There are many things to consider when preparing for your big day, from finding your dream vendors to verifying your guest list and beyond. But there’s a major aspect that often gets overlooked: sustainability!
You may think that making your wedding sustainable is an added challenge but not with the right vendors on your side.
Catered by Design’s mission is to bring your wedding to life with sumptuous food and refreshing beverages presented in spectacular fashion — all while being a good steward of the environment!
We’re a proud 3-Star Certified Green Caterer ® under the Green Restaurant Association’s rigorous standards. You can rest assured that we put the environment first while serving you delicious and artfully plated food which will leave your guests raving long after your big day.
Starting Your Sustainable Wedding Journey
You may feel a bit overwhelmed as you begin your wedding planning journey, but when you book us as your experienced catering team, we keep sustainability in mind from the start.
We will work with you to choose the tastiest, in-season dishes with locally sourced ingredients as we craft and curate your proposal. Then, in your own private tasting, you get to experience the dishes how they will be on your big day while choosing dinnerware to accompany your meals.
We will also walk you through other areas where we can make your big day and all the events surrounding it as eco-friendly as possible such as selecting disposables for delivery options and ensuring proper portioning of meal items to reduce waste.
Choosing In-Season & Locally Sourced Ingredients for Dishes
A memorable wedding celebration, of course, needs enticing and elegant cuisine, and our Catering Sales Specialists will work with you every step of the way to help you choose your dishes responsibly.
Not only do we work closely with other vendors and partners to minimize our impact on the environment, but we also aim to order from local, Chicago-area providers with sustainable business practices as much as possible.
We are always expanding our menus to include more vegetarian and vegan options to decrease our carbon footprint. Approximately 30% of our entrées are vegetarian or vegan, and we just added a few new vegan hors d’oeuvres to our menu!
Think about including our Vegan Mushroom “Meatball” Bite or Vegan “Sausage” Roll that are not only sustainable but beautifully presented and delicious!
In the warmer months, we use fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables, and edible flowers in our dishes that are grown at our commissary in our herb garden! From basil and rosemary to tomatoes and cosmos, we switch up our offerings each year. We utilize these ingredients in our tasting dishes, signature cocktails and garnishes.
Dinnerware & Disposables
For your full-service wedding, we recommend working with your Catering Sales Specialist to choose beautiful china, flatware, and glassware for your big day. In doing so, this reduces potential landfill waste that would come from any disposable materials.
For your more intimate wedding affairs, such as your bridal shower, morning-of or day-after events, we have a plethora of sustainable disposable options. We have palm leaf plates and bowls in addition to balsa wood platters, which are all non-toxic, chemical-free, and 100% compostable. We also provide wood flatware & picks, as well as beverage cups and containers from Eco-Products.
Portioning
After you have selected your delectable dishes for your big day – be it a plated meal, buffet, or stations – ensuring you have a proper guest count will help reduce the amount of waste at the end of the night.
Then, when it comes to events around your wedding day, we ask you a variety of questions to ensure that we are properly portioning your delivery meal items. There are many factors that come into play for delivery catering services such as:
- The time of day
- Your mix of guests’ preferences
- The style of your event (such as an open house)
Our Specialists will work alongside you to ensure you are ordering the proper amount of food for your guests to enjoy so that little to no food goes to waste by the end of the event.
Other Ways to Make Your Wedding More Sustainable
There are so many aspects when it comes to your wedding that can be improved with eco-conscious initiatives.
An additional great way to make your wedding more eco-friendly is to think about sustainable beverage consumption and signature cocktails. In asking our Beverage Operations Manager, Lyndsay, she noted that considering seasonal fruits or garnish items and using them in multiple drinks is a great way to incorporate sustainability into your cocktails and mocktails.
For example, the Grapefruit Basil Martini would be perfect for winter weddings into early spring as that is when grapefruit is in season. She also notes to stay away from disposable cups and plastics as that only adds to waste. We do provide paper straws and bamboo stirrers upon request.
Want your wedding to be as sustainable as possible? Assemble an entirely sustainable vendor team by visiting environment-focused wedding shows such as Green Wedding Alliance’s annual Committed Wedding Show. Green Wedding Alliance is a collective of eco-conscious vendors that promote education and engagement regarding sustainability in the events industry. We have been a proud member of GWA since 2022, and the Committed Wedding Show in Chicago is a phenomenal way to meet with eco-friendly vendors. These vendors, including us, will ensure your special day will come to life responsibly without sacrificing the quality of your vision.
Contact Us for More Information
Our Chicago wedding catering company will not overlook any small details when planning your sustainable wedding day.
Have questions about your catered wedding experience? Peruse our sustainability efforts in full on this page, view our wedding FAQs on this page, or send us an email at [email protected]. We can’t wait to help bring your wedding to life!
