Eco-friendly Wedding Planning Ideas — Vancouver Wedding Photographer & Videographer

We’d love to see more eco-focused weddings in the wedding industry. How and where we spend our money through our everyday choices has a direct impact on this world. If we want to have a positive impact we must make choices that are aligned with our precious planet. So why not start by having a really amazing eco-friendly vegan wedding?

To me, the essence of an eco-friendly wedding is love, community and awareness. 

There are so many different and creative ways to have a more eco-focused wedding. 

A few ideas we love are: 

— Have your wedding dress custom made by a local designer who uses recycled fabrics (or fabrics that are eco-friendly like Reclamation and Pure Magnolia). Or find a second-hand wedding dress, which also saves money and creates less waste. Check out Pre-Owned Wedding Dresses, Etsy, or your local Facebook wedding groups.

— Have your bridesmaids buy thrift dresses from a local vintage-inspired designer.

— Rent a suit for the groom, or buy a second-hand suit and have it tailored to fit. Second Suit in Vancouver has some amazing finds with high-quality brands.

Find a Hair and Makeup artist that uses plant-based, natural, and cruelty-free products like Beauty Reawakened.

— Create a plant-based and local menu for your wedding guests. This could also save you a lot of money since meat and cheese can be far more expensive than plant-based foods. Animal agriculture has one of the highest carbon footprints and is tremendously cruel to animals.

— Consider hiring a plant-based catering company or a vegan food truck like Chickpea or Rolling Cashew.

— Create a vegan cheese charcuterie board, it would be a guaranteed hit! Blue Heron Cheese is made in Vancouver and is unbelievably delicious. We promise that your guests won’t stop talking about how amazing and unique your wedding food was.

— Have a vegan wedding cake! This way everyone can eat it and even those who are lactose intolerant won’t feel left out. Vegan cake is delicious and you won’t feel guilty eating it. Edible Flours makes amazing vegan wedding cakes.

— Vegan doughnuts are also a huge crowd pleaser at weddings. Check out Dipped Doughnut Co. You can also have an eco-friendly vegan ice cream truck like Say Hello Sweets.

Work with a florist who uses local, sustainably grown and seasonal florals like Forage and Bloom. (See below)

— Have a plastic-free wedding. Use natural decor like soy-based candles, flowers and greenery, and use recycled or plantable paper for Save the Dates and wedding day decor. 

— Send e-invites and have a wedding website with all your wedding details. Check out Bloomin or OMD Creative.

— Have a smaller wedding. Invite less guests! Less guests means less mouths to feed, which means less food waste. 

— Consider eloping somewhere local. British Columbia is one of the most beautiful places on earth and there are so many magical places to get married… like here on the stunning Sunshine Coast!

— Using local vendors who don’t have to travel far to get to your wedding. 

Use confetti made of dried flowers like lavender or rose petals. Another idea is to use dried leaves and use a hole-punch to make confetti. DIY leaf confetti here.

Party favours! Consider using seed-cards that guests can plant when they get home. Or homemade local jam, or little succulents, or local vegan chocolates in eco-friendly packaging like Hooray Truffles.

It’s often overlooked that when you hire an eco-friendly company it’s likely that the humans who run the business will then use the money they’ve earned to make eco-friendly purchases of their own. When you support an environmentally-focused business you also indirectly support many more compassion-based businesses. 

What other eco-friendly things can you think of to include in your wedding?

Are you planning a vegan wedding and are looking for a plant-powered Photographer and Videographer Team? We would love to talk to you about your special day! Contact us here.

Much love,

Jen and Brian xo