Our Sustainable Wedding | eco-friendly, budget-friendly & DIY Wedding Tips & Ideas

[@OleksandraDietrich]

This is me first time watching a video/reading/hearing about a wedding without feeling disgusting because of such a wast of money, time, food, decoration etc that people mostly have. Really good advises, especially about flowers and decorations!

[@Maria-fh4oh]

I love how you guys didnt feel the need to care about what others thought and just did what you guys wanted with your wedding

[@EdnaShufflebottom]

Thank you for making this video, I've been trying to find ways to make my own wedding more eco-friendly and I'm sick of the industry trying to pressurise people into having celebrity style weddings. It's been an inspiration to see how wonderfully your wedding turned out and has made me more excited about trying to do the same :D

[@MyGreenCloset]

The wedding industry is pretty insane, so commercialized! I think weddings should be personal and just about celebrating and have a good time :) All the best wishes for your wedding!

[@jammymommy]

Wow. You've really opened my eyes about how our seemingly small decisions really do make a difference. Thank you!

[@acmulhern]

This reminds me of my wedding. Lots of things that you've mentioned are things that we also did: choosing a beautiful location so there was no need for decoration etc. Our tables were minimally decorated with white table cloths and large silver candelabras in the middle (no flowers). What was great also was that the location that we chose were the ones who provided all of the items, from tableware to chairs, candelabras, food, music etc. That way we literally didn't purchase anything and everything was rented. I hadn't even heard of zero waste at the time, but now I'm pretty proud of what we managed to achieve without knowing. It's so nice to know that your wedding didn't produce any waste 😊

[@natalieackerman5829]

i love that you had a vegetarian/vegan wedding! The resources saved through that alone is wonderful!

[@jennybanana2296]

What a beautiful wedding! Thanks for sharing. I think today it's totally okay to ask for money for a honeymoon (or travels) and it's also very eco friendly (at least way better than getting things you don't actually need). At the end of the day I think the memories from your wedding and the honeymoon are much more precious than the nice dishes or the fancy coffee maker

[@emmaphilo4049]

Asking for money for the honeymoon is something common where I am from in France. The new generation can't be bothered having loads of stuff fot the kitchen and travelling is more popular for our generation too

[@tiarawhaley1061]

I just got engaged and am excited to rewatch this with a new perspective!

[@MyGreenCloset]

Congratulations!!

[@tiarawhaley1061]

My Green Closet Thank you so much!

[@TheJazz3698]

Tiara Whaley I did too! On new years :)

[@tiarawhaley1061]

Jasmine Mackus Same! Congratulations!

[@saraiblack3329]

Happy Anniversary. Thank you for sharing your wedding with us, it looks so beautiful. I often feel bad that I didn't have the lavish wedding that it seems we're supposed to have, seeing how simple your wedding was though makes me feel better. I confess when we were planning our wedding we didn't think too much about being eco-friendly, but we were able to reduce the environmental impact now that I think about it, my cousins bridesmaids dresses were second hand and my dress I am able to wear again once I get around to getting hemming it. There also wasn't much traveling as we kept the guest list to under 30 so that really helped, the decorations and the food definitely weren't eco but it was what we could afford at the time.

[@MyGreenCloset]

Thank you!

[@Renskeeee]

I really like the simplicity and authenticity of your wedding. It looks way more personal than a lot of the big weddings are. The money-thing I think is better than just gathering more and more and more stuff, that will be collecting dust over time. And now you gained amazing experiences, you will never forget.

[@JustClaire]

Your wedding photos are lovely! and I think you both did a great job in planning an eco-friendly wedding. Thank you for sharing such a personal story. Hugs, Claire

[@fashionisbliss]

I'm so glad you came up with this video idea! I love the fact that you did the loonies bar and donated the proceeds to charity

[@van7708]

Sounds great! Looked awesome. In the Netherlands we don't do a lot of stuff people do in America so weddings are usually more simple anyway. It's also not controversial here to ask for money, it's what a lot of (most) people do. And no engagement rings (what are they for?) here either.

[@MyGreenCloset]

That's really great! I feel like weddings in North America in particular have unfortunately become very commercialized.

[@FortheLoveofOrganizing]

Such an amazing story! Your wedding was beautiful! I loved your bouquets and the story behind them even though they may have caused a little extra stress. And your rings...so whimsical. ✨💗✨

[@MyGreenCloset]

Thank you so much!

