If you are currently planning your wedding then congratulations on your engagement and good luck with the planning! If you are currently living a sustainable life and hoping to have a more sustainable wedding but aren’t sure how to go about it then here are some top tips to make your big day more sustainable and environmentally friendly without loosing any of the fun or magic.
The invitations
Before the big day has even arrived you can start to be more sustainable by using eco friendly invitations that use recycled paper or better yet go digital. There are a number of websites now that allow you to plan your big day online and email your guests all the relevant information they need to be able to RSVP in advance. This will prevent wasting paper and will also save you money on stamps too. Plus, with an online portal you are less likely to have guests texting to ask for the details over and over again as they have lost t heir invite as they can simply login and check.
The dress
When it comes to buying the dress, or even the bridesmaids dresses and groomsmen suits, you can still have your dream dress and be sustainable. By purchasing a second hand dress you will be saving it from the landfill and reducing waste. You could look in charity shops, on buy and sell sites on line or even search vinted. Depending on your style you may even prefer to go round the vintage shops and see what you can find there too. Remember most wedding dresses are only worn once and even then they are only worn for a few hours so most second hand dresses are still in excellent condition. Not only will shopping second hand for your dress be eco friendly it will most likely save you money too, so it’s a win win situation.
If yu don’t want a second hand wedding dress but do want it to be sustainable then opt for organic materials and a dress that has been made by an eco-friendly company. Picking a dress that you can wear again after the wedding or are happy to sell on will also make it more sustainable too as once again it reduces the wastefulness of buying a dress for one occasion.
The venue
One of the biggest ways to have a sustainable wedding is to host it in a venue that is eco-friendly or recognised as being green. Here are 15 Eco-friendly wedding venues to get you started.
The transport
If possible try getting married in the same place as the wedding reception and overnight accommodation as this will significantly reduce the impact of wedding transport on the environment. If this is not possible then consider putting on transport to take your guests from location A to location B, such as hiring a coach or a bus as this will be less impactful on the environment than numerous cars making the same journey. If this is also not possible then you could ask your guests to car share where possible and encourage those booking taxis to book one large one between two or more groups instead of lots of separate ones.
Confetti
If you love the idea of having confetti at your wedding but want to be more sustainable then opt fr a recycled option or even use something like dried flowers that are composable and safer for the environment.
The food and drink
When it comes to the food one way to be more sustainable is to have a zero miles menu which means that all the food on the menu has been sourced on site or very close using local producers. If this sounds too difficult then you could go for a vegetarian menu which is more sustainable than a meat menu or even do a bring your own plate style wedding party where every guest brings a meal with them, this is very popular for weddings that are having a buffet style meal.
The same approach can be taken when it comes to the drinks. If you want alcohol at your wedding you could opt for organic wines or local produced spirits that are more environmentally friendly,
Sustainable Wedding Gifts
Some people are happy to receive any gift their guests wish to offer, others prefer to create a gift list, and some ask for money towards the honeymoon or other big purchases, so there is no reason why you can’t ask your guests to either not bring a gift at all which would reduce the risk of waste or create a specific eco-friendly gift list full of things that would help you make your life more sustainable post wedding.