A SUSTAINABLE SOIRÉE

IIT’S NO SECRET that weddings are not environmentally friendly. From the thousands of airline miles required to gather far-flung friends and family to singleuse wedding attire to exotic floral décor and imported food and drink, the carbon footprint for even a modest event can be significant. But we submit that celebrating love is perhaps more important now than ever. As such, we’ve gathered nine ideas for planning a memorable nuptial celebration that minimizes the next-day carbon guilt.

1SERVE CREATIVE VEGETARIAN FARE Instead of serving (carbon) heavy meat at your rehearsal dinner and reception, choose a creative plant-based menu sure to make no one miss the protein. If meat is a must, however, ask your caterer to use a local purveyor like Niman Ranch or Mary FreeRange Chicken. “Utah food producers have come a long way in the last several years,” says Emery Lortsher, owner of The Blended Table Catering. “It’s possible during most times of the year to serve your guests a fantastic meal that’s 100% locally sourced.” (The Blended Table composts all its food waste in its on-site digester—this includes removing food waste from the venues they serve.)

PHOTO ELISHA BRAITHWAITE

PHOTOS: (2) COURTESY THE WRITE IMAGE; (3) SOMETHING BORROWED BRIDAL / @JENNYPEARLPHOTOGRAPHY; (4) ADOBE STOCK 2SEND RECYCLED AND RESPONSIBLY PRINTED INVITES While sending your invites electronically through a company like blissandbone.com or greenvelope.com is certainly the greenest option, Miriam Footer from The Write Image believes digital invites aren’t taken as seriously as a paper invitation. “They tend to get lost in the bottomless pit of our email in-boxes and couples end up spending a lot of time chasing RSVPs,” she says. An eco-conscious paper alternative is Bella Figura, a stationery printer that both employs earth-friendly manufacturing practices and prints artistic invitation suites on paper made from cotton fibers reclaimed from the garment industry.

3RENT YOUR WEDDING DRESS OR PURCHASE A VINTAGE ONE Several factors contribute to the unsustainability of wedding dresses, from how the fabric is produced to carbon expended to get them here from overseas. (Have dreams of your future daughter one day wearing your dress? In reality, only a small fraction of wedding dresses have multigenerational appeal.) Consider renting a dress—Provo’s Something Borrowed Bridal rents wedding dresses for $300 to $600 and has more than 800 gowns to choose from—or purchasing a gently loved vintage dress from Lovers Bridal in Salt Lake City, stockists of bridal designs from the 1920s to 2000s.

4CHOOSE A REUSED, LABGROWN OR ETHICALLY RESOURCED DIAMOND

An inherited engagement or wedding ring diamond is, of course, the most environmentally friendly choice, not to mention the most meaningful. Those without access to legacy gems can buy new at a retailer that procures all its natural diamonds from ethical sources, like O.C. Tanner Jewelers. Another option is to choose lab-grown diamonds, which helps save the planet from high-impact mining practices required to unearth the precious gems. “Aside from where and how lab-grown diamonds are formed, they are optically and molecularly the same as natural ones,” says Joe Maughan with 9th and 9th Jewelers.

5CHOOSE A GREENCERTIFIED VENUE Ask your planner about venues that adhere to earth-friendly energy efficiency, recycling and water conservation practices. A few of Utah’s more notable eco-friendly venues include the Montage Deer Valley in Park City, a LEED-certified building that was named a platinum GreenLeader business by TripAdvisor; Zion National Park’s Zion Lodge, which has received Green Seal’s prestigious Gold certification; and Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort, powered completely by a new in-house cogeneration power system that’s 50% cleaner than coal-based energy sources.

6GIVE REUSABLE CUPS AND SERVE SINGLE-SOURCE BEVERAGES

To avoid the water and waste presented by glassware and canned and bottled drinks, give each of your guests a personalized, pint-sized, stainless-steel cup at the rehearsal dinner with the request that they use it to catch the tap beer and wine, water and even homemade root beer served over the course of your wedding weekend.

While balloon installations are having a moment, balloons take up to two years to degrade in a landfill and are dangerous to children and animals alike. A similar sentiment goes for fireworks, floating lanterns and sparklers, especially considering how high the fire danger is in Utah during the summer and fall. Instead, you can create festivity for your guests with a laser light show or biodegradable confetti to toss during your final exit from the reception.

8USE POTTED PLANTS AS DECOR Many exotic flowers travel thousands of miles from around the world before landing in a wedding centerpiece. Intermountain Plant Works offers sustainable and architecturally stunning potted trees, topiaries and succulents for event rental, along with design services. Another option is choosing a florist that, when possible, sources its blooms locally, like Native Flower Company, which also composts 100% of its post-event green waste.

9REGISTER FOR CASH OR A PHILANTHROPY Many couples are delaying saying “I do” until well after they’ve set up a household together, negating the practicality of registering for items like linens, kitchen appliances and dishes. Cash registries like blueprint.com allow guests to give couples funds toward a home, the honeymoon or the actual wedding. Other couples go the completely altruistic route by creating a registry through thegoodbeginning.com, allowing guests to donate to a cause or nonprofit in the couple’s name.

O.C. Tanner Jewelers, SLC and Park City, octannerjewelers.com 9th & 9th Jewelers, SLC, 9thand9thjewelers.com The Write Image, SLC, thewriteimage.com Something Borrowed, Provo, somethingborrowedbridals.com Lovers Bridal, SLC, loversbridalco.com Intermountain Plant Works, West Valley City, intermountainplantworks.com Native Flower Company, SLC, nativeflowercompany.com The Blended Table, SLC, theblendedtable.com Montage Deer Valley, Park City, montagehotels.com Zion Lodge, Zion National Park, Springdale, zionlodge.com Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort, snowbird.com