Greening Your Wedding: Your Menu and Bar

While venue hunting for my wedding, I had a moment of pure disappointment while discussing stemware (of all things.)

The wedding coordinator at an unnamed venue in South New Jersey informed me that they only use plastic cups for all beverages served at the open bar. What?! I’m certain my disapproval showed on my face, as the wedding coordinator announced she would direct this part of the conversation at my fiance.

Here’s the thing… I’m not trying to call any friends or family out but our crew will certainly toss back a few spirits at the wedding.  Let’s say we invite 150 people and each guest enjoys 3 beverages during the 5 hour reception – that’s 450 cups! (Assuming that people don’t reuse their previous cup and I certainly wouldn’t expect them to remember to do so.)

So, suffice to say that place was out of the running. As mentioned here re: save the dates my fiance and I – like many GPB readers – are trying to keep waste at a minimum.

This interaction got me thinking …When it comes to your food and bar menu what are the best options?

Here’s a few tips:

– Look caterers that use locally grown and organic food. Don’t feel shy to ask where the food comes from when interviewing companies.  Fortunately, more and more catering companies are going the local and/or organic route and the more they hear this is what couples want the more likely others will make the shift.
– Seated dinner v. buffet: A seated dinner typically yields a lot less waste as the food is portioned. At a buffet people tend to head back for seconds they may not finish.                                                                                                        
–Spirits: Go for organic beer or wine. Another green option is to choose locally produced brews and wines.                      
-Stemware: Confirm your bar staff is using glass instead of plastic. A few venues may have strict rules about glass by open pool or outdoor areas, but most won’t run into this issue.

Readers: What other tips do you have for engaged folks?

Posted by Beth