With sustainability and environmental awareness being so important, why not consider making your special day extra special by making it a green, or eco-friendly, wedding? Even if you don’t fancy going the whole hog and having a completely green wedding, you still could take some of these environmentally friendly ideas and incorporate them into your plans.
Invitations and Thank You Cards
This is one of the easiest green elements. By making a small change to 100% recycled paper and card you can help the environment. However with today’s technology you could go a step further and send electronic invitations, eliminating the need for paper ones.
Jewellery
Choose a jeweller who uses recycled gold for your rings, and only uses ethically sourced diamonds. If you’re not sure, don’t be afraid to ask where their materials are sourced from.
The Dress
Buying a wedding dress from a charity shop or a website such as eBay not only saves you money (and possibly generates money for a good cause) but reusing a dress reduces waste. If you do buy new, avoid synthetic fibres such as polyester and remember that choosing a dress which is made in the UK reduces the carbon emissions of it being transported here.
Flowers
Many flowers sold in this country are imported. By choosing a florist who uses locally grown flowers you are cutting down substantially on environmental impact.
Transport
Cut down on transport by choosing a reception venue which is close to the wedding venue (or better yet, use one venue for the entire day), or arrange group transport to reduce the amount of cars travelling between the venues.
Beauty
Use natural hair and skin care products for the bride and bridesmaids on the big day.
Favours
An idea which is growing in popularity is making a donation on each guest’s behalf to a favourite charity. This is a caring gift which reduces the need for giving favours that may end up in the bin or wasted. Another green idea is giving seeds for each guest to plant.
Catering
Choose locally sourced produce, and fruits and vegetables which are in season. Out of season fruits and vegetables are either imported or grown in heated environments, both of these use a lot of energy. If your budget permits, use organic foods where possible. You could also arrange with a local shelter to donate leftovers to the homeless in your area.
Honeymoon
A honeymoon in this country helps to limit your carbon footprint and support our tourism industry at the same time. If you do decide to go abroad, speak to your travel agent about environmentally friendly honeymoon destinations.
It’s your day, nobody else’s, so if you feel passionate about the environment, feel free to use whichever suggestions you feel happy with. There are many more ways you could help reduce environmental impact on your wedding day – share your own by posting in the comments box below!
