I know what you’re thinking; organising a wedding is stressful enough without thinking about the impact it’s having on the environment. Am I right?
But I promise, there’s no extra work involved, just a couple of things to think about to ensure your big day is as ethical and sustainable as it can be. I’ve thrown a few considerations into the mix below…
1. Do some detective work on your venue
Do you know if your venue has the same values as you? Are they ethically run, and do they have a focus on keeping things sustainable? If the information you’re looking for isn’t readily available online or in their brochure, then do some digging or ask them outright. Think about whether they use plastic cups or straws – if they do, can they swap these for you? What do they do with their food waste? Do they also have this information for all the external suppliers they use?
2. Try DIY
A DIY wedding can be trickier from a logistical point of view, but it does give you a lot more freedom when it comes to choosing the suppliers you want to work with. Ask them the same questions as your venue. Are they as sustainable as they can be? Do they use environmentally friendly packaging, and if they’re delivering to the venue, are they carbon neutral?
You can even go a step further and supply the majority of what you need for the wedding yourselves. As an example, if you’re bringing your own cups and plates, can these be recyclable? Or think outside the box and provide all your guests with a personalised glass that they can use all day and then take away with them as a gift. It’s a win win!
3. Do what YOU want to do
I touch upon this in more detail in the 'Wedding F*ck it Bucket’ post but in summary, sometimes you just have to remember that it’s your big day, and it can involve whatever you want it to.
That means if you don’t want to send out physical save the dates, invites and thank you notes, you don’t have to. Why not email people instead, and link them to your very own wedding website, saving on time, money and paper! However, if you do want to send them out, that’s also fine, just be conscious about using recyclable card or paper.
There’s also a big trend in providing your guests with added extras to make them more ‘comfortable’. I’m talking the £1 flipflops or plastic sunglasses you see being given away. But do your guests actually need these? How many get thrown away immediately after the event? If you’re worried about aching feet or squinting from the sun, why not encourage guests to bring their own with a cute little note on your invite instead?
4. Simple swaps
Being more environmentally conscious does not mean you have to miss out on certain wedding elements – in fact quite open little swaps can make all the difference.
How about swapping out all your wedding flowers for paper ones? If you get the right ones they can look just as beautiful as the real deal, and you don’t have to worry about them wilting or avoiding any relatives with hay-fever. What’s more, they last forever so make an excellent memento from your big day.
If you do want to give your guests wedding favours, just spare a thought for how they come packaged. Avoiding plastic wrapped sweets or goodies can make all the difference and a really unique and thoughtful gift makes a good conversation point!
5. Recycle, reuse, reduce
No matter what you end up using or not using on the day, the best thing you can do after the wedding is over is to recycle or reuse. There are many websites you can utilise to sell or giveaway some of the decor you no longer want or single-use items that weren't used that will fill a spot in someone else's event perfectly.
There are so many other things you can do if you want your big day to be as environmentally friendly as possible - if you have any more ideas, I’d love to hear them! Whatever you decide, I wish you all the best for your perfect wedding day!