Fairytale Wedding or Happily Ever After [Visual]

Changed Wedding Plans? It Might Not Be a Bad Thing

Like many things in 2020, wedding plans have been turned upside down. While this can be a very emotional and frustrating reality to face, there are some silver linings. On average, weddings cost $33,900 (2019) and couples being forced to change their plans now have the opportunity to reevaluate their priorities and where they want their hard-earned savings to go.

In the visual below you’ll see some typical wedding costs pinned against other financial alternatives, just to put wedding spending into perspective. For example, the average cost for a wedding planner is $1,500 which is comparable to the median mortgage payment of $1,566 (depending on cost and your mortgage rate of course). Aside from the cost-savings, downsizing and changing elements of your wedding can greatly reduce the environmental impact of your nuptials.

You don’t need to have a large, lavish wedding to have a great time — there are a ton of celebration options to consider like elopements, micro weddings and other smaller events. When thinking about your environmental impact the biggest factor is how many people you invite and how far they have to travel.

By cutting down your guest list, you’re cutting costs and environmental impacts. Having a lot of people fly in from out of town is a big part of this as one passenger in a transatlantic flight can account for one ton of CO2 emissions. Some estimates show that a wedding can produce 63 tons of CO2 and 400 lbs. of garbage.

So what can you do to reduce your own wedding’s impact? See some tips below:

Pick a smaller celebration or elopement
Go for a local venue (with eco-efficiency standards if possible)
Reduce travel by hosting your ceremony and reception at the same location
Use digital invites or all recycled paper
Source local vendors to decrease travel time
Pick food that’s local, in-season and organic
Try out vegetarian and vegan options
Rent reusable dishware and table settings
Rent attire or find things you’ll wear for years to come
Source a second-hand or vintage wedding dress
Consider lab-grown diamond, vintage or unorthodox rings
Don’t release lanterns or balloons that become liter once they land
Ditch the large flower centerpieces and use them more sparingly
Pre-arrange to donate leftover food (shelters, food banks, etc.) and arrangements (assisted living facilities, hospitals, etc.)
Instead of favors, donate to a charity in your guests’ names

It really comes down to balancing your budget, eco-efficiency and the type of celebration that best represents you and your partner. As mentioned before, you can see some of the different wedding costs and their financial alternatives compared below to help you see what is and is not crucial to include in your big day.