The World has finally woken up to the importance of sustainability on all levels, weddings are no exception, and honestly we couldn’t be happier about sustainable weddings. More and more often couples are prioritising eco-friendly weddings, taking them seriously and finding innovative ways to make their big day more sustainable.
Wonderful as they are, traditional weddings can have an unexpected impact on our planet. From energy consumed by venues to waste generated by decor, food and party favours, it’s easy to see how the problem piles up.
Fear not! We’re here to bring you the good news that there IS another way…in fact, there’s many. With a little bit of consideration about the environmental impact of weddings, and a little preplanning, your wedding day can still be as beautiful and memorable as you always dreamed.
Let’s talk IMPORTANCE. With the average wedding generating around two hundred and fifty kilograms of waste, transportation of guests, vendors, supplies…these and many other factors make for an unconsciously, yet unnecessarily wasteful day. By making a few critical choices, most, if not all of these issues can be avoided or at the least reduced.
What you can do.
You may be asking yourself “How can I plan a sustainable wedding?” The good news is, there are just as many ways to help as there are to make it worse. By choosing in season, local flowers instead of importing, you go a long way to reduce your carbon footprint. A good place to start is Flowers From the Farm, a membership association for sustainable British growers, which has a nationwide map of where to find British cut flowers near you. Or you can consider the on-trend dried flower
Using Eco-friendly materials for decor and favours also means when things end up in the bin they don’t end up as someone else’s problem in a thousand years.
And whilst we’re talking Eco-friendly, don’t just bag and bin your waste, allocate recycling bin options to make sure the leftovers don’t end up at the dump or discuss with your venue how they minimise or dispose of their waste.
Opting for digital invitations and stationery instead of paper or dreaded plastic that can be shared via our phones or emails is also a big save on paper production, as well as unnecessary posting and printing.
The dress
The Dress
We know how important the dress is, but you might be surprised that the options are endless when looking for preloved in the right place – not your local charity store – we found the most amazing variety and styles of dresses on stillwhite.com. Give it a go, you might find your dream dress for a little less.
Tip from us – Buy a dress size up if you can it’s easier to alter to fit you like a glove.
Choosing a venue.
Consider choosing a park, garden, beach or other outdoor location. This will not only provide a stunning backdrop to your day, but also reduce the energy consumption required to run a large wedding venue.
If you’re leaning towards an indoor venue — and in famously ‘sunny’ England, who could blame you — consider choosing one with a green accreditation or eco-conscious practices. and can align with your choices. These venues will have considered their energy efficiency, water conservation, waste reduction and ethical building methods.
Find out if your chosen venue has their own in-house décor package many are now offering silk flowers to decorate the whole venue as well as LED candles, so that you do not have to use candles as when choosing ethically soya or bees wax can be expensive.
The Menu
When planning your menu try sourcing from local, ethical and organic farmers with seasonal ingredients. This will greatly reduce transport costs and emissions. Supporting local farmers supports your local economy, and let’s face it, also ensures your menu is fresh and healthier than any other option.
A Vegetarian/Vegan menu (link to vegan menu) may not have all your guests salivating when they’re reading the menu, but the only reason for a veggie meal to not be as delicious as any meat option, or better, is a lack of imagination. Make sure you pick a chef who knows what they are doing and your menu won’t just be a show stopper, it’ll show your loved ones that to you…saving the world matters.