How to Have a Sustainable Wedding
Advice 17.08.2021
Weddings aren’t well known for being particularly friendly to the environment, what with the disposable decorations, table favours and confetti.
But if you want the wedding of your dreams and also want to as kind to the planet as possible, there are plenty of green options you can choose. Here are our eco-friendly tips on how to have a sustainable wedding and minimise the impact of your big day.
Save paper to save the planet
Save the dates, invitations and place names: just a few of the stationery items you might have for your wedding.
But if you want to save trees, scrap the paper invites altogether and send all the details by email instead (it will cost less too!). In your email you can include a link to your own personal wedding website where you can share the date, dress code, dinner options and directions. You can also ask guests to RSVP via email or via the website too.
And go without place cards. Instead, combine cards and favours, and write your guests names on items that can also be taken home as a keepsake, such as large pebbles, bits of driftwood or small plant pots.
If you don’t want to go completely paper free, print on recycled paper and use a vegetable and soy-based ink. Or send out invites printed on planatable wildflower seed paper that can be planted in your guests’ gardens after the big day.
Wear vintage
With the average new wedding dress costing £1500 and only worn just the once, more and more environmentally conscious brides are opting for a vintage or pre-loved wedding dress.
Take a look at wedding boutiques that specialise in vintage dresses such as Days of Grace in Devon or browse sites like etsy.com or preloved.co.uk. Or why not get married in the same dress your mother or grandmother wore?
If you want to get married in a new frock, think about choosing an ethical wedding dress designer who uses organic, sustainable fabrics or uses vintage fabrics to create new dresses.
Or you could always hire your wedding dress for the big day. Take a look at MyWardrobeHQ for luxury designer dresses to hire.
Let your bridesmaids choose their dresses
If you insist on your bridesmaids all wearing bright pink candy stripes, chances are their dresses will all end up in the back of the wardrobe never to be worn again. So it’s a good idea to give your girls a colour scheme but let them choose the style of dress they prefer. You can also donate your bridesmaids’ dresses to a charity like Gift of a Wedding, who organise weddings and raise funds for people with terminal illnesses.
Use eco-friendly wedding favours
Little bags of sugar almonds wrapped in cellophane never get eaten. So if you’re going to serve favours, opt for a small gift that your guests will actually take away. Tiny jars of homemade jam or locally produced honey are always popular. As are pots of herbs which can be used to decorate the table and then be taken home by your guests. Or how about plantable ‘bonbons’, which contain a mix of wildflowers seeds and dried flowers and can be planted in the garden.
Have a sustainable menu
Opting for local and seasonal is key when it comes to your catering. Choose ethically produced and organic ingredients wherever possible. And have a wedding menu that’s vegan in order to reduce your carbon footprint. But if going completely vegan isn’t an option, include a couple of meat dishes but try to have at least half of your menu vegetarian or vegan. Think about sourcing your alcohol from local