[@kriscox4019]

Being a vegan Albertan myself, I hear you about serving vegan food at any event in Alberta! Glad it went so well!

[@archanapaladugu368]

This is such a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing.

[@amandachapman842]

We registered at Flight Center. We went on a beautiful honeymoon to Portugal. Everyone was so supportive and kept saying “I wish I had known you could register for flights, I would have done it for my wedding!”

[@TheSimplicityDiaries]

What an awesome video Erin! I LOVED watching this. You had amazing ideas to keep your wedding eco friendly but still lovely and pleasant both for you and your guests. I especially liked the charity looney bar and the little thrifted decorations on tables. I have plenty of friends that rather than keep accumulating stuff (in these days most young couples already have everything they need) choose the honeymoon travel as a gift from family and friends as you did. They all went to the travel's agency and let them plan everything and guests could go directly there and leave the desired amount to the operators at the travel agency. I am not married but I'll definitely go with this option when I will! Thanks for sharing this!!

[@cheersyears3679]

I loved this video so much and your wedding looked beautiful!! I especially love the multi-purposing of home-grown bouquets, your rings, and the cash bar for charity! If I had to plan my wedding over again I would definitely make more eco-friendly decisions. I'm glad I can advise future brides on great tips like this in the future!

[@marialbert9096]

Wow, beautiful wedding, stunning rings, beautiful couple, beautiful ideas and implementation. Loved watching this video.

[@truthandbeautyco]

I love your eco-friendly wedding. These tips will come in handy. I am excited to use some of these tips

[@iceflurrie]

What a beautiful wedding and great tips!

[@spacewoman7814]

Beautiful photos: looks like a really lovely wedding! I agree about wishing we'd booked a videographer - anyone planning their wedding: DO IT! - because the day goes so fast. Hometown weddings are great because you can call in favours. Our gifts to guests were bottles of beer from the local brewery, with personalised labels. We 'flash mobbed' the local park for drinks and photos - so it was free. Instead of a guest book, we had a 'wish tree' and tags for guests to write on and hang on it. Afterwards, we collected the messages in a book and planted the tree in local woodland. And since our theme was Mexican Day of the Dead, my whole family pitched in to make bright paper flowers for a wedding arch - which the venue liked so much, they asked to keep it as a permanent fixture. I'm lucky to have ex-Hippie parents, who didn't pressurise us to do things traditionally. But I'd encourage everyone to stay strong in the face of the insane wedding industry and keep things personal, fun and low waste.

[@MyGreenCloset]

That sounds so lovely and fun! I completely agree about avoiding the pressure of the wedding industry :)

[@MyMinimalistBaby]

Wow this is great. I love the intentionality of this. When i got married i would have loved to do the rent a house do a DIY thing. The most amazing weddings i've ever attended were always like this. Unfortunately because my husband had such a big extended family to do so and then get catering was much much more expensive than just getting a package deal from a hotel for the reception. It is a shame we didn't own our farm back then because it would have been the perfect venue. I made our cake which was cupcakes on a stand and a top small cutting cake that i made vegan. My mum sewed my dress (she got stressed by the experience too so i regret doing that actually), so they were our DIY touches in the end.

[@hmerle]

Really nice and inspiring video! The weddings looks like it was a gorgeous day. I especially liked the photobooth pictures, you come across very calm in your videos and it's fun to see your crazy side in those photo's. ;)

[@wiebki]

your wedding looked so beautiful. definitely going to take some of your ideas for our wedding next year. in Germany it's pretty normal to ask for money as a gift. even if you don't specifically ask for it, most people will gift money. nowadays most couples already live together and have more than enough stuff. so no need for any additional pots and pans.

[@heatherhumphrey9102]

Loved this video! I absolutely adore that you made your own dress. My husband and I really tried to make our wedding Eco friendly and very much our own style. We had it at our new homestead that we had bought together, only used decorations we already had or borrowed from family, used locally grown flowers, and my dress was bought from a local vintage dress shop 2nd hand. Some things I wish we could have changed were in the catering department. I wish I could have ensured all local products and that I would have made sure he used sustainable plates and silverware, I thought we were going to be using actual China and I was mistaken. Loved all your ideas!

