Natural Wedding Send-Off Ideas

The send-off is an ever-evolving wedding tradition that dates back centuries. Today, it’s the moment at the end of the reception where the bride and groom say goodbye to guests and leave their venue to begin their new life together. 

Natural wedding send-offs are growing in popularity ss couples become eco-friendly and conscious of wastefulness. You can replace a classic sendoff like confetti (that’s infamous for being messy to cleanup and harmful to wildlife) with a dried flower sendoff that is equally as magical but much more environmentally conscious. These organic send-offs are also more likely to be venue approved, since cleanup and impact are minimal. 

Keep reading for some of our favorite natural wedding send-off ideas, and check out our visual below for inspiration and sustainability ratings next to each suggestion. 

Olive leaves: Embrace greenery in your send-off with an olive leaf toss. This tradition is from the Mediterannean, and it doubles as a symbolic blessing for peace and victory. 

Lavender: This send-off idea hails from the Provence region of France. Fill your exit with the lovely scent of lavender as you race towards your getaway car. 

Dried flowers: Using dried flowers as opposed to flower petals is even more sustainable, as you are recycling flowers that have already bloomed. Collect and dry out your favorite flowers in the months leading up to your send-off so you can have plenty of dried petals for your guests to toss.

Petal pops: These DIY floral push pops let your guests shower you in flowers and seeds. The push pops create a picture-perfect moment for your photographer and double as a fun wedding favor. 

Biodegradable confetti: If you do decide to do a classic confetti toss, opt for biodegradable confetti so your venue and its outdoor surroundings won’t suffer. 

Fall foliage: Fall weddings are the perfect time to embrace the jewel tones of autumn, so why not add this color scheme into your send-off? Have guests toss fall leaves into the air as you make your exit. 

Birdseed: Rather than leaving something behind that could harm the wildlife, why not toss some food for them instead? A birdseed toss leaves something sweet for the birds to eat, no cleanup required! 

Thank you to Zola for sending us this great, eco-friendly article! Click here to see Zola’s complete list of 36 wedding send-off ideas.