AN ECO-FRIENDLY WEDDING, WHERE TO START?
You're probably reading this blog because you've just got engaged, if that is the case, first of all, a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to you and your partner, you must be so excited!!!
Now you're feeling ready to begin designing and planning your wedding, but you're conscious of the environmental impact your day might have, so you're looking for ideas on what to consider before you dive in.
To have an eco-friendly wedding is about making conscious decisions, decisions that make you think about what waste is left behind? How far will guests travel? Where and how is your food being grown and sourced? The list goes on and on.
Before I begin, my first thing to say is, you've done the hardest thing in my opinion, you're already aware and thinking about the impact of your choices, this is the first step and it's MASSIVE!!!
So where do you go from here and what are the first things to consider?
SELECTING YOUR WEDDING DATE
Your wedding date plays a factor in some of the eco-friendly choices you’ll be making as you design and plan your day. My focus here is on seasonal flowers and foliage that grow in the UK throughout the year, as well as the colours and tones to match. Before you decide on a date, it’s worth exploring what is available per season and what then best suits you and your partner. For example, if you like intense warm colours, you might fall in love with the idea of an autumn wedding. By selecting your date in this way you're increasing the likelihood of being able to use British grown flowers and foliage, as well as possibly having them locally sourced. Straight away your carbon footprint is lower by reducing the use of imported flowers likely flown in from Kenya, Netherlands, Columbia or even China.
There will be some of you that are dreaming of a romantic winter wedding, where the options available in the UK are limited due to the lack of sun and warm weather we have, but I've got you covered and have dedicated another blog coming soon looking at alternative sustainable winter floral and foliage options.
Here is an extra idea if you and your partner can't decide on a date. Flowers have a wonderful ability to fill a persons heart and mind with so much happiness and love, as well as bring back an incredible moment in time or even the memory of a special person. When I was a little girl, my gramps planted a huge amount of beautiful daffodils surrounding his and my nannies bungalow next door to my families home in Somerset. Every year when they come to flower they make me smile so much and think of him.
Do you have a favourite flower or is there a flower that holds a wonderful memory for you? What is it and in what season does it bloom?
THE SIZE OF YOUR WEDDING
The next thing to consider is, what size do you want your wedding to be?
It's safe to say the fewer guests you have the smaller your environmental impact, plus there are some extra bonuses too. It’ll be friendlier to your wedding pocket and you’ll have more time to spend with your nearest and dearest talking and dancing your night away.
The fact is though, no matter how you design and plan your wedding, with every guest comes travel and food, so fewer guests means fewer miles travelled reducing your carbon emissions, as well as the potential to reduce any food waste.
There is also the size of your wedding venue or location to consider. The larger your party, the bigger the venue or location, the more energy required to provide electricity, gas and water. Additionally, you’d be increasing the amount of decoration, flowers, wedding favours and stationery as well. In saying this though, each of these elements can all be created, produced or grown in ways and with materials that are all planet-friendly, trust me I know.
WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GET MARRIED?
My next suggestion for you, is to think about where you'd like to get married?
Now you might already know this and have done it for some time, but if you don't, it's worth thinking about where most of your guests are travelling from. If the majority of your friends and family live in the South West then selecting a venue that is located there will reduce your carbon footprint further as they'll have less distance to travel.
For those that are travelling from further afield, you can look to suggest car sharing, limiting the number of cars needing to travel, reducing your impact even more.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN YOUR WEDDING VENUE?
There are a number of eco-conscious wedding venue weddings across the UK, as well as many venues implementing green policies, which is so encouraging to see.
Here are a couple of things to think about and what to look for when finding the right wedding venue for you.
- Research venues or locations that offer you both a ceremony and reception space in the same location OR at least have them close by to one another.
- Look out for a sustainability policy and read into what they’re doing? Such as, composting food waste, recycling policy, recommending local or eco-conscious suppliers or having a sustainable energy supply.
- Do they provide their own in-house catering? Are their ingredients sourced locally or do they grow them on-site?
I really hope this advice helps you during the early stages of designing and planning. As I said earlier, my biggest advice is to be considered in your decisions and take your time. You can also get in touch with me and we can work together to bring your sustainable vision to life, just click the link below and let’s chat about how I can best support you and your partner on this incredible journey together.