Sustainable Events Collective
Share
Welcome to Sustainable Events Collective! Formerly the Green Wedding Alliance 💚
We’re a one-stop shop for premium vetted vendors, all committed to sustainable events without compromise, so you can leave a lasting impression, not a lasting footprint. Chicago's Green Wedding Alliance is a collaborative network of environmentally responsible event vendors who strive to grow & inform others of responsible business practices. We connect with conscious consumers for mindful weddings, commitment ceremonies & social events. Let us help make your event less impactful on the planet, without sacrificing quality or aesthetics!
Why Chicago is the best city to host a sustainable wedding or event:
Ok, we might be biased (we ARE Chicago-based, after all ) - but hear us out:
🚆 This city is super walkable & transit-friendly. Skip the fleet of Ubers - the L, the bus, and good old-fashioned sidewalks mean your guests can actually get to your event without a caravan of emissions trailing behind them.
🌾 We're a farm-to-table dream. The Midwest is basically one giant farm with a skyline on top. Local caterers here have insanely easy access to seasonal, regional ingredients - less shipping, more flavor.
🏛️ The sustainable venue options are seriously stacked. LEED-certified event spaces, converted historic buildings, solar-powered warehouses, urban farms with event space built right in - Chicago's got range. Whatever your vibe, there's probably a venue here that already has sustainability baked into its bones.
♻️ And the vendor community here just… gets it. Florists doing local & seasonal blooms, rental companies ditching single-use everything, caterers composting like it's a competitive sport. We didn't build this community from scratch - Chicago vendors were already halfway there.
Basically…Chicago wasn't just a convenient place to start the Sustainable Events Collective - it was the perfect place. 💗
Planning a sustainable event in Chicago? Make sure to check out our vendor directory on our website! Link in bio.
📸 Reel cover photography by
09/29/2026
Hi, we’re Sustainable Events Collective ♻️ Here’s a little background on us 👇
We're a volunteer-run collective on a mission to prove that gathering & celebrating don’t have to come at the Earth’s expense. Founded in 2011 right here in Chicago, we've spent over a decade at the heart of community-driven environmental change in an industry that's historically had a tough time going green: parties & events! 🎉
It started with a simple idea - there had to be other event pros out there who were already thinking sustainably, or who wanted to be, and party people who wanted eco-friendly celebrations without the extra stress of figuring it all out themselves.
Formerly known as the Green Wedding Alliance, we've since grown into the Sustainable Events Collective - a community of passionate volunteers spanning every corner of the wedding and event industry. Together, we're rising to the challenge and helping power hundreds of sustainable events every single year. 🌱
Send this post to someone who'd be interested to learn about the Sustainable Events Collective!
📸 Photography by
09/25/2026
Member Feature: Catering by Michaels
This amazing catering team proves that beautiful, personalized menus and genuine sustainability aren't mutually exclusive.
Every event they design starts with listening. No two weddings they cater look the same, and they offer multiple price points and menu styles to fit your day.
But what sets them apart is what happens behind the scenes.
Why sustainability? In their words: it's simply the right thing to do. The events industry runs on excess, and Catering by Michaels has made it their mission to do better - because the health of the earth directly shapes the quality of the ingredients they get to work with.
Their track record speaks for itself:
🏆 NICE Award for Best Responsible Event (Lollapalooza) - 2013 & 2014
🌱 Founding member, Illinois Food Scrap Coalition
🍽️ Member, Green Chicago Restaurant Coalition
✅ Green Seal™ and Green Restaurant Certified
Here are some of their sustainable practices…
Recycling, composting & grease recycling programs
Eco-friendly office and cleaning supplies
Motion-sensored lighting
An in-house sustainability team training staff year-round
Thoughtful, conscious food sourcing
We stan a green caterer! Go follow them on instagram to stay connected:
Most gowns are worn once, then boxed and stored forever, or worse, thrown out after the reception (has anyone else heard of "trash the dress" photoshoots?!).
Here are some sustainable alternatives:
❤️Rent a designer gown instead of buying
❤️Buy secondhand/preloved (a huge and growing market now)
❤️Choose a convertible design - one that transitions from ceremony gown to a shorter, reception-ready dress
❤️Resell or donate after, rather than storing it indefinitely
Which is your favorite option? Comment below!
📸 Reel cover photography by
09/23/2026
🍁 Fall is finally here, and it’s time to mark your calendars!
🎃 On Saturday, November 7th, Sustainable Events Collective will be back to host another Pumpkin Smash Party! You’re invited along with your friends, family and neighbors to take your pumpkins from Halloween and smash ‘em up to compost them.
☕️ Join us anytime from 11:30am-2:30pm at New Life Community Church in East Humboldt Park to partake in some smashing, hot beverages, and fun music!
