WEDDING PLANNING ADVICE - 10 Easy Tips For Eco-Friendly Wedding Days

21st April 2016

I know you try to be eco-friendly in your every-day life, and you’re determined your wedding day won’t be any different, so here are some perfectly easy tips to help you go green on your big day.

1. Say 'I Do' In One Unique Spot

Image: Cornish Tipi Weddings

These days location is no barrier to your imagination - choose a farm, a forest, a city space, a beach, a country pile … whatever wedding venue you choose to plight your troth will offer you a unique backdrop to your day. Choosing a single location for both ceremony and reception means you won’t use up carbon credits getting you and your guests from A to B.

2. Throw a Daytime Affair

Image: Gavin Forster Photography

Brunch, lunch, afternoon tea will give you daylight savings. It goes without saying that natural daylight creates stunning wedding photos, and using it to light up your wedding is good for the environment too. Plan the whole affair so, at the end of the day, you’re heading off into the sunset to your new life together!

3. Dress To Impress

Image: Peach and Jo

Have a wedding gown made for you by a local designer who works in sustainably sourced fabrics or who collaborates with a community Fairtrade project. Or wear a once worn dress, your mum’s wedding dress or even your grandma’s - you can have it adapted and modified to create a contemporary take on this vintage rework.

4. Exercise Your Ethics

Image: Glasswing Jewellery

Express your values by choosing a jewellery designer whose sourcing policy will give you the confidence that your bit of bling is made with Fairtrade gold or silver and the stones are ethically sourced. Commission a designer maker to create a ring specially for you - this can turn out to be a creative and rewarding experience and surprisingly cost effective, resulting in a beautiful bespoke jewel.

5. Save The Trees

Image: Seven Swans

If you need to send snail mail invitations, choose recycled paper products, seeded papers (you know, the ones that have wild flower seeds embedded in them) or Fairtrade handmade papers to save the date and invite your guests. Alternatively you could save paper and printing and opt for a wedding website that has all the info, maps and accommodation suggestions they will need and be able to RSVP too.

6. Insist On A British Bouquet

Image: Organic Blooms

Buy British and source your seasonal wedding flowers from the flower farmer. Fabulous flower farmers abound throughout the UK and they will grow to order so you can have your favourite flowers perfectly grown to your own specifications. Forage for seasonal foliage and decorate with ingredients that create a truly natural wedding environment.

7. Become A Locavore

Support small local businesses by putting your pound in the neighbours’ pockets. Create a farm-to-table banquet using salad leaves from the market garden next door, meat from the farm down the road and your favourite tipple from the wine grower in the valley. Decide on your parameters - maybe you have a 60 mile radius or, if its not possible to source everything locally then use some creative solutions like an organic or vegetarian meal, or choose to serve only Fairtrade food and wine.

8. Up-Cycle Your Wedding

Image: Marshal Gray Photography Someone else’s ‘something old’ can be your own ‘something new’. Crockery, vases, candlesticks, picture frames, jars, furniture, lampshades - all make fantastic creative opportunities to personalise your wedding decor. Stalk vintage markets, charity shops, your auntie’s attic … who knows what treasures you can bring back to life to create your own unique decor and save money too!

9. Wedding Favours

Image: Marshal Gray Photography

Save trees and bring the outside onto your tables. Pebbles, shells, driftwood - use natural found elements for table names rather than buying them. Go out to the great outdoors during your planning months, clear the cobwebs, get some exercise and collect. Your place settings can double as favours of the handmade variety - home made jam, local honey, wild seed packets, home made fruit liqueur - your imagination is your only limitation!

10. Eco-Mooning

Image: Wild Wood Bluebell

The honeymoon with the least impact by far is a staycation, so get your glamping on and celebrate our beautiful green island, explore new regions and travel to your destination by train or hire a hybrid car. If you do fly further afield, avoid multinational operators or staying in western-owned all-inclusive resorts. Choose an eco-travel option that supports local community initiatives or wildlife conservation.

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Published on: 9th April 2016

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