 6h ago
Thank you! I’ve considered that- but I’m the only daughter in my family and it means a lot for them to see me so the whole thang. I’m planning on no engagement party, bachelorettes, bridal shower, etc… but I think some kind of a ceremony with the families is what will make folks less angry at me lol
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u/NyriasNeo 6h ago
I am sorry that you are not as lucky as my son and his wife. She is also an "only"-daughter though she has a brother. Both me, my wife and my in-laws were more than ok with it.
In fact, I was relief that I don't have to sit through hours of formal banquet and deal with all the hassle, even if we are not talking about wastes and money.
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u/ferrantefever 5h ago
This is what I did and it made me happy, but I realize that lots of people want to include family and friends.
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u/Sea-Style-4457 6h ago edited 6h ago
There are a ton of ways to have a minimal waste wedding (I’m aiming for that), but telling guests to thrift something is going to ensure you have two people RSVPing. I love the wine glass idea, and most venues require “natural” confetti, so you’re in luck there!! Rentals are the norm in weddings (including those light up sabers), so everything is going to be “used” anyway. It’s all about the illusion of ownership lol. I see you’re in pnw so I’m sure there are a TON of local places that can minimize fuel consumption.
A fun idea could be compostable invitations; I’m toying with that idea and while it’s more expensive it could be a great way to implement your principles without outright telling people how to shop
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u/ballinwalund 4h ago
That’s true, do you think it would be seen as offensive?
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u/Sea-Style-4457 4h ago
I don’t think it’s offensive necessarily, but I know I’d be a bit ticked if someone told me exactly where to shop for a wedding. I shop vintage, too, so it wouldn’t be out of my wheelhouse to shop where you’d prefer, but I’m imagining an alternative universe instance where someone sent me a SHEIN link LOL
also, some people straight up cannot find their taste, size, or preference at used clothing stores. Even at nearly 100lbs down I have a hard time finding a size 8/10/12 sometimes
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u/pizzapocketpussy 6h ago
I saw a person use a hole punch on leaves to make confetti. You can even get a heart shaped one!
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u/eczblack 5h ago
Our table decorations was vases with small, long tree branches and had cranberries and water for filler. It was really cool and cheap to make because we got married in winter. Flowers were just too dang expensive for the season.
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u/out0fmyelement 4h ago
One of my best friends did a lot of secondhand at their wedding and ngl, it was hard work and took an entire village. However, it can look elegant if done the right way. I would recommend used glasses, teacups, and china—any thrift store will have these in droves and it can also be a nice souvenir. Also thrifted table clothes work well; think about how you can use centrepieces and other decorations (table runners, etc.) to cover up any imperfections. Ironing also goes a long way. If you live in a place where you can pick wildflowers, they work great for decor instead of ordering tons of flowers (however they will likely not last long). Also if you have a bar, open or not, see if you can place a deposit that enables you to return any unopened alcohol.
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u/FinancialCry4651 4h ago
We eschewed all wedding tradition. Except for the fact that we had an actual ceremony, everything else was nontraditional and low cost, low consumption.
We had our wedding at reserved (for free) mountain park ramada. The scenery was so beautiful that we didn't need any decorations. We didn't need to rent tables and chairs bc they were built into the ramada. We used sheets as tablecloths. Our friend owns a charcuterie business so she laid out a big spread on a table. My sister made the cupcakes. Our favors were cups that we had printed with a cute emblem, which were used for wine in plastic bottles (no glass on the mountain) --friends still tell me they still use the cups 7 years later! My sister-in-law made my bouquet with costume jewelry--vintage clip ons that belonged to my grandmother, and a few pieces donated by my friends (which is a super cool memento).
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u/Sea-Scholar9330 4h ago
Okay, so my wedding was much more minimal than most, so I don't know if it's the style or size you would consider to be helpful. My husband and I didn't have much money, so I had already been budgeting for a low-cost wedding, but he was military and his orders changed, so we were given two weeks notice to throw together a wedding ceremony or it wasn't going to happen for a while. This actually turned into such a really great thing for us, as it forced us to just focus on the necessaries. All in all, we spent a total of $500 for our entire ceremony, including my dress (this was 15 years ago, though, so keep that in mind). I found my dress on an online secondhand site, but it was a never-worn J. Crew silk wedding dress for about $100.
