In a sea of wedding “stuff,” favors are one item that are easy to make eco-friendly. Choosing a thoughtful wedding favor shows your guests how much you appreciate the time they spent with you on your wedding day. Favors don’t need to be a grand gesture; however, they should be considerate of both your guests and the Earth.
To create eco-friendly favors, follow the tenant you learned in grade school: reduce, reuse and recycle.
Reduce
Reduce the number of new materials you need to purchase for your favors to make them more environmentally friendly. Cute birdseed treats are made with just a few ingredients and can easily be assembled by DIY couples or wedding parties.
Instead of a material gift, make a donation in your guests’ names to a local charity. You could also plant trees through a nearby reforestation initiative. Make sure you communicate your choice with your guests, so your eco-friendly favor doesn’t leave them feeling unappreciated.
Locally produced food not only tastes better, it travels a much shorter distance to reach you, reducing the food’s carbon footprint. Treat your guests to delicious, eco-friendly favors! Local tea, coffee, spices, wine and jams are all excellent options.
Reuse
Reusing items from your wedding as favors is not only environmentally friendly, it’s also cost effective. Design your centerpieces to double as favors. Instead of one large vase of flowers, place six smaller vases on each table. A candy bar or dessert buffet helps fill space within your venue. Provide guests with takeout style boxes and you have a pretty, eco-friendly favor.
You could also make your wedding favor an item your friends and family will reuse for years. Metal water bottles and tumblers make gifts that last.
Recycle
You can find almost any item you could want for your guests’ favor made from recycled materials! It’s easy to find containers made from recycled paper or plastic to send snacks home with guests.
Plants in recycled glass, metal or paper pots can be customized to fit your wedding. Succulents, herbs, wedding bouquets and mini terrariums are all beautiful, trendy and eco-friendly. You can also buy plantable confetti, which is a mixture of seeds and recycled paper cut into any shape you can imagine.
