5 easy and ethical swaps for your wedding

It’s easy to get caught up in the Instagram wedding, the Pinterest inspiration boards and the age-old traditions. But stripping your wedding back to its core purpose - to unite two people in love and celebrate that love with your nearest and dearest - will often also strip away the unnecessary, wasteful and temporary associations with wedding planning.

Here, we’ve made some easy and ethical swaps you can make for your wedding that won’t compromise on feeling, but will be impact-positive and leave you with a wedding you feel good about.‍

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1. Bridesmaid proposal

Asking your loved ones to be such a big part of your wedding day and the lead up is a big deal and invaluable to both you and them. Regardless of what you offer them (if anything), your bridesmaids will be stoked to be a part of your special day.

We often see the bridesmaid proposal box - maybe a novelty mug, robe, maybe confetti… the list of temporary and unnecessary items that fill these boxes goes on. Why not try…

• A heartfelt, handwritten letter to each bridesmaid reminiscing on fun memories together and popping the question at the end?
• Getting your girlfriend’s together for a picnic in the park with a bottle of pet nat and asking them all together?
• Create a card for your bridesmaid with an excerpt of a poem that moves you (try here!) and ask them.

2. Bouquets

We get it - walking in high heels and a dress in a straight line to a set track while everyone is watching you is nerve wracking enough, so we’re not suggesting you go empty-handed! That being said, flowers are one of the most temporary parts of your wedding day and require some thought into the production, upkeep and disposal of them for the ethical wedding planner.

Here are our suggestions for ethical swaps:

• carry a single flower instead of a full bouquet. A single rose or native flower (like a protea) can look striking and brings attention to the beauty of the flower itself. Plus it doesn’t take away from the stunning bride or her bridesmaids!
• Make sure you either source or communicate to your florist to source in-season, locally grown flowers for your bouquet. This will make all the difference to the flowers footprint but almost no difference to the striking beauty of the flowers themselves.
• Have some dried flower bouquets made for you and your bridesmaids.
• Reuse your flowers later in the reception. Place a variety of vases on your guest’s tables and have a family member or friend separate out the bouquets into the vases during photo hour or canapes. This way the flowers have a dual purpose!
• Bring some butcher’s paper and twine to the venue and ask the venue manager to wrap up some flowers for guests to take home. What a beautiful keepsake for your guests to remember your special night.
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‍3. Wedding outfit

There are so many beautiful wedding gowns in the world, and more being created every day. Despite the age-old trope of young girls imagining themselves in a wedding gown from the age of 5, many brides are opting for less traditional ways of dressing for their wedding day.

Instead of buying a new gown, why not:

• Go to a site like Still White and keep an eye on gowns you love to purchase second-hand? We all know wedding outfits have only been worn once, and the quality control of Still White means that you get all of the details up front from the seller. Another option for second-hand or upcycled gowns if you’re in Melbourne is Love Me Twice.
• Go shopping for wedding outfit separates that you can wear again after the wedding?
• Rent a wedding gown? More and more ethical and circular programs are popping up now as people start thinking of ways they can waste less on their wedding day. Search for bridal gown rental in your city.

4. Venues

There are a multitude of venues to choose from based on your style, taste and budget, and often this decision is not limited by the couples’ living location! However, when you consider the travel costs and logistics associated with not only travel for the couple, but whole wedding parties and guests, the obvious choice for city-dwellers is an inner city wedding. Even better, being in the city means that transport between locations is shorter and far more efficient (think Fitzroy Gardens to Collingwood, for example - a few minutes by car or even travel by foot). Many inner city venues also offer all inclusive packages where you can have your ceremony, reception and photos all in the one place. Winning!

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You can check out some of our favourite inner city venues here.

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5. Invitations

Our last suggestion has to do with invitations. Bar perhaps your grandparents, who actually keeps physical copies of anything anymore? So many digital offerings exist that are chic, modern and high quality. With hosting and design websites now readily available and intuitive, it makes it so easy to schedule invitations and keep track of RSVPs and dietary requirements. Need more bonuses? It’s far more affordable and quicker for you to organise.

Instead of physical save-the-dates and invitations, why not:

• Use a website such as Paperless Post to schedule, design, send and collate responses of your wedding invitations
• Design your invitations using Canva and send them via email

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So there you have it, folks! We hope we've given you some food for thought when it comes to ethically and easily swapping certain wedding traditions for something that is impact positive to our planet.