[@MyGreenCloset]

Thank you!

[@emmabrown8507]

Very informational! I loved this video, and I the advice is great! Thanks for sharing your story! Your husband and you are such a cute couple!

[@Jessicaaljp]

I absolutely love the paper flower backdrop and the bouquets.

[@eavs772]

Wow!!! Congrats! Love your work

[@paolamucino7842]

We wanted to have a small wedding, which we kind of had. Our budget was very short and even if we had the money, we wouldn´t spend so much in a wedding, and since I´m Mexican and we had to move from Mexico to the US suddenly, my family couldn´t make it, which took away some of the meaning and sentimentalism from me...but my husband´s family pushed to have something more "fancy" and more to fulfill their idea of what they expected from this wedding, they didn´t respect some of the things we did not want, like the cake hahahahaha. Anyways, for me is not a moment to remember so well. BUT, we did find the way of getting some things done our way: I made my dress, decoration was some dream catchers made from local Native Americans and a big one that I made for the ceremony, we use the Imperial March from Star Wars instead of the typical one (This seriously rocked the wedding haha) Anyways, I like the way you managed this event, you looked so beautiful!

[@missmatti]

Loved hearing about your beautiful wedding! I have been enjoying your videos a lot the past days since finding your channel. Being inspired to get some new ones up and touch upon ethical fashion amongst other things myself. 2 weeks after my own wedding we were actually moving to were you're from, as such we asked people not to give big gifts or things we couldn't bring into Canada. We also got married outside, actually on the beach where I grew up, and had a very simple wedding that we planned in 2,5 weeks! I think we might also need to make a video about that and how to approach sustainability in such short time frame! :)

[@ngocarina]

Great video! I wish I had seen this before my wedding last year. I'll pass your tips on to my friends and family who will be getting married in the future.

[@emiliepeloquin8366]

Thank you for sharing your wedding experience, I found it really helpful. My boyfriend and I just got engaged and we don't really know what kind of wedding we want. We're not in a rush either, we've already been together for 9 years.. We're not religious and we don't want to follow any traditions, so we have to create our own wedding "format". For example, I don't think my boyfriend will want a wedding ring. I might get him a nice watch instead.

[@MyGreenCloset]

Congratulations! It's great to have time and create your own "format" :) I think it's wonderful and way more special to just do things the way you want!

[@IyannaMcDonald]

I love the idea of a "loonie" bar and donating the money to charity! I went to a friend's wedding last year and they had an open bar all weekend. There were half empty bottles and glasses everywhere, which was disappointing, so I think what you did is a wonderful idea!

[@lisah.2900]

Loved this video - thank you for sharing! Your wedding photos are just gorgeous. We are planning our wedding for later this year, so this has been wonderful insight. I love your idea of cutting down on travel. We'll be doing the same thing - almost all the people we are inviting are in France, so the two of us are travelling to them instead of asking everyone to come to us (Australia)! Much more environmentally-friendly, and just logical too! :)

[@missmarvelousme]

I love seeing this video as I'm planning my own wedding! I do think I will send paper invites (seal and send so no envelopes) and have an open bar because I think having guests pay for drinks is poor etiquette, but I love your ideas on decorations!

[@sandy_.martinez_]

I loved hearing about your wedding day planning experience. What was your budget for the wedding and reception? Congrats to you both!

[@leaxo559]

Very good idea with the donation :)

[@ellamarie9429]

Loved your minimalist Vegan green video! I’ll definitely take your lead When my boyfriend and I get married!

[@linhtrung4181]

In Asian culture, guests contribute money in red envelopes to help the bride and groom pay for the wedding or their future house. And if you want to look at it this way, the financial stress can be smaller than when you ask for objects.

[@fufala84]

In Hungary too. There is a bride dance throughout the night where guests give the money to the couple.

[@jasanna4365]

This sounds like such an interesting wedding! And the wedding rings are so amazing!

[@RakeshBattulag]

BEAUTIFUL down to the last detail!

[@kcatfish2268]

You had some beautiful ideas. Stunning rings, with such wonderful meaning.

[@imaginaryXreal]

Hi Beth. I loved the ideas you shared. Where can I find information on renting the cabin?

