Planning an engagement party takes time and effort. More so, planning an eco-friendly engagement means you must consider environment-friendly choices like reusable cans, degradable plates ,lab-grown diamond jewel and green produce.
Sustainability has become a popular and more important topic these days. That’s why a study reveals that more people are willing to pay for sustainable products and services. People are now much more aware of the environment and the damaging impact of mindless consumption.
However, the wedding industry, starting from the engagement party, doesn’t tend to be eco-friendly. Engagement and wedding parties are extremely and easily full of disposable and one-time items!
From the number of guests and energy usage to transportation emissions, there’s always going to be a not eco-friendly choice. But this doesn’t have to be the case anymore with the advanced market developments. You can now greatly minimize the damaging impact of your celebration and have a ‘greener’ engagement party!
Take a look below at the top tips for planning an eco-friendly engagement.
- Shop Responsibly For Engagement Rings
Choosing engagement rings is the first thing to do when planning an engagement. Mined diamonds come with a part full of conflicts. To make your ring ethically sourced and eco-friendly, look into the market of lab-created diamond jewelry.
That’s why these lab-grown diamond engagement rings are a great choice for your eco-friendly engagement party. Undeniably, lab-grown diamonds are more sustainable than mined diamonds and other gemstones. This is because their production involves less energy and water, thus producing fewer carbon emissions. At least this way, you’re sure of the source of your diamonds!
Fortunately, you can have your proposal rings in different diamond styles. You can also achieve custom made different engagement ring settings using lab-created diamonds on your solitaire jewel. Choose a perfect diamond shape for your solitaire engagement ring that will blend well with the rest of the diamond jewelry.
- Go For Seasonal Produce
What will be on the menu for your engagement party? For an eco-friendly party, consider using products that will be in season.
It would be best to go for seasonal and locally-sourced produce to reduce your celebration’s negative environmental impact. By buying from the local market, you’ll be achieving more than a few benefits. Here’s how.
- The local market is closer; hence it’ll take less time to transport the readily available goods to the venue.
- Buying produce locally is great for a couple working on a tight budget.
- You won’t need to spend on preservatives, pesticides, and refrigeration while getting the goods to your event. It’s always going to be cheaper and more flexible with local produce that is in the season and accessible during your engagement party.
- It’s a good way of showing you trust your local vendors.
Ask your caterer to suggest a menu with seasonal produce. Also, talk to your florist to go for readily available flowers on that day.
- Replace Paper Details
Reducing waste must be the number one priority while planning your engagement event. Even though paper is biodegradable, it’s essential to be cautious of the waste after the party. Usually, guests will discard the paper details when the celebration is over. So what should you do?
For starters, if it’s a must to have paper details, use biodegradable paper options. This is a ‘greener’ alternative to traditional cardstock and confetti.
Even better, you could decide to go completely paperless. Instead of sending out paper programs and menus, write the details on an oversized chalkboard. With creativity, place the board in a central position for everyone to see.
Instead of posting paper invites, you could go digital. Send an e-card invitation to your guests using your messaging apps. Or, create a simple engagement website with all the details and have your guests access it effortlessly.
- Mind Your Guest List
A longer guest list equals a larger carbon footprint. Be cautious when deciding on the guest numbers.
Most people would choose to go big on the list during their engagement party and then minimal on the wedding day. However, having an intimate celebration all through could be a better choice. This will significantly reduce the required resources like transport before, during, and after the day.
Aside from being eco-friendly, planning a minor event will also ease the expenditure on the overall budget. Instead of doing away with the engagement party, opt to throw a small and intimate celebration for the closest guests.
- Reuse and Recycle
People don’t recycle not because they don’t want to but because they need to learn how to. According to a study, about 9 out of 10 people said they would gladly recycle if it were easy.
However, the case is different regarding styling and decorating the elements of your engagement celebration. There are plenty of creative options to help you maintain an eco-friendly day. Be thoughtful about the materials you want to use and recycle as much as possible.
For instance, you could use more jute, recycled fabrics, or organic cotton than synthetic items. Also, consider recycling glass bottles as flower vases for centerpieces or even shells and colored pebbles.
You can get excellent materials from garage sales or second-hand stores if you’re a vintage person. Stuff like vintage glassware or cutlery would be cheaper and eco-friendlier than buying new.
- Consider Eco-Friendly Lighting
An excellent ambiance and atmosphere of every event rely on good lighting. However, a poor choice of lighting options can harm the environment. Avoid lighting that uses too much energy, and opt for energy savers instead.
Instead of using the popular halogen lights, ask your lighting expert to use LED lights as a more sustainable alternative. LED lights consume less energy than halogens, allowing you to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save power costs. Because an engagement party is a romantic affair, you could fill the guest tables with soy-based candles for a stunning and eco-friendly glow!
Conversely, planning a daytime event to reduce energy usage would be better. A picnic-style or lunches that end at sunsets are better ways of eliminating additional lighting in style.
Bottom Line
A sustainable engagement party shows your mindfulness of the environment without compromising on style. The above tips will help you reduce waste and carbon emissions without affecting the atmosphere.
Just maintain timely arrangements to avoid last-minute rush that will lead you to unsustainable choices. Finally, congratulations, and enjoy your engagement party in an eco-friendly, fun, and loving way.
Hello, My name is Shari & I am a writer for the ‘Outlook AppIns’ blog. I’m a CSIT graduate & I’ve been working in the IT industry for 3 years.