The wedding exit is a fun part to plan but coming up with eco-friendly wedding send-off ideas that are unique isn’t always easy! Though, as someone who’s made good wedding choices and choices that could’ve been improved, I’m here to share my experience and wisdom so your day goes off without a hitch (except for the getting hitched part)!
Dearly beloved…
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Eco-Friendly Wedding Send-Off Ideas
The wedding send-off at the end of the ceremony or reception is a chance for both you and your guests to shine. It’s your chance to wrap up a wonderful day and head off into the great, wild married yonder! It’s also a chance for your family and friends to shower you with love, support, and celebratory cheers.
Your guests want to wish you well and they’ll have a blast when given this opportunity to express their congratulations. So, if you’re asking, “Should I make a big deal about the wedding send off when I’m trying to be eco-friendly?” Absolutely! Not everyone will have a moment like this in their life, so enjoy it, savor it, and let it fill your heart with gratitude. It can still be eco-friendly and amazing.
After reading, you’ll have many wedding send-off ideas that are creative, unique, and gentler on the earth.
This post is all about eco-friendly wedding send-off ideas.
1. Vintage Hand Bells
If you’ve been blessed or cursed (depending on how you look at it!) with the shopping gene, going on a mission to find vintage hand bells should be right up your alley!
Celebrate your engagement by starting a collection of bells from antique and thrift stores. Brass or metal is probably best, since they’re less breakable versus glass. (You might not be able to trust some guests with glass bells after a few drinks!)
You can also find cool bells on Ebay, ShopGoodwill.com, Facebook Marketplace, and Etsy. Also, try Buy Nothing Project for FREE STUFF. I love Buy Nothing Project and write more about it here.
Bonus Value: Tie a pretty ribbon to each bell so that guests can repurpose as Christmas ornaments!
2. Pampas Grasses
If you have pampas grass plants in your yard, this is something you can harvest yourself, if the timing’s right! Study when your plants bloom and if they coincide with your wedding, then perfect!
Pampas grass is also very easy to preserve for a long time. I still have pampas grass from my 2021 wedding. Encourage guests to take home and pop in a vase.
3. Palm Leaves
Check with your florist or wedding planner to see if you can incorporate palm leaves into your wedding exit. Ask if there’s a native variety that’s a more sustainable choice.
As always,
with natural grasses, leaves,
and other found elements,
consider any allergies your guests
or wedding party might have.
Also, when collecting foraged nature,
make sure you’re not bringing back
any unwanted creepy crawlies with you.
(Let those guys just mosey on their way!)
Not to freak you out,
but this Worst Case Scenario Girl
is always looking out for y’all!
4. Pre-Loved Handkerchiefs
Shop thrift stores for old handkerchiefs that guests can use to bid you adieu!
If you’re not liking the idea of used handkerchiefs, I get that, too. Get them in bulk online preferably through a sustainable seller and encourage guests to keep and reuse over and over again.
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5. Locally-Grown Rose Petals
Roses aren’t always the most sustainable flower because many are shipped in from other places.
Now, lovely, if you have your own rose garden at home (or want to start one like NOW), you could opt for bringing your own homegrown petals! Of course, this might be a lot of petals you have to produce, so plan accordingly, if possible.
6. Handmade Streamers
Collect fallen branches to make the wands. Or, if you don’t have time to collect sticks (because, after all, you’re planning a wedding), use bamboo knitting needles Then, take old cotton fabric and cut into strips to make streamers. Tie streamer strips at the top of each stick wand. Now, your guests can wave you off in eco-style!
Have a receptacle guests can later toss their streamers in, so that they can be composted. For things like knitting needles, check with a local nursing home or arts school to see if you can donate them to their crafting groups.
7. Leaf Confetti
If you live in a suburban forest like I do, you can simply go outside and collect lots of leaves in your yard! Another idea is to visit a public park and collect leaves that have already fallen.
Break the leaves up into confetti-like bits and add to individual compostable paper sleeves or containers you can pass out to your guests.
You could also add leaves to reusable pouches your guests could take home. I used these rose gold drawstring pouches to hold masks during my Covid wedding. If you go this route, encourage your guests to take them home to use as a travel jewelry bag, for cosmetics, or to preserve special keepsakes.
As always, make sure your venue is okay with everyone flinging these leaves on their property.
8. Natural Raffia Fans
These can do double duty as fans for guests to cool off with during the ceremony and then wave you goodbye at the end of the evening.
Natural raffia can be composted, but most people will want to keep these beautiful fans for future use or as a pretty memory to hang on the wall.
9. Birdseed
Just to be sure, ask the venue if it’s okay to toss birdseed and check to see which type is best for the local feathery friends. While I adore birds, I don’t want to be the reason you cause a reenactment of The Birds on your wedding day!
10. Cloth or Paper Cheer Pom-Poms
Check your own stash or visit a thrift store for fabrics like old tablecloths that might make pretty pom-poms. You could also construct them out of old magazines and catalogs. And you can find a bunch of tutorials online!
Your guests can cheer you on as you head into this new chapter of life.
11. Phone Flashlights
Don’t want to add to the clutter at all? Bravo, you! Instruct your guests with a sign on plantable seed paper (or just ask the DJ to make an announcement!) to get out their phones, turn on the flashlights, and twinkle up the night sky as the two rock stars (you and your new spouse!) frolic off onto your next adventure.
12. Plant-Based Bubbles
If your heart is set on bubbles for your wedding send-off, there are a few brands out there that make plant-based bubbles! This brand is cruelty-free, gluten-free, and vegan. It’s also free of phosphates, parabens, and sodium laurel sulfate.
For wedding send-off ideas like these, you’re going to probably have to do a little more prep ahead of time. You’ll have to find smaller eco-friendly bottles for each guest and you’ll probably want eco-friendly bubble wands like these that are made of bamboo versus plastic. Or another option is an eco bubble wand made of bamboo and cotton that you can shape into a heart! Awww…
Don’t forget to check out the DIY bubble wand tutorials online, too!
There are also bubble machines that would eliminate the need for individual bottles. I actually have one of these that I’ve never used, but will attempt to do so and report back!
13. Lace Tambourines
If you have the time and crafty skills to make these stunning DIY lace tambourines, here’s a tutorial for you from Honestly WTF. These would be beautiful in your wedding send-off photos, plus guests can keep as favors. They can even make them into Christmas ornaments later! (If you haven’t noticed, I love making everything into Christmas ornaments!)
14. Mini Solar Lanterns
Maybe you’re going for an enchanted forest theme…and warm, magical lighting is a breathtaking look against a moody, mysterious backdrop. One way to get this romantic ambiance is through mini solar lanterns!
Offer each guest a mini lantern at the end of the night to light your path as you and your partner exit the party. These lanterns can also be your wedding guest favors, so encourage those you love to take them home and tuck in a corner of their own fairytale gardens.
These mini, vintage-style lanterns can be bought in bundles of six. Depending on your budget and guest list, these could be an unforgettable memory from your big day. Just don’t forget to charge in the sun the day before (and even on your wedding day to be on the safe side!).
Mini lanterns will create a softer, gentler glow, but not every exit has to be rambunctious! Some can be bewitching and mesmerizing and, with the right music playing in the background, this will be a moment you’ll remember evermore.
15. Paper Airplanes Made From Recycled Paper
Collect your piles of magazines, catalogs, and notebook paper to create old-school paper airplanes! This is such a playful wedding exit idea that’s eco-friendly and economical. Afterwards, recycle or compost your planes!
Several weeks before the wedding, host an airplane folding party with your friends and family, and don’t forget to test them out. This will be a fun pre-wedding memory to build excitement and bond with your loved ones.
16. Dried Flowers or Herbs
If you keep a lot of fresh flowers in your home, start drying your rose petals and various blooms now! You can use these for your guests to toss.
If you’re a gardener and know your herbs, grow your own to throw! Two of my favorite fragrant herbs are mojito mint and rosemary. Whatever you choose, try to pick a mild scent for all guests OR give them an option! For example, many people love lavender. It’s so beautiful, but the fragrance gives me a headache. So, maybe you have three choices: lavender, mint, and rosemary!
Need a unique container for your blooms or herbs that will double as a guest favor? Fill stainless steel martini glasses with your dried petals! These martini glasses come in various colors and are too cute. Guests can easily handle the shatterproof vessels, then take them home to be part of their bar cart collections. They’ll love this chic experience and gift!
17. Human Tunnel
You don’t need to buy or make anything for this wedding send-off! All you need is a fun guest list!
Before your big day, designate a helper to corral your friends and family to make a human tunnel for you to sashay through! Make sure you coordinate with the photographer to catch some radiant shots. Because there is NO WAY you’re not smiling when gallivanting through a human tunnel!
Wedding Send-Off Ideas Wrap-Up
Now that you’ve got a list of options, which of the wedding send-off ideas do you fancy the most? I’d love to know!
However you say your farewells to your guests, it’ll be a joyful moment and a memory you can keep forever. I’m so happy for you and wish you an absolutely stunning and love-filled wedding day!
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