Sustainable Wedding Tips for Kansas City Weddings

Happy Earth Day! As Kansas City wedding planners and lovers of nature, we love when couples make conscious decisions to reduce their wedding’s carbon footprint. Weddings are fun, magical occasions, but they can also have a significant impact on the environment. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of tips and tricks to help you plan a sustainable wedding that aligns with your values. In this post, we’ll cover five key areas where you can make a positive impact on the environment: your venue, wedding gown, other attire, flowers, and dinnerware. By following these tips, you can plan a wedding that is not only beautiful and memorable but also environmentally responsible. So, let’s dive in and explore how to have a sustainable wedding in Kansas City!

Choose your venue wisely

A common misconception among engaged couples is that “backyard” weddings are more affordable and more sustainable. That may be the case if you’re having a super relaxed wedding with 20 or 30 guests, but it is certainly not for what most people imagine. With a true estate or private property wedding, you need to put up a marquee tent, install flooring, rent generators, build out a kitchen, rent bathroom trailers, possibly build a stage, and bring in rental furniture. You are essentially building a venue from scratch. All of those elements come at a financial and environmental cost.

If you’re hoping to minimize the environmental impact of your wedding, you’re better off choosing an already existing space. By choosing a venue with beautiful architecture (like one of our faves, La Villa), you can opt to go for minimal decor. This means you have less to rent or purchase to beautify the space. Many venues also include furniture, and sometimes even rentals, so you have one less truck driving to and from your wedding to drop off and pick up rentals. There are so many incredible wedding venues in Kansas City to choose from!

Rent or buy a sustainable wedding gown

Like any fashion, buying a new, traditional wedding gown has a significant environmental impact. Many marriers opt to rent their gowns so there is one fewer dress being made. You can rent gowns locally or online, and you can even use a company like Rent the Runway or Nuuly if you want a nontraditional dress.

If you’re sentimental (same) and can’t bear the thought of returning your dress after the big day, then buy secondhand! You can find nearly every designer, from Loulou Bridal to Galia Lahav, on Stillwhite. Even sites like Facebook Marketplace and Depop have fantastic options, sometimes even locally in Kansas City!

Be intentional in your other attire choices

Wedding party dresses provide a fantastic opportunity to be more sustainable in your wedding choices while also being perfectly on-trend. Gone are the days of having everyone in the same floor-length chiffon gown in a niche color that they’re probably definitely never going to wear again. Instead, have a color palette, fabric options, and/or pattern for your wedding party to choose from. People are more likely to re-wear something if it doesn’t obviously scream BRIDESMAID. This also opens up the option to rent or thrift attire, which is a fantastic sustainable option! The same can also be said for suits and tuxes. Renting is pretty standard already for suits, but feel free to mix it up with fun, eclectic, thrifted attire!

Work with a sustainable wedding florist

As a wedding planner, sometimes it really does break my heart to see just how much waste goes into those beautiful floral arrangements. On the bright side, there are SO many ways to make wedding flowers more sustainable. And we all know that every little bit helps! Here are a few ways you and your florists can protect our planet a bit more:

• Sourcing locally grown flowers rather than having them imported. In my experience, this is generally the norm with Kansas City florists! Transporting flowers around Kansas City has a much lower carbon footprint than getting them flown in from Ecuador. This does limit you in terms of the seasonality of flowers, but it will also save you money!
• Opting not to use floral foam. Floral foam is pretty terrible for the environment, and many florists avoid it when they can. There are many alternatives like floral frogs and chicken wire, or you can even lean into the bud vase trend!
• Avoiding or reusing plastic. Using reusable trays and vases over disposable ones is always a win! Check with your florist to see what options they have and if they’ll return at the end of the night to pick up their items.
• Donate your flowers. While this doesn’t necessarily reduce the carbon footprint of your wedding, it does extend the life of your flowers and bring a smile to a few more faces. Unexpected Blooms will repurpose your wedding flowers into bouquets for those in hospitals, senior living facilities, and hospice facilities.

Choose local & seasonal catering

Much like florals, wedding catering can make a huge impact on the environment. Support Kansas City-based caterers who use locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. Local food means fewer transportation emissions and often less packaging waste. Bonus points if they can package up your food at the end of the night and make sure it doesn’t get wasted- whether it goes back to you, your vendors, or into the community.

Ditch the disposables

News flash: sending plastic to the landfill is incredibly unsustainable. Frankly, if you do nothing else from this blog, please rent your dinnerware. Many caterers include real plates, cutlery, and glassware in their packages. If they don’t, then rental companies like AAA Party Rental can fill in the gaps! The only exception I would make to this rule is barware. After your guests have had a couple of drinks and start dropping things, plastic is totally allowed on the dance floor.

We hope this post has given you some inspiration and practical tips for planning a sustainable wedding in Kansas City.

By choosing a sustainable venue, renting or buying a sustainable wedding gown, being intentional in your other attire choices, working with a sustainable wedding florist, and ditching the disposables, you can make a positive impact on the environment while celebrating your love with family and friends. Remember, planning a sustainable wedding doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive, and small changes can make a big difference. So go ahead and plan the wedding of your dreams, while also being kind to the planet. Congratulations, and best wishes for a happy and sustainable marriage!

If you’re looking for a Kansas City wedding planner to support you through this journey, I’m your girl! Reach out and we can chat more about your plans so far.