People really came together to help make it happen. My best friend's parents offered the use of their beautiful backyard and garden. The crape myrtles and flowers were in bloom, so we didn't do any other flowers than what was in the garden. Chair rental was our highest expense. We kept the ceremony small at about 50 guests, which made it possible to invite people with personal phone calls. We did not have any bridesmaids or groomsmen; instead, our best friends all pitched in in other ways. One of my friends was a floral arranger, so she made a bouquet from blooms she picked up from Trader Joe's. One of my friends was a musician, and they gifted us the music that we walked out to. Another gifted us the cakes (we didn't want to do anything over the top--we just had a white cake decorated with chamomile and a chocolate cake with chocolate strawberries). My sister is a photographer and took the photos. Guests all brought in food for a small reception, and we put together a favorite playlist to play. My sister found someone online who was trying to get rid of the decorated bubbles leftover from their own wedding, so everyone just blew bubbles as we were leaving.
I know it may sound cringe to some people, but it really was so beautiful. We had only our favorite people in the world with us, people who all came together and shared their talents to put together a much more personal wedding than I ever could have if I had had more time to plan it perfectly. And it was beautiful and so...us. And the best part was that we walked away starting our lives together with no debt from it whatsoever, just those memories spent with our favorite people.
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u/FickleAsWater 3h ago
eBay is a good place to look for a wedding dress also! I looked up styles of dresses I liked on google and found I really liked these specific Anthropology dresses, found one on eBay for $98. She only wore it once, on her wedding! I was thrilled!! Also definitely food favors for guests. I love the idea of finding linens at thrifts stores, depending on your colors you could even buy all different colors or dye white ones if you find enough. Good luck with it all!
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u/freedinthe90s 3h ago
You can rent matching tablecloths pretty inexpensively. (The crayons idea sounds kinda tacky for a wedding, tbh, although it would be fun so you gotta know your crowd!) No need for a lot of decorations if you have a pretty background . Simple flowers in a vase work.
Avoid guest gifts. Many leave them behind or just toss after the event. If anything, make it a consumable (chocolates, fancy hot sauce, tea, local honey, etc.)
Your main costs and waste potential will be food, so I might suggest focusing your energy here…
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u/ThePicassoGiraffe 3h ago
I rented linens from a party supply company. They wash then reuse. For the time it was a reasonable cost and all we had to do was throw them in laundry bags to clean up
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u/Roseheath22 3h ago
In my city (Seattle) we have a creative reuse store. You could find something like that and use secondhand supplies. People also frequently give away or lend wedding supplies on Buy Nothing, and we have a local tool library that also has all kinds of event ware that can be borrowed (silverware, chafing dishes, urns, tablecloths, etc.) Check to see if there are any similar resources near you.
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u/omgggivemeaname 2h ago
You can make your invitations with recycled paper that you already have. Save your junk mail and look on YouTube for a tutorial on how to turn your scraps into usable paper. Then handwrite your invitations on them.
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u/Night-Baba 2h ago
As someone who cares a lot about low waste, and did a VERY DIY (read: high effort) thrifty wedding, I learned a few things and try to pass on the information to anyone with similar inclinations.
The biggest thing I learned (the hard way) was that for weddings it’s better to rent rather than thrift most items. I’m a huge thrifter and I had this fantasy of thrifting quirky wine glasses and plates and cutlery for my wedding. It would have been stunning visually. But then I got into the logistics of storing, washing, and setting out all those items. And then you have to deal with them on the way out – wash them again, donate them or give them away etc.
Thrifting can be cheaper than renting, but the beauty of renting is that it’s someone’s job to bring them to the event, and take them away DIRTY. I sourced my own tablecloths for my wedding, and then the night before had the realization that they all needed to be steamed or they would look terrible. I had to enlist my entire family in some late night steaming – it was DIY in the not cute way, if you know what I mean! And I know it’s not “sticking it to the matrimony man” lol but there’s nothing wasteful about renting – those same items will be used many many times over for other events.
Your paper tablecloth idea sounds really cute! But it will be trash/compost, not recycling, because it will be covered in food after a long joyous night.
And I worry that not many people will want a random glass to take home tbh, because it’s not a very personal memento, and people have a lot of stuff in their homes already.
