Whether it’s Captain Planet, Tree Hugger, or die-hard Animal Lover—if you used any of these titles to describe me you would be accurate. And I would be honored. At the same time, I’m a passionate photographer who has found a niche in documenting some of the most beautiful (and often, the most extravagant) destination weddings in the world. I believe that these passions can co-exist and that you don’t need to choose between sustainability and luxury when it comes to your wedding. That’s why I’m sharing 8 powerful ways to give back through your wedding and make an impact with your celebration.
In our ever-evolving world, we are seeing more and more creative solutions that allow people to live their best lives, create the best experiences, and do good simultaneously. Weddings are an opportunity to create an experience for those you love and to share your essence as a couple with the world. And in that, there is a huge opportunity to do good in the process.
Want Not, Waste Not
While many young couples need a registry to help get them started, more and more I find that our mature clients have often been living together for some time. Therefore, many of their material needs are already met. They aren’t necessarily looking to collect more stuff for their home.
So, what do you do with a wedding registry? Or family and guests who want to celebrate your nuptials?
Create a charitable registry.
Enter: The Good Beginning, a wedding registry for conscious couples. Beth Helmsetter, my friend and wedding planner extraordinaire, created The Good Beginning as she saw the need to help couples like the ones I described above. Through the service, guests and loved ones can show their love and appreciation by donating to support the couple’s favorite causes and charities. And the couple can begin their marriage by “doing good.”
It’s a win-win. I can’t think of a better way to start a marriage or celebrate your love than one rooted in your values, purpose and giving back. It’s an incredible way to share those very things with your guests, so they can truly get to know where your heart lies.
Be a (Sustainable) Material Girl
It’s hard to avoid, but weddings can be incredibly wasteful. When a couple hundred people get together to share food and drink, the waste begins to mount. Plastic straws, plastic silverware, cocktail napkins, favors, and more can amount to a great deal of single-use trash. One simple way to cut back on so much of the excess is to simply ask your vendors where you can be more sustainable.
Opt for sustainable materials.
Choose glassware instead of plastic. Use compostable straws instead of plastic. Basically, use anything other than plastic. Ask your florist for sustainable options in their preparation to avoid using materials like Oasis or floral foam.
“FLORAL FOAM CONTAINS THE SAME AMOUNT OF PLASTIC AS 10 PLASTIC SHOPPING BAGS, IS NON-BIODEGRADABLE, NON-RECYCLABLE AND TOXIC FOR BOTH HUMANS AND ANIMALS.” — GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
Consider the effects of one-time use decorations like balloons, which can wreak a lot of havoc before they eventually bio-degrade.
Go Local.
Use your local flower market or opt for in-season flowers to reduce the carbon footprint of importing out-of-season flowers. For catering, you can choose food selections that are more environmentally friendly. For example, seafood that isn’t on a watchlist, or seasonal ingredients that are locally sourced. When in doubt, think: local and seasonal. You can hardly go wrong!
Rent, don’t buy.
Renting is a wonderful way to be sustainable for your celebration. Instead of building out new structures, consider renting build outs that can be repurposed for other events.
Go Vintage.
Wedding wardrobe is an impactful area for making sustainable fashion choices. One of my favorite ways to be sustainable in fashion without sacrificing style or luxury is to opt for a vintage look. Between Shop Gossamer, Shrimpton Couture,The RealReal, and 1stDibs, there are great resources for finding vintage gems.
The most memorable wedding I photographed in 2020 featured a 1953 Dior wedding gown that had previously been worn by the bride’s grandmother—Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Not only was it an incredible sustainable fashion choice, it couldn’t have been more meaningful for the bride and family.
“Weddings are inherently not particularly sustainable events, especially when it comes to wardrobe. I hate the idea that we subscribe to that you can only use your dress once.
I love vintage and I champion it for many reasons because it tells a story and it adds another layer of history and curation to such a special occasion. The hunt is also just as fun.
As a stylist I have a Rolodex of resources that I rely on to source vintage treasures- pieces that will feel unique, personal and can be worn time and time again.
Another fun thing I encourage clients to do after an event is to repurpose their wedding wardrobe. That might mean altering a gown to a cocktail dress that can be worn many more times or dying a pair of white satin shoes, black.”
Another Man’s Treasure
I’ll never forget packing up my camera gear at the end of a long reception, and watching the catering staff empty about 20 bottles of opened wine, one by one, down the sink drain. It was a nice wedding, and very nice wine. As a wine lover myself, it took some restraint to keep from raising my hands and saying, don’t do that, I’ll drink it! (Or I’ll find someone who will!) But in the world of events, this is taboo. And unless the client has specifically indicated that they don’t want food and drink leftovers to go down the drain (literally), that is often where they will go.
In an effort to avoid such an unsavory ending to a sweet event…
Make a plan.
Have a plan for what you want done with the leftover food and beverage. Talk with your vendors beforehand to see if they have connections with organizations who may be in need of this kind of donation. They may have protocols already in place for accommodating just such a request.
Donate leftovers.
While many shelters will only accept packaged or unopened food, there are shelters (for both people and animals) that will take catering leftovers. For drinks, talk to your caterer about what happens with the opened beverages and either ask them to save it for you or create a plan that doesn’t leave it wasted. Flowers can also be donated to churches, hospitals, nursing homes or organizations like the ones listed here on Go Green Give Back.
Here are some additional resources for making food donations:
One of the most important aspects of planning a wedding is building your dream team of vendors. When done well, your vendor team becomes your expert advocates, taking your vision from good to great. The best team of professionals allows you to relax, trust the process and be present for your wedding experience.
In addition to hiring for talent, you also have an opportunity to hire vendors who share your values. From building giving back into their business, hiring and paying workers fairly, to being environmentally friendly and choosing sustainable practices, there are many ways small business owners in the wedding industry are doing good. And often, it goes unnoticed. When conducting your interviews, be sure to ask about their values, how their business ‘does good’, and their ideas for ways you can give back through your wedding. You might be surprised at what you learn.
Ultimately, giving back through your wedding can be as simple as building a team that’s already doing it.
There are ways to give back through your wedding with almost every decision you make in the planning of it. Get creative and explore even more than what’s listed above! You can allow your values of sustainability and conservation shine through in beautiful ways. Let your vendor team and your guests know that in addition to your celebration being a wonderful experience, you would also like it to generate some good for people and the planet. Often, all it takes is a little extra thought and attention.
Want the quick version?
Here’s a short list of easy things you can do to make your wedding more sustainable…
SUSTAINABILITY TIPS
> Create a charitable registry. > Avoid single-use plastic. > Offer boxed or glassed water, instead of plastic bottles. > Avoid balloons (think of the sea turtles!) and floral foam. > Rent + repurpose! > Buy vintage. > Donate your leftovers. > Hire vendors who share your sustainability values.
've spent the past decade capturing love and chasing beauty across the globe, and I believe every story like yours is different and special, and deserves to be told exceptionally.
Drawing on years of experience in the fashion and editorial photography industry, my photographs are graceful, honest and boldly natural, while completely intentional. Whether it’s the opportunity to narrate the retelling of once-in-a-lifetime wedding days, or the ability to communicate issues of global importance, or all the stories in between, I look at photography as the method by which I get to leave the world a little better than I found it.
What we’ve spent the last decade learning as we built our business, we share with up-and-coming, soul-driven photographers who want to change the world with their work.