📍 New Life Community Church, 1651 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
🗓️ November 7th, 2026
📢 Stay tuned for partnerships, sponsors, and more information!
Photo by Zach Caddy | Photographer
09/22/2026
Having a fall wedding? Here are 3 sustainable ideas to incorporate into your big day:
1. Let the season be your florist
Skip imported blooms and lean into what's naturally in season - dahlias, mums, marigolds, and seasonal greenery. Local, in-season flowers travel less, last longer, and give your wedding an authentic autumn palette without the carbon footprint.
2. Consider swapping centerpieces for something edible (or plantable)
Think mini pumpkins, apples, pears, or potted plants instead of cut-flower arrangements. Guests can take them home, and nothing ends up in the trash by the end of the night.
3. Source your menu locally
Fall is harvest season - squash, root vegetables, apples, and heirloom produce are at their peak. A caterer who sources seasonally and locally means fresher food, fewer food miles, and a menu that actually tastes like the time of year.
Have anything to add to the list? Comment below. Happy fall!
📸 1st photo by , 2nd & 3rd photo by , 4th photo provided by
If you think planning a sustainable wedding means any of these things, think again!
Maybe you’ve tried making eco-friendly choices, but it feels overwhelming like you have to DIY everything or give up the details that make a wedding special.
That ends today.
With Sustainable Events Collective approved vendors, sustainability and luxury can go hand in hand. From florists to caterers, planners to venues, we connect you with pros who make eco-conscious weddings effortless and beautiful.
Swipe to see some of the biggest myths about sustainable weddings- debunked! 💚
📸 Reel cover photography by
09/17/2026
Member Feature: The Jaime Elaine Creative 🎨
Meet - a Chicago-based artist capturing life's most meaningful moments, one brushstroke at a time. 🌸
Since 2020, Jaime has been drawn to the movement and sentimentality of flowers, building a business around personalized floral paintings. Leading up to her own September 2023 wedding, she hand-painted and designed nearly all of her own décor - and just months before walking down the aisle, she discovered Live Wedding Painting, capturing her first wedding celebration on canvas.
Today, Jaime works with couples to make their wedding day unforgettable, whether through…
🖌️ Live Wedding Painting
🌿 Custom decor elements
💐 Bouquet paintings: a creative, long-lasting alternative to flower preservation
How she stays sustainable in her studio:
♻️ Homemade paper from egg cartons, cardboard, and junk mail
📧 Paperless contracts & invoices
🍂 Composting food scraps and organic materials
📦 Recycled and reused shipping materials
🎨 Letting leftover paint dry to peel (instead of rinsing down the drain)
She's also working toward energy-efficient lighting, stretching her own canvases to skip plastic-wrapped options, and transitioning to compostable packaging for her prints.
Want to bring Jaime's art into your wedding day? Visit her profile and follow her for more info!
09/15/2026
SAVE THE DATE: The Fall Wedding Recyclery is coming to on November 15th 🌿
You won’t want to miss Chicago's largest in-person wedding décor resale event!
♻️ Give your wedding décor a second life or score unique treasures for your own big day. Think centerpieces, glassware, signage, dresses, and so much more - it's basically a garage sale extravaganza for sustainably-minded couples and vendors.
💚 Shop sustainable. Save money. Keep beautiful items out of landfills. All while connecting with Chicago's green wedding community.
🎟️ Tickets on sale in two weeks (October 1st) - mark your calendars!
🔗 Learn more details on our website. Link in bio!
Think sustainable events are just about skipping plastic straws? Think again. Here are 5 surprising swaps that can make a real impact:
1. Instead of offering bottled water, create water stations 💧
Set up a stylish station with pitchers or a dispenser and reusable cups (or ask guests to bring their own). It cuts plastic waste fast and honestly feels more elevated than a table of bottles.
2. Say goodbye to single-use signage 🪧
Instead of custom-printed welcome signs and directional arrows for every event, invest in modular letter boards or acrylic frames with swappable inserts. Update the message, not the material.
3. Choose a walkable or transit-accessible venue 🚶
Before you fall for a stunning venue, check what's around it. Cutting down on guest driving (and parking lot sprawl) is one of the biggest — and most overlooked — emissions savers.
4. Serve family-style instead of individually plated 🍽️
Fewer dishes, less food waste, and it naturally slows people down to actually talk to each other. Bonus: caterers often use less packaging prepping for shared platters vs. individual plates.
5. Consider using potted plants instead of all cut flowers 🪴
That centerpiece can keep living long after the event ends. Send guests home with them, donate to a nursing home, or replant them yourself — way less waste than flowers headed for the trash by morning.
Which swap are you stealing for your next event? Tell us below 👇
📸 Reel cover photography by
Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.
Category
Contact the organization
Address
Chicago, IL