TL;DR: Weddings CAN be done in a low-waste way. Be thoughtful about the gifts that you choose to give to your wedding party members, and aim to make them sustainable, useful, and memorable beyond the wedding day.
[EDIT 06 September 2024: Due to a surprising number of spam comments on this post – and this post only – I’ve turned the comments off. Please feel free to message me here with questions, comments, or inquiries related to this post.]
A note, right at the beginning, to those about to get married:
I wish you all the best for a life full of health and happiness, regardless of to whom you choose to commit. Love is love. And we need more love in the world. So, to those about to wed, I salute you. 😉
A brief story to introduce this week’s topic: Once upon a time, in a province halfway across the country, I worked in the bedding and bath section of a department store, a.k.a. ground zero for wedding and bridal shower registries in the early 2000s. I saw many, many anxious, excited, and overwhelmed engaged people who were very chatty with the person setting them up with the registry scanner (that would be me).
I heard about ALL of their wedding plans and a LOT about bridesmaids, wedding party gifts, and who difficult they were to choose (mostly the gifts, but sometimes the people). It seemed that wedding-specific stuff was the go-to then for gifts for the wedding party, and from what I can tell, we’re still somewhere at (what I hope) is the end of that trend.
The thing about weddings is that they are often quite wasteful, especially if there are favours or giveaways or matching things gifted to guests. Think wedding favours with the date of the wedding, things for the wedding party that include the initials of the couple getting married, and the like. Wanting to commemorate the event is awesome and completely understandable but by now, here in 2024, we know that we can do better than to give people stuff that they won’t use beyond the wedding or that will be thrown away once the wedding is over.
Custom order potential!
If your wedding day will be celebrated without a loved one who is no longer alive, key leashes made of a memorable item of their clothing (or other fabric, like a beloved table cloth or familiar curtains, for example) could be a subtle but notable way to have them present for all who remember them. If there is someone who will be carrying a bouquet as a part of your celebration, wrapping the stems in this fabric is another idea. Making pocket squares from that fabric is another idea. (Yes, I do custom orders like this! Get in touch with your ideas!)
I think that this is particularly true of things are obviously specific to the wedding or an associated event like a shower, ‘bachelor’ or ‘bachelorette’ party, or a pre-wedding fundraiser. #TeamBride stuff is only relevant for so long but something that is useful for years to come is *chef’s kiss.* Something that is upcycled? Well, I’m pretty biased on this one, but I’d say this is the best idea EVER. Weddings are, by their very design, about a lot of tradition but are also important markers of generational change. Using upcycled fabrics gives a nod to the past AND shows your concern for the future. #winning (are we still doing that one?)
There are plenty of good ideas out there for low-waste, sustainable wedding favours or gifts for the guests, such as donations to a charity in the name of the guest and wildflower seed paper save the date and place cards, for example, so this post will focus on ideas for sustainable gifts for the wedding party. Any of these could be done in matching/event colours to keep the group unity feel intact.
Read on for 4 ideas for wedding party gifts (and a few extra too)!
For the makeup wearers:
You can’t go wrong with a zippered pouch, like the ones from Something Different Upcycled. It could contain a coordinating piece of jewelry that you’d like your crew to wear, items needed for the day (or the day after), and could be easily personalized. Very useful for years to come after the wedding.
For the practical-minded:
A key leash. It could be attached to a hotel room key (if your location has such things) for each wedding party member or attached to a small zippered pouch to create a wristlet. This is one of my favourite ideas (and it could work for any kind of guest favour as well), since these are useful daily items that will evoke memories of your celebration each time the recipient uses it.
For the crew that needs to keep track of things:
Tote bags would be a fun way to encourage your wedding party folks to stay organized, particularly if you all need to travel to the wedding, and could be filed with items that are useful for the destination, like maps, sunscreen, or bug repellent. (I once had to travel to beach in a regional park for a somewhat stealthy small wedding. I would have LOVED to have a bag with bug spray and a map.) These can be a subtle commemoration of the event by using a matching or on-theme fabric for all totes. Consider including a note card that explains the origins of the tote bag. For example: “This tote bag was custom made by hand in Canada for our event by Something Different Upcycled, using only thrifted and deadstock fabrics.”
For those that need pocket squares (or are likely to cry):
Consider having matching pocket squares/handkerchiefs made for the people on your crew who will need them. Those who don’t could also be included by providing them with coordinating or matching handkerchiefs. Great for hot weather, errant happy tears, and for wrapping up little goodies. Oooohhhh….just thought! If you want to include little bundles of sweets like candied almonds in your wedding, you could wrap them in these too! There is a great selection of lighter-weight fabric napkins in the shop that would be PERFECT for this!
Bonus idea!
For those who will give gifts to parents, service providers, officiants, etc:
Reusable fabric gift wrap is great for this. It can easily be made in the colours associated with your event and custom made for the size of the gift you plan to give.
If you’re interested in working with me to create some custom items for your wedding, please get in touch! The more items you need, the more time I’ll need to create them, but if you see something in the shop that you like and want a few more of for your event, fairly last minute orders are possible. Either way, let’s chat! And local folks, don’t sleep on the free delivery offer for the month of June 2024. Click here to get to my previous post for the details.
Weddings should be joyous! And they can absolutely be done in a way that is low-waste, including sustainable gifts for your wedding party. Something Different Upcycled can help make that happen for your wedding. Click here to get in touch, here to go right to the shop, or here to follow Something Different Upcycled on Instagram.