Earth Friendly Wedding Favors

We’ve all been there. You’re at a wedding and as you sit down at your table you see the favor – a small token representing the thanks of the bride and groom. You are either super psyched about the favor, or you are contemplating accidentally leaving the favor at the end of the night.

Sadly, the leftover favors will usually just be thrown in the trash, which not only wastes your hard earned money, but also contributes to the 2.6 trillion pounds of garbage that goes into landfills each year.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to start my marriage knowing that I didn’t do anything to try and lessen the environmental impact of my wedding.

So, I came up with a few tips to think about to keep your favors earth friendly.

• Pick a favor that your guests will actually use: a reusable water bottle to bring to work, seedlings to add to a garden, or small samples of gourmet goodies to indulge in. These favors are not only fun, but practical as well.

• Be mindful of the packaging. Even if your favor isn’t something everyone might want to use (a sonic screwdriver, a key chain, soap, etc.) one thing that you can ensure is that the material your favor is packaged in is eco- friendly. Try to avoid plastic containers and instead opt for glass containers, burlap bags, or paper boxes that can  be easily reused or recycled.

• Ask your venue if they will recycle any leftover favors. Or, take the extras home to use later. (Hey, you bought all that honey you might as well use it right?)

Do you have any ideas about how to lessen the environmental impact of your wedding? Share your thoughts in the comments below!