[@louisah6020]

I just moved to Alberta and yes, people love their meat here!! Also, what a lovely wedding you had! :)

[@makaylamarshall9743]

My cousin is having her wedding this summer and she did the same thing in asking people to contribute for their honeymoon rather than a registry. I think it's slowly becoming more popular for the environmentally/minimalist minded.

[@Utopia]

Great. Thanks for sharing.

[@visnakovajelena862]

Your wedding looks amazing!!!

[@stucumins8511]

How lovely of you to share your special day with us. I found your thoughtfulness really interesting and your video contained many good ideas. Money is always a good idea for a wedding gift as it gives the couple options and choice and is the norm in many cultures. Congratulations on four years of marriage and here's to many more! You know I love your work and philosophy! Regards, Deb.

[@temporarythoughts]

Great inspiration. Thank you for sharing. :)

[@caramelushca]

💖 It looked like a very beautiful wedding!

[@nelliaford1381]

I'm so happy you are from edmonton, I've Been there lots! And the stuff about alberta beef is so true, I relate to all the local albertan stuff u talk about!

[@ilap381]

Great video, thanks for sharing! When I go to big events I feel always overwhelmed and uncomfortable thinking about all the waste that they come with. I think I always hated weddings for this reason but seeing this video I almost feel like I could get married one day :D

[@susanvelez6534]

Your wedding was STUNNING! I think everything was lovely..... Donating to your favorite charity as well, oh this video took my breath away...... Everything , everything was just lovely. I'm so impressed! 🙌🏼

[@MyGreenCloset]

Thank you so much!

[@mikahlactpo]

wow so blow away with this!! I love that you kept this eco friendly and still so beautiful! This is very inspiring :)

[@MyGreenCloset]

Thank you so much!

[@annadeak1184]

So inspiring! Thank you for the information and enthusiasm :)

[@brasnany]

I would like to know how you did the paper flower background

[@Kelsey-fd9tp]

Yay thanks for this I’m from Edmonton and this video helps so so much!

[@jeanettemerstrand8851]

What a fun video! I just found your channel, and I am really excited to watch some more of your videos! :)

[@blueangelandra]

Yep, this video confirms it! We would definitely be best friends if we knew each-other in real life. My friends always think I'm weird when I insist on coming up with green ways to do conventional stuff... *sigh* I really need an eco-friendly friend in my life, haha!

[@MyGreenCloset]

Haha quite a few of my friends think I'm weird too!

[@fancynancy2870]

Yay! You're Canadian 🇨🇦

[@LaAlesaura]

In Italy It's pretty common to ask for money for the honey moon :) I completely agree with you: if you don't need more stuff, gifts are just not necessary

[@LaAlesaura]

I love your videos, by the way :)

[@purrrfectblood]

Thank you very much for the video! :) I'm searching for green wedding ideas for quite some time now. I would like to have a small "tea-party"-Party, with little sweets and some awesome tea, maybe some light snacks. I think that is way easier to make some sweet things vegan, than a whole menu. As gifts for guests I think some little succulents would serve es a decoration before and could be given to the guests afterwards. I think your wedding looks like a lot of fun, and your dresses and flowers were stunning. Thanks for sharing :)

[@MyGreenCloset]

That sounds really lovely!

[@wifyhome]

Videographer tip is awesome!

[@michellerobinson9144]

Watching from Alberta. Love your videos.

[@MalinaCC]

In my culture (I'm Cambodian American), it's pretty normal to give money in envelopes or straight cash instead of gifts (although more people opt for gifts now). Usually the bride and groom will come to each table and have to "fight" for the envelope (someone stands on a chair and they have to grab it, etc. etc.) :D I like the idea of having a webpage, but I'm not sure if my relatives would like that, let alone if they could figure out how to use it XD Do you have more photos of your wedding? I would love to know more about what kinds of vegan/vegetarian dishes you had...also wedding photos are so cute :3

[@a91170]

lovely ♥

[@idaolsonen5720]

I've been a huge fan of your channel for a while now, now commenting for the first time. Verena, I really appreciate your thoughts and am very thankful for you sharing them with us! You've been one of the biggest influences for me in taking my eco-friendly lifestyle and interpreting it properly in my wardrobe & the choices relating to that. Even though our wedding is already in less than a fortnight, this particular video came across at just the perfect time. It feels so good to know that we're not the only ones out there trying to keep things relatively simple and relaxed at our wedding, also thinking very carefully about where to spend the money & which suppliers to support. One detail puzzles me: what in particular was bad with the helium balloons, any specific reasons? We haven't ordered ours yet, and I'd appreciate to hear from you if there are potential downsides in having them that we haven't thought abou. Hugs from Helsinki!

