As @hitchedcouk says, “Weddings don’t tend to be hugely eco-friendly events. There can be a lot of food waste, throwaway decor and plastic packaging, not to mention the carbon footprint of all your guests travelling there.” If you pride yourself on your eco-credentials, this waste will probably be something of a worry. As well as having a negative impact on the environment, high levels of waste will also set a bad example to your guests and get your married life off on a less than green footing.
Luckily, if you want your wedding to reflect your world view, and help you and your other half start married life in an eco-friendly manner, there are lots of ways to reduce waste and make your wedding a little greener.
Swap cut flowers for live ones
One of the easiest ways to improve the eco-credentials of your wedding is to swap cut flowers for live ones. Replace your cut centrepieces, decorative pieces and bouquets with living plants. At the end of the day, your guests can take a live plant home with them, pop it in their garden and make the world a little greener.
Give decorations the green treatment
Plastic balloons, streamers and other decorations are bad for the environment. Made from plastics and dyes that will take hundreds, or possibly even thousands of years to decompose, these decorations should be banned from your eco-conscious wedding. Instead, opt for decorations that are a little kinder on the environment. Head out into your garden and pick some ivy to wrap around chairs and pillars or use decorations made from natural, un-dyed fabrics. As well as being better for the environment, these green decorations will give your wedding venue a warm, welcoming and natural feel.
Thinks about your location
Having eco-friendly flowers and decorations won’t do a lot of good if your guests have to travel hundreds of miles to attend your big day. Instead of holding your wedding somewhere remote and difficult to get to, choose a venue that’s a convenient distance from friends and family. You can reduce the carbon footprint of your wedding even further by selecting a venue that can host both the ceremony and the reception. This will save you and your guests driving between venues on the day.
Dispose with the disposable
Although disposable cups, cutlery and crockery are convenient, they’re not very kind on the environment. Instead of having throw-away items at your wedding, talk to your venue and your caterers about hiring extra glasses, plates and cutlery for the big day. If this isn’t an option, look for eco-friendly alternatives to plastic like bamboo, paper and cardboard.
By putting a little extra thought into your wedding decorations and set up, you can dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of your big day. Find out more about planning your dream wedding, and explore our fantastic wedding venues, by taking a look around our site today.
