10 Tips For a More Eco-Friendly Wedding
I'm happy to report that there has been a growing awareness of the importance of taking care of our planet in recent years, and couples worldwide are exploring ways to make their wedding day a little greener.
I truly believe that weddings can be unique and inspiring, letting your personality and style shine through, without being overly wasteful.
Throwing a wedding that is kinder on our planet doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your vision of the day, it just means embracing the process with the slightly different perspective, and incorporating simple practices that will only add to the beauty and atmosphere of the day itself.
Below are a list of helpful tips for an eco-friendly wedding. I hope you find some or all of them helpful, and please add any other helpful hint's that you may have in the comments.
1, Invitations
Choosing a paperless approach is a fantastic way to help protect our forests and reduce the energy used in paper production and recycling.
Why not consider creating your own personalized wedding website using user-friendly online templates? It's a great way to gather all the important details for your guests in one convenient spot. Or if you prefer a simpler option, you could set up a special wedding email address for all your communication needs.
While sending traditional mail may not be the most eco-friendly choice, there's something truly special about receiving a beautifully crafted item like a wedding invitation in the mail. If you opt for paper invitations, look for a company that uses recycled materials to reduce environmental impact. Explore eco-friendly alternatives like seeded paper that can be planted in your garden, or consider sustainable paper sources such as cotton or bamboo, which are grown in a more environmentally friendly way.
For a range of excellent suppliers, check out The Natural Wedding Company.
2, Venue
There are lots of options available when it comes to selecting an environmentally friendly wedding venue.
Aim to find a venue where you can have the ceremony, reception, and accommodation all in one place or nearby to minimise the need for traveling between locations.
Getting married outdoors is a wonderful eco-friendly and picturesque choice, utilizing natural light and surroundings for the ceremony. However, this can be risky in the UK due to unpredictable weather, so using a canvas provides a good compromise.
Several reputable companies offer ethical structures for weddings, ranging from tipis to large circus marquees, creating a beautiful setting for celebrations.
Encouraging guests to camp on-site is also a great option, with companies available to rent and set up bell tents for guests if needed.
If you would rather have an indoor wedding, seek out eco-friendly venues that prioritise energy efficiency and use natural products throughout.
Supporting venues with strong eco credentials contributes to making the world a better place. Always ensure that either your group or the venue practices recycling, composting, and using natural products whenever feasible.
3, What to Wear
Re-using, borrowing, hiring and up-cycling are by far the most energy efficient options when it comes to nearly everything - outfits included.
Luckily this is a really easy, cost effective, and often the most unique option.
There are a variety of online companies specialising in pre-loved wedding attire as well as hire options and talented, stylish seamstresses ready to help you alter or up-cycle pre-loved items. Enjoy getting creative with your mother or grandmothers dress perhaps?
If you really can't find the perfect pre-loved dress, think about having one made or buying new in natural, fair trade fabrics such as wool, linen or organic cotton.
4, Wedding Decor
Again re-using, borrowing, up-cycling, hiring and all things vintage and pre-loved is the key here.
Whether you and your family and friends want to get creative, or you'd like to leave it up to someone else, there are lots of options on transforming a space without using things that are going to end up in landfill.
Talk to friends who may have things from their weddings (so many people collect so much decor for their wedding and then store it). Or search eBay or Sell My Wedding for job lot wedding decor in your style.
Start collecting things like vases or plant pots way in advance from charity shops and car boots, or look at vintage hire companies who rent out everything from tables and chairs to tea cups.
Think of creative alternatives such as hay bale seating, and vintage bottles for vases.
Steer clear of anything that doesn't biodegrade. Natural alternatives such as rose petal confetti and greenery to decorate spaces can be strikingly beautiful and can be put straight back into the earth.
5, Flowers
Locally grown, seasonal flowers are a great way of supporting our environment. The more we encourage the growing of organic, native flowers the better life is for our bee's.
If you or your friends and family are into growing, plan ahead and plant plenty of your favourite flowers in preparation for your big day. I have really enjoyed preparing pots months in advance to use as displays at weddings.
Alternatively, find a florist who sources all their flowers from UK growers and uses sustainable methods to create installations, avoiding Oasis and other single use plastics.
6, Food
Just like the flowers, going local, seasonal, organic and ethical is the way forward. This is an area that can be a bit more expensive, but if you keep your menu seasonal it will help to keep costs down and it really is worth it. Not only does local, seasonal and organic food taste so much better, it strongly supports the environment as well as local communities.
In my experience it's always the small local artisan food producers and caterers who deliver exceptionally delicious food. They are really reasonably priced, and the friendly, personal service when working with home grown family businesses is lovely.
If you are planning a large wedding, and you don't want to compromise your ethics on food, but are not sure how you can afford it, there are creative solutions to help make it possible.
I recently helped plan a wedding where, instead of gifts, the couple asked their guests to bring one special dish of their choice. This took a bit of co-ordination (to make sure everyone didn't show up with dessert!!) but the end result was a colourful buffet made up of an impressive variety of home cooked, delicious food with plenty to go round.
You could present this request to your guests with the challenge of producing a dish made from only local, seasonal and organic food, and let them enjoy getting creative.
Or you could ask them to bring a dessert of their choice, freeing up some of your budget to spend on the meal.
7,The rings
It's now possible to get eco gold and silver, as well as precious gems, reclaimed from pre-loved jewellery. Search for a jeweller who works with eco materials, there are bespoke jewellers that will work with you to design your own rings and use eco materials to bring your vision to life.
8, Car Sharing
Although car sharing or taking the train is not always practical if guest are coming from all over the place and have a lot of luggage - it's always worth suggesting it. You could even suggest a couple of train times and have mini busses ready to pick your guests up from the train station.
Keeping travel to a minimum once all the guests have arrived is probably the most practical way in which you can reduce the carbon footprint.
9, Details
There are an array of talented wedding suppliers out there with great ethical credentials, ranging from natural make up and hair through to ethical photographers and of course sustainable wedding planners! With a little research, it's possible for your wedding to support small businesses who are making a difference. Check out The Natural Wedding Company as a good resource for ethical wedding suppliers, and research what suppliers are local to where you plan to wed.
10, Honeymoon
When it comes to any holiday, staying in the UK is always going to be the most earth friendly option. Try exploring a little corner you've never been to, or involve an activity you've never tried?
Wherever you go, it's always important to consider eco tourism. Support small local businesses instead of going for large chain hotels or all inclusive deals.
If you really want to go abroad research eco resorts and eco tour services as these companies comply with eco tourism and will be doing their best to support their local environment and community.
If you would like to speak to us about partnering with you to create your dream wedding get in touch here.