When you get married, you are committing to a future together.
When we honor the Earth,
we honor that future.
So if you are thinking weddings are full of waste and you’re super not interested in contributing, you’re not alone!
A more sustainable wedding is in reach.
Let's work together to make the wedding industry more sustainable, one celebration at a time.
On average, weddings with 100-120 guests lead to 400-600 pounds of waste.
In just ONE DAY.
What's more, according to a 2020 study by the sustainability consultancy Edge Impact, the average American wedding emits 57,152 kilograms of CO2. To offset this, you would need to plant 2,722 trees.
WE CAN, AND MUST, DO BETTER.
Much of this waste can be minimized, composted, or recycled if you are intentional about it. By making sustainable choices, you can create a wedding that not only celebrates your relationship but also respects our planet and communities.
I am here to be your sustainability buddy (sustainabilibuddy, if you will) and help you plan a meaningful and impactful celebration that cuts down on waste and emissions. Together, we can make sure your day is environmentally friendly without compromising on details, decor, or FUN!
DID YOU KNOW?
My commitment to sustainability as a wedding photographer:
DIGITAL DELIVERY & THoughtful prints
From quotes and contracts to your final gallery, everything is digital to reduce wasted paper and ink.
When you do print, I offer ways to get your prints in the most eco-friendly way possible by recommending labs that share our values of sustainability and holding on to memories!
TRANSPORTATION
I drive Maple, my Nissan Leaf, which is a fully electric vehicle. 90% of the weddings I photograph are within an hour of my home (many are much closer than that) which keeps my emissions low!
COMMUNITY
I try to make it as easy as possible for my couples to be conscious of their impact while also making sure they have a phenomenal wedding day! You are never alone in this journey!
REST
I only take 25 weddings each year to make sure that my couples receive the absolute best service possible. I leave time in my schedule for regular exercise and time with my family and friends to avoid burnout so I am super-duper ready for your wedding day. Sustainability is more than being eco-friendly!
Best practices for a sustainable gathering
- Avoid having single-use plastic on site. Dishes and catering materials should be glassware, compostable, or reusable. Keep an eye out for sneaky items like water bottles and decor!
- Forgo printed menus or programs for your ceremony.
- Work with local vendors to significantly reduce the environmental impact of long-distance transportation, shipping, and storage.
- Rent your wedding decor! Lighting, cake stands, signage, arches, chairs—you name it, it can be rented. Think of this as your “something borrowed.”
- Food should be local, organic, and/or fair trade to the best of the vendor’s ability.
- Food scraps and waste (including toothpicks, napkins, etc. for appetizers) should be composted — not thrown in the landfill. Catering staff and venue must work together and be responsible for knowledge of composting and recycling criteria and sustainable practices for the area.
- Skip the straws or plastic cutlery available for guest use.
- Floral should be organic, locally derived, and seasonal to the best of the vendor’s ability. Floral foam should not be used, and all materials used by the florist must be compostable or reusable.
- Florals should be donated or repurposed after your celebration is done. Scraps should be composted.
Your wedding day is an opportunity for you to incorporate and honor your values.
By hosting a love-filled, environmentally-friendly event, you’ll highlight your shared devotion to this important cause in a beautiful, impactful way. Through this, you’ll inspire your friends and family and be a blueprint for future sustainable celebrations.
I’d like to invite you to make your wedding more sustainable, so we can continue celebrating weddings for eons to come!
I am a member of 1% for the Planet, a non-profit that encourages businesses of all sizes to donate at least 1% of their annual sales directly to environmental organizations, which means your wedding will be supporting environmental non-profits approved by 1% for the Planet right here in the Twin Cities!
So, are you...
...ready to make a real difference?
...willing to make your wedding bigger than you?
...ready to think outside the box?
...excited to share your journey with your guests!?
...pumped to bloom and grow throughout the process!?
Let’s all get better bit by bit, day by day!
- Remember that if we are not intersectional when thinking of environmentalism, we may be doing additional harm. Low-income communities and communities of color are the hardest hit by climate change. When there is an opportunity to support or learn from these communities, we must do so.
- Sustainability goes beyond being eco-friendly. I believe that living in a Capitalist Economic System is destructive overall, but it is possible to use it for good. Before looking for the cheapest vendors, consider what goes into the cost of each service or item. Look for out-of-the-box ways to meet your budget, like Marie Kondo-ing items included in your wedding or trimming down your guest list.
- Never underestimate the power of asking wedding vendors to use sustainable practices. The more they are asked, the more they will see it’s something their prospective clients care about, and the more likely they are to shift their practices. Every single action has a ripple effect!
- Sustainable celebrations are all about minimizing your impact as much as possible and encouraging others to do the same. When you cut down on extravagant, single-use STUFF, there’s more room for love, joy, laughter, and memory-making, and that is what your wedding day is all about!
