6 Smart Tips for an Eco-friendly Wedding in Costa Rica

Your wedding is the most special day of your life. But, with leftover food thrown away, decorative flowers dumped in the garbage, and tossed plastic and paper goods, it can also be one of the most wasteful.  

In all the excitement of tying the knot with the person you love, it is easy to overlook the impact a wedding might have on the environment.  If you believe in celebrating your bond of love with your family and friends without damaging the environment, all you need is a little bit of planning! 

Planning an eco-friendly wedding in Costa Rica is much easier than you might anticipate. And luckily, there are multiple ways to have a green wedding.  

However, before we unveil the smart tips to host a zero-waste wedding, here are some startling facts about how much a traditional marriage harms the environment.  

• One wedding can produce as much as 20 kgs of plastic waste because many single-use plastic items, such as disposable cutlery, plates, and cups, are commonly used in weddings.  
• On average, around 10-15% of the food is wasted at a wedding. 
• Only 15% of the guests would eat more than one meal course. 

Modern couples are replacing the old ways and switching to eco-friendly alternatives to reduce waste and plastic pollution. If you too want to do your bit in saving the planet without compromising the idea of your dream wedding. There are many novel ways to make each aspect of your big day more eco-friendly in Costa Rica. 

1. Be Thoughtful About Your Location 

Your wedding should reflect your personality, your values, and your beliefs. If living an eco-friendly lifestyle is important to you and your partner, your weddings should reflect the same. 

Choosing where to host your big day can significantly impact its sustainability. Although there are various luxurious wedding villas in Costa Rica, choose a place where there is a large outdoor space to accommodate all your guests. 

Having your wedding take place outdoors means ample natural light. You will be able to find gardens and refurbished barns, which offer the perfect set-up for anyone looking to ensure their special day has the minimum impact on the surrounding ecosystem. 

Costa Rica has lots of green spaces to discover. Various luxurious wedding villas in Costa Rica support sustainable practices.  

Look for a venue that prioritizes sustainability through operational efficiency, sourcing local supplies and ingredients, and responsible use of natural resources. 

Choose a venue that has lots of natural elements to offer. If you are looking for an idyllic venue spread across acres of exotic rainforest, you can consider Villa Firenze. Our villa offers breathtaking architecture that will create an incredibly unique wedding set-up.   

Finding the perfect venue will require research. But planning your wedding at Villa Firenze in Costa Rica will fulfill your eco-conscious desires because we provide a personal concierge to cater to everything you need. 

2. Get Creative with Invites 

Give a creative spin to the traditional way of sending wedding invites to your guests. You can go digital or green when sending your friends and family wedding invites.  There are various platforms where you can create beautiful invites online. And it is super easy too! 

However, if you want to send your guests a wedding invite, the traditional way, you can make it eco-friendly. Various plant-friendly suppliers work towards reducing the wastage of paper. You can also use recycled paper or plantable seed paper for the invites and envelopes. 

3. Use Sustainable Wedding Decor 

Celebrate the natural beauty of Costa Rican wedding venue and keep your decor simple. For tablecloths and napkins, you can choose from various sustainable materials like hessian, hemp, or pure linen that are available on the market.  

There are two ways to choose a sustainable wedding decor – going floral or playing around with other elements like lighting. But freshly cut plants are not healthy for the environment. But, if you still want to incorporate floral decoration, you should ditch artificial flowers and use 100% fresh blooms that are biodegradable. Also, consider potted flowers, such as orchids or spray roses.  

If you choose to play around with lighting, you can use hanging fairy lights and romantic candles to provide a stunning set-up for your nuptials. This can be a fantastic alternative for couples who want to avoid using flowers and keep their pledge to be as eco-friendly as possible. 

4. Donate Your Floral Decor 

Forget tossing all the decor post-wedding, as there are plenty of ways to reuse, recycle, or donate goods once the celebrations are over. Flowers can also be reused.  Many organizations will pick up your arrangements and donate them to health centers, homeless shelters, and shelters for senior citizens. 

For other decoration items like mirrors, lights, signage, and lanterns, consider incorporating them into your own house. You can drop it off at a local thrift store if something is not a fit. 

5. Use Sustainable Produce 

Food is a significant part of every wedding. Always look for vendors who use only locally sourced, sustainable, and seasonal produce. If you want to ditch meat and go for vegetarian and vegan options, you can design a menu with the help of a personal chef available at Villa Firenze, a destination wedding venue in Costa Rica.  You can enjoy a customized gourmet food menu, tailor-made to fit your special dietary requirements.  

For drinks, you can check out local breweries and distilleries. Purchasing food and drinks from the local market is a great way to support the community and make your wedding memorable. 

6. Reduce Food Wastage 

What happens to all the leftover food in the chafing dish? It gets thrown in the dustbin post-service! Weddings and any large affair contribute to the wastage of food in large quantities. So, opt for plated dinners to avoid excess food. If you go for a buffet, you can design a menu with your chef and speak to your caterer about reusing leftover food. You can also donate extra food to a homeless shelter.  

The Final Word 

With its lush tropical forests, scenic beaches, and rich cultural heritage, Costa Rica offers a truly unique and unforgettable setting for a green wedding.  

Your wedding celebrates your unique love story. If you plan to have a green wedding, we hope this blog will inspire you to be mindful of your impact as you go about your wedding plans.  

An eco-friendly, destination wedding in Costa Rica can be a beautiful and meaningful celebration that helps protect the environment. Couples can positively impact the planet while creating memories by choosing a sustainable venue, reducing waste, and opting for locally sourced products.   

So, whether you are planning a destination wedding or a local celebration, remember that every step you take towards sustainability can make a big difference in preserving the beauty and vitality of Costa Rica. And Villa Firenze is leading the charge.