Plastic Free Party Planning
This Summer I planned my Sisters' Hen party, and as a person who is trying to gradually cut down on single use plastics, I was inspired to use as little plastic as possible for her hen party. Lots of my ideas were homemade, so if you're planning a birthday party, hen party or BBQ why not come up with some ideas from mine below, or make awesome homemade decorations.
Straws & place names
If there's going to be straws they must be paper of course - I ordered off amazon where there's an endless range of colours and patterns but sadly, as with a lot of eco friendly products ordered online, it still arrived in that horrible flimsy non-recyclable plastic packaging.
Instead of making place names I wanted to add a personal touch and added everyones names to the straws, using card, a fine liner and a glue gun.
A great little personal touch, that looks pretty too.
"Survival Kit"
To make a "Survival Kit" I bought a brown paper bag, used a black fine liner, bought a strip of mini pom poms from a local shop, and used a glue gun to stick it on. Inside I packed two mini alcohol bottles (glass), tissues, mini nail file, hand sanitiser, paracetamol, plaster, mints, chocolate, crisps, lip balm and hair tie. Although the contents may not have been completely plastic free, it is a step closer to packs that you can get ready made for things such as hen parties.
Hair Tie
Ordered off notonthehighstreet.com personalised on a card holder. (Arrived in plastic packaging, however it is possible to make this yourself, buying a hair tie of your choice and some card. Had I known in advance I would have done this!)
Cups and plates
The majority of paper plates get grubby and don't get recycled, so I wanted to get ones that we could definitely either recycle, compost or reuse. In the garden centre I spotted these absolutely lovely leaf printed paper cups and plates that both are biodegradable and can be put in the compost!
Props
Ginger Ray party props, these are on wooden sticks - beats any plastic inflatables and a bit of fun for everyone. (Arrived in plastic packaging, again would be fun and easy to get creative and make yourself).
Cake Topper
I made a big cake and wanted a hen party cake topper, but as everything was so expensive online I decided to try and make one myself. Using patterned and plain card, a fine liner pen, a glue gun and two food sticks, I managed to make a personalised topper for a fraction of the price! So easy and quick to do and you can choose the colours you like to match the cake or theme.
I also bought some paper cupcake/food toppers that were made from paper and string - something that would also be very easy to make at home.
Table decorations
Eco friendly paper table confetti! Simple and effective and super super cheap - why not add some fairy lights if you have some for extra decoration too or funny photos printed onto paper/card.
Homemade "Bride to be" sash
Without going down the typical, pink, shimmery sash route I decided to make one! Popping into the local shop to buy the fabric, the same mini pom pom trim as the survival kit and then getting it printed locally, worked out so much cheaper than buying a personalised, or floral one online.
I hope that you're inspired in some way, to make something for the next party you plan - even if that's as simple as switching to paper straws. I've learnt my lesson when ordering online, that making things is usually the best way to ensure that it is definitely going to be plastic free.
Happy party planning!