Your big day is coming up, and you want it to be perfect. But with all the planning and preparations, it’s easy to lose sight of what really matters. You care about the environment and want your special day to reflect your values. Good on you! With some simple eco-friendly tweaks, you can reduce your wedding’s carbon footprint and still have your dream celebration. 

From your dress to the decor and catering, we’ve got tips to make your wedding greener. You’ll feel good knowing your choices helped the planet while creating lasting memories with your nearest and dearest. Get ready to have the meaningful, mindful, and magical day you’ve always envisioned—without leaving a trail of waste behind you. This guide will show you how to throw a gorgeous green wedding.

Planning an Eco-Friendly Wedding

When it comes to your wedding day, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement and lose sight of your eco-friendly goals. To ensure your big day makes a small environmental impact, proper planning is key.

Start with the venue. Choose a location that’s sustainably designed or in a naturally beautiful setting. Botanical gardens, historic buildings, and eco-lodges are all great options. Ask about their environmental policies to make sure they align with your values.

For decor, rent or borrow items instead of buying new. Vases, signs, linens and more can all be rented, saving money and reducing waste. If buying flowers, request that your florist sources locally and sustainably grown blooms and avoids floral foam. Better yet, use potted plants that can be donated after the event.

Provide reusable plates, cutlery, glasses and napkins for guests. Compost food scraps and recycle other waste. Make it easy for guests by having clearly marked bins.

An eco-friendly wedding means avoiding excess and single-use plastics. Think sustainable invitations, zero-waste gift wrap, and donations to eco-charities in lieu of favours. Most importantly, choose ethically and sustainably sourced rings to symbolise your new commitment to each other and the planet.

With some mindful choices, you can have the sustainable wedding of your dreams. Focus on experiences, connections and natural beauty – your guests and the planet will thank you!

10 Tips for a More Sustainable Wedding Day

1. One of the easiest ways to make your wedding greener is choosing locally grown, seasonal flowers. They’re better for the environment and often more affordable. For an extra eco-friendly touch, consider plantable wedding favours or seeded paper for your invites and stationery.
2. Opt for ethically produced attire from sustainable brands or consider renting or reusing a pre-loved gown. Encourage your guests to do the same! For suits and dresses, natural, organic fibres are ideal.
3. When it comes to decor, use natural elements like potted plants, foliage or candles instead of cut flowers. Reuse or repurpose items where possible and avoid plastic.
4. Serve a vegetarian or vegan menu with locally-sourced, organic ingredients. Bulk buy and minimise food waste. Donate leftover food to food banks or homeless shelters.
5. Use reusable cutlery, glassware, plates and napkins or compostable alternatives. Avoid single-use plastics.
6. Provide recycling, composting and a ‘no straws’ policy. Print menus, place cards and signage on recycled card or seed paper.
7. See if your venue uses renewable energy to power your event. Some venues in rural locations have solar or wind power now! Minimise emissions by carpooling or offsetting flight miles.
8. For a honeymoon, consider an eco-friendly destination and travel there sustainably. Alternatively, you could donate to a charity in lieu of gifts.
9. In your invites, ask guests to use eco-friendly transport and consider gifting experiences over material goods.
10. Most importantly, talk to all your suppliers and vendors to make sure they share your vision for an ethical, eco-friendly wedding. Together you can make a difference!

Conclusion

So there you have it! With a few thoughtful tweaks, you can transform your wedding into an eco-friendly celebration that’s kinder to the planet. Sure, it might take a bit more planning, but the feel-good factor of hosting a sustainable bash makes it all worthwhile. And just imagine how proud your guests will be to join you in taking care of our home. When the day comes, you’ll look gorgeous, say “I do” to the love of your life and do your bit for the environment – talk about a hat trick! Hopefully these tips have given you plenty of food for thought. Now get cracking with those biodegradable confetti bags – you’ve got a green wedding to plan!

If you’re looking for a wedding photographer who shares your values and can capture your special day in a natural and timeless style, get in touch. I would love to discuss how we can work together to create beautiful images while making ethical choices.