[@MyGreenCloset]

+Ida Olsonen thank you so much for your kind words! It's really nice to hear that my videos have been helpful to you. :) All the best wishes for your wedding! It's wonderful you're trying to keep it relaxed and thinking about the suppliers your supporting! Regarding the helium balloons, I actually learned fairly recently that helium is a non-renewable resource, it's mined from the earth which is energy intensive and scientists are also worried about the stockpiles of helium being drained because it's also used with medical/scientific equipment and research. There is also is the problem of helium balloons accidentally flying away, the broken balloons can be eaten by turtles, fish, birds, and other animals and can kill them. I've seen some creative ways people have used just regular air balloons tied to strings or poles to have a similar look without helium though!

[@idaolsonen5720]

Well that definitely rules out helium balloons as decoration! We'll come up with something else instead :)

[@MyGreenCloset]

You can try searching "no helium balloons" on pinterest there are some interesting ideas and arrangements people have created without helium :)

[@chandaharkins4418]

perfect! loved this.

[@AdrenalinDaisy]

Alberta Represent!!! I agree it's so hard to be a vegetarian here. I used to live in Ontario and definitely get more slack and comments here in AB.

[@jordanesmith6128]

Thumbs up for E town!!!

[@Stefaniepcc]

I have the same opinion about gifts!! I want people to give money for the honeymoon instead of stuff (that i really don't want). Well, I'm 21 but if I get married I'll definitely do that. Love your video

[@juliaa.9870]

Stefanie Camacho I got married when I was 22, so... 😬

[@victoriasun6386]

Nice video do you still have your actual wedding dress

[@ToriPlaysDressUp]

I'm definitely going to try and sell some of my wedding stuff, there's no way i need so many decor bits and like flower girl dresses they'll have grown out of etc such a waste for 1 day

[@minimalilly4003]

Hey :) Thank you for this wonderful video and for sharing your wedding with us! Your fotos are amazaing! In every one of them one can see what matters most at this special day: love and compassion!!

[@MyGreenCloset]

Thank you!

[@marijkeBongers]

Hi, love this video! We are a small slow fashion studio in the Netherlands and make ethical and eco (bridal) clothes. But also sell the fabrics and can help with the fitting if a friend or mother makes the dress. We only use organic, cruelty free, fair materials. Or we use recycled materials. We can dye the outfit before of after your wedding with plantdyes. If we buy new materials we are always looking for the best ethical solution we can find. Using the clothes again is a big part of the whole design proces. We make the clothes in parts and layers. In that way you can wear all the parts even the underwear (like a nice simple peace silk or organic cotton slipdress and the top with lace) styled differently later. We know people always change a bit in weight so we have solutions for that, like extra wide seams or we could change the outfit later with an other solution. Because we want to pay the people who help us also a fair minimal wage it is not a cheap solution (if you decide to let our studio make your dress/outfit) but if you can do it yourself or someone you know, you could learn a lot and have a lot of fun. Just start in time! This video is very inspiring, I am looking in the Netherlands for more ethical small businesses for flowers and make-up to help bride here to make ethical choices. I hope you do not see this as an unwanted selfpromotion, if so just let me know. I am just so exited about the many ideas we have and think it is pretty hard to find solutions if you want to live this life style. It is my passion to show there are more solutions than going for the dirty fashion industrie.

[@marilurasonyi218]

Great ideas! Thank you and congratulation! :)

[@asiainNC]

Great story! Thank you for the video! Do you have any suggestions as to how to dye your wedding dress using non-toxic chemicals? I'm sure many of us have kept our dresses for that purpose and eventually never did it. Happy anniversary!

[@MyGreenCloset]

Thank you! It depends a lot on what your dress is made of, polyester and most synthetics are very difficult to dye and there really is no way without harsh chemicals. Natural fibre synthetics and cotton are easier but I don't think a lot of weddings dresses are cotton, and silk is the easiest to dye. With natural fibres you can use the store bought, at-home dyes which are better but not non-toxic, you could also use natural dyes which silk especially will take well. Some natural dyes do need other chemical components though, it entirely depends on the dye, but some like turmeric (yellow/orange) will dye fabric without the need for a mordant. It can get quite complicated though and if you want to try out natural dying I would recommend working with or getting advice from someone with a lot of experience.

[@asiainNC]

Thanks so much for your reply, it sounds interesting..and a bit complicated ;).

[@iiq96]

LOVE THIS ♡♡♡♡

[@sierrajones4681]

you're my hero...and your husband resembles Orlando Bloom.

[@jessicawatson7360]

Do u use non-toxic candles?

[@sarahv1468]

Love this channel💖💖💖💖💖

[@jaianeoliveira4419]

Você é um encanto

[@annagillette7566]

What did you guys do with leftover food? It looked like you had a lot of food.

[@MyGreenCloset]

There actually wasn't a lot of leftovers, but I guess catering companies always make more than estimated so it won't run out. Since it was buffet style the caterers bring back anything left and told us that the staff generally eat it/take it all home which I thought was great. Another benefit of a buffet vs. plated meals which would have to be dumped.

[@AoibheannDoyle-SoulTherapist]

Brilliant info!

[@MeanderingMeagan4]

Beautiful! I love the bright orange accents. Where did you honeymoon?

[@MyGreenCloset]

Thanks! We went to Ireland for a bit and then bicycled through Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic, it was amazing!

[@daianmoi8528]

How much did the cost end up being?

[@millennialmoneymom]

Great video!!!!

[@STELLARSUBLIMINALS1111]

You live in Vancouver?! It would be cool for you to set meet ups up!

[@amylovesorganic]

Great video. I am not as minimalist as you are however, if I had to do my wedding again I would like small and maybe even destination or a location like you had. We had a big church wedding mostly for my parents and grandparents. I mostly did what I wanted for the wedding apart from size. Also about the gift controversy, I totally understand the reasoning but it is so hard in our culture to want to give money. Honestly I think for me it comes down to pride. I would buy something I thought was more valuable than I felt like I could give in dollar amount. Does that make sense? I recently went to a wedding where they had a very small list but really wanted money for their honeymoon. I did find a perfect gift for them that I knew they would love. We have a very close relationship and I wanted something that would remind them of us. It's a tough one. As far as our wedding registry we went to Macy's and were told for our number of guests (200) we needed to have a certain number of things on our list because people like to buy you things. They encouraged us to add a lot of things and told us we could return them later (this was 12 yrs ago). We did that and ended up buying a nice love seat that we still have and love that it was our first piece of furniture we bought together.

[@MissRingsparr]

we are gonna have our wedding in my boyfriends hometown and we are gonna ask his brother if we can have the afterparty in his backyard.... its about yes 8min car ride from the church too his brothers house...

[@MyGreenCloset]

Nice!

[@victoriasun7767]

Do you still have your actual wedding dress

[@katelynstrack4964]

I have been married for almost two years now. My husband and I eloped but I still purchased a wedding gown for our ceremony. I had it preserved immediately afterwards simply because that is what my family has always done with wedding dresses. However, since I have begun my journey into minimalism, that dress is becoming a bit of a burden. I have tried to sell it online but so far no luck. I would love to make it into something else that could be worn again but I do not have the skills for that and I am pretty sure it won't fit me anymore. It feels too special to just throw in the goodwill donation bin but I am at such a loss and omg is that box taking up space! Does anyone here have any ideas for me?

[@temporarythoughts]

Remember that you are doing this to bring more joy into your life. Dont get too stressed :) You could gift it to someone special or someone in need. Have it amended by a tailor. Create a completely different product out of the material. I am sure you will figure something out. And if all fails, donating is not a bad option.

[@kwell2307]

You're such an eloquent speaker.

[@eavs772]

Can you do a video on eco friendly hair removal please?

[@temporarythoughts]

Using safety razor or sugaring method are pretty much zero waste. Permanent removal can also be an option for its longterm effect.

[@annaaranda6489]

Yesssss vegan all the wayyy

[@divyabhatt5207]

Is it just me or is this video just ever so slightly blurred/unclear? Good information, though. Thanks for that! :)

[@CorinaEco]

[@claudialopez4000]

At what age you married?