The average wedding in Australia costs upwards of $50,000, and the idea of being eco-conscious on your wedding day can seem counterintuitive to the idea of planning the best day of your life. On your wedding day, the billion dollar Australian wedding industry encourage us to indulge on the perfect dress, the best food, beautiful stationery, a large wedding registry, impressive wedding favours and those ‘aww’ worthy centrepieces!
However, with a booming choice of options, we are also left post-wedding with a substantial amount of single-use items, unwanted gifts and waste that is having a devastating impact on the environment.
SCRgroup, one of the country’s largest and most innovative clothing and homeware re-use and recycling companies would like to share ways in which you can reduce your waste without compromising the overall look and feel of your wedding!
• Choose all-natural wedding favours and paper products made from recycled materials as well as try to reduce the number of printed pieces you need – i.e. create a beautiful website and have menus printed per couple or table as well as on recycled paper.
• Source a second-hand wedding dress, and before you panic, we are not suggesting everyone buys vintage! There are literally hundreds of websites where you can pick up a near new dress online, the majority of which have only been worn once (or NEVER!) This is also a great way make back a significant cost after your wedding day, by re-listing your dress online.
• When it comes to bridesmaid’s jewellery or even your wedding band, look at eco-friendly choices by choosing recycled stones and metals, vintage pieces or responsibly sourced diamonds and gold for your wedding jewellery.
• Choose in-season local and organic foods for your menu to avoid unnecessary use of plastic packaging.
• Be conscious of portion sizes and think about how many courses you need for guests to enjoy themselves.Â
• If you are still in the early stages of planning your wedding, why not opt for a cocktail style reception? Not only are cocktail receptions more social, but the perfect way to reduce the amount of waste, i.e. menus, cutlery, menus, laundry and table settings.
•  Add eco-friendly gifts and brands to your wedding gift registry.
• Ask for either unwrapped gifts sent directly to your home or gift cards, to minimise wasted wrapping paper and ribbon.
• Ask guests to donate a small pledge in the new couple’s name to an environmental charity.
• Bring sustainability into the décor such as Mason jars or old wine bottles that are ideal for floral table arrangements or cocktail service.
And lastly, any unwanted wedding gifts, accessories, small electrical items unbreakable crockery, even a shoe without a pair can be dropped off to groups such as SCRgroup who work tirelessly to give Australia’s unwanted things a second life.
So, yes! Even if you lose a shoe on your wedding night, SCRgroup will find a home for your unwanted goods in local and global communities where low-cost clothing is in demand, and access to essential everyday items are limited.
 To find out more visit http://scrg.com.au/
The Carousel would like to thank Casey Stanton for this article.