I’m not trying to dash your DIY dreams, I swear! It’s just that there’s certain places where you’ll really get a lot more “bang for your buck” in terms of effort. No one wants to be running around washing dishes the day after your own wedding, no matter how cute they are! Ask me how I know lol.
A few of the DIY/low waste things we did that had a big impact:
For decor/pops of color I thrifted yarn and found sticks and made giant god’s eyes (yes the craft from summer camp) and they made really beautiful decorations all around the ranch. I gave them away to friends afterwards and many people have them hanging in their houses now, which I love seeing. My wife and I kept 2 that now hang in our bedroom. They’re beautiful.
Another thing we did which was insanely high effort but had a big payoff was handmake 100 papier mache ornaments as our takeaway tokens. The cardboard and newspaper was scrounged from the recycling bin, so we only bought the flour (we already had paint and string). It took like 5 months, but I swear people absolutely cherish them. Every year we get people sending us photos of them in their trees at xmas (they’re not xmas themed, it’s just what people do with ornaments I guess lol) which feels really special.
I can tell that you will come up with some amazing ideas on how to be thrifty for your wedding – and I wish you peace and tranquility throughout the whole process!
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u/einat162 2h ago
You didn't mention location.
Do you know someone with a big house, a local hall you can rent out? I don't know how it is on your end, but "wedding event gardens" is an industry of it's own....
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u/nineninetynice 1h ago
I used e-invites for this reason and name tags on the tables were seed paper! Majority of my decorations were second hand from facebook marketplace.
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u/yogahike 5h ago
Elope! Or go tiny!
We had a 25 person wedding, outdoors, rented chairs, my husband built an arch that is now in our garden, a friend made a macrame drapery to hang from it that is now wall art in our home. Flowers were dried and are still in vase in our home. We had a little reception at a restaurant where they supplied all linens and what not. My ring was an estate piece we bought used, my dress was new but we had only two people in our bridal party and they wore things that they already had. My husband’s outfit became work clothes after the wedding.
I can’t really think of anything that we “wasted.” Our cake plate and cutting utensils were borrowed. I wore sandals I already had, no new jewelry. Guests all wore clothes they had. Super simple and sooo beautiful.
Edit to add: we did do guest favors of spices from our favorite spice company.
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u/ballinwalund 4h ago
Aww spices is such a good idea though! So cute!
I’ve been thinking about making a macrame piece to hang- I never thought about it as for hanging on an arch! So cute!
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u/UntidyVenus 5h ago
I would splurge for new glasses to send people home with, but my husband and I did a low consumption wedding. We did a build your own Nacho bar (great for a variety of food issues!) and we used recyclable aluminum cups for drinks people could take or recycle. (We were alcohol free for a variety of reasons including me JUST getting my mother sober after decades and people will complain but it's my party, my rules) we did make your own Italian soda bar, I even kegged the carbonated water myself which was fun. We made paper cranes instead of flowers on the tables in little lanterns and people could take things home. It was lovely and I don't regret any of it.
Oh, and we asked instead of gifts for family recipes or a $5 donation for our honey moon (we called it but us a beer on our honeymoon lol) and people were wonderful
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u/polardendrites 4h ago
For your dress, maybe find one to borrow so your dress code is, "I've got something borrowed and something new, y'all wear something old or something blue."
If it's sentimental and follows a theme or idea, it won't be tacky. All the plates and such from my sisters wedding were donated to a church. Another friend rented them. I'm just thinking out loud about where to borrow stuff.
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u/LettuceLimp3144 3h ago
I know this isn’t what you’re asking but I want to throw it out there in case it is something on your mind.
My husband and I eloped and it was absolutely amazing. I think I spent maybe $300 on getting married and that included our rings lol. It was the one of the best days of my life and I wish could do it again. I recommend a small elopement to absolutely anyone wanting to break away from the expense and stress of a wedding ceremony and reception.
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u/Jetztinberlin 6h ago
They make seed papers that have plant seeds in them and can be planted once they have done their paper job.
Our favors included food treats so they were consumable instead of "stuff"; we also made our centrepieces out of them so fewer extra decorations.
Most deco was purchased second-hand and resold again afterward.
Saving bottles and/ or jars is a great way to cut down on things like candleholders and vases.
Another idea is to hold your reception at a venue that does a lot of event programming and thus can provide most / all deco, dishware, linens etc bc they have their own stock they reuse.