Our team at Baptist World Aid love a wedding, and a few of us have celebrated our own recently! Weddings can often involve unnecessary consumption and waste, with many items purchased to be used only for a few hours and never again.

Here are some ways the team planned their big days while reducing their impact on people and planet.

1. Search for ethically-minded vendors

There are lots of businesses in the wedding game, and each of them offer different things to couples on their happy day. If the vendor’s ethics or sustainability practices are important to you, don’t be afraid to ask them a few questions or do your research on what they offer. From biodegradable confetti and sustainably sourced floral arrangements to bridesmaids’ dresses from brands performing higher on the Ethical Fashion Guide, there’s lots of small changes that can add up to the kind of impact you’d like your wedding day to have.  

Gina from our Advocacy Team got married in 2024 and organised to have food rescue organisation, OzHarvest, cater her wedding. She loved their food and the way they catered for different diets, but also their ethos of prioritising low-waste and in-season recipes.   

2. Celebrate re-wearing 

Break the culture of getting a new outfit to wear to every special event, with your own wedding. When it’s your own big day, you get to decide the dress code! Encourage guests to wear an outfit they already own, or to rent or borrow from a friend. By getting more use out of the lovely clothes we already own or have access to, we can do our bit to slow the rate at which new fashion is being produced and consumed.  

Rochelle, from our International Programs team, celebrated her wedding in late 2024, and encouraged her guest to ‘shop their wardrobe’ for their dress code. ‘Having a brand-new outfit for special occasions like a wedding is a common practice of the culture I was raised in,’ Rochelle said. ‘I wanted to use this opportunity—where I had my family’s attention—to challenge this practice and encourage them to take a moment to think about the impact their purchasing habits have. Not everyone stuck to the dress code, but it definitely inspired some great conversations.’   

3. Help make sustainable options accessible 

When you’re planning your wedding, you can think of little ways to make a sustainable choice an easier choice. For example, Kat (that’s me!) added an option to her RSVP form offering to help guests organise carpooling. While it may take a little more forethought, this is a practical way to support guests and reduce the carbon footprint associated with her wedding day. Some other ways to make sustainable options more accessible would be limiting your printing by projecting readings and lyrics or putting recycling bins in sight of where guests might need them. 

4. Befriend Second-hand resale platforms 

Second-hand platforms like Facebook Marketplace offer a bounty of affordable and barely used wedding items to suit lots of different styles and colour schemes. Resale platforms can be a great place to look for bridesmaids’ dresses, whether you’re mixing and matching or looking for a set. Many couples will also post wedding day bundles for sale that include décor items, tableware, signage, umbrellas, artificial flower arrangements and so on at affordable prices. Not only is this a win for your wallet, it’s also lighter on the environment. By buying these wedding items second-hand, you’re keeping them in circulation longer and can often collect them with less packaging and delivery distances.  

Bethany, from our Marketing team, recently organised a Hens Weekend for her friend and scored a huge box of decorations and props for only $10 on Facebook Marketplace. What a win! 

5. Ask for gifts that give back

Gift-giving can be a joyous part of the wedding season, or it can leave you with more casserole dishes than you could hope to need! If you’d rather opt for less stuff and skip the physical gifts, you could set up a wishing well or ask for donations to a charity instead.  

Our Queensland Church Rep, John, asked his wedding guests to donate to Baptist World Aid instead of buying gifts. This is a selfless and generous way to reflect your values at your wedding, and make it an occasion that will bless many around the world. If you’d like to set up a personalised giving page with Baptist World Aid for your wedding, you can reach out to our friendly team at [email protected] to get set up.  

These are just a handful of ideas from our team, but there are many more out there! You can also consider things like skipping the paper and postage with electronic invitations, reducing food and beverage waste by opting for shared options like buffet/banquet meals and drinks served in jugs and glasses rather than individually, and prioritising the ‘something old’ and ‘something borrowed’ in your own wedding outfits.  

I hope these ideas and wins from our team members provided some inspiration in what can be a season full of a million decisions! Ultimately, your special day is made magical by the love you share with your partner, and the people you choose to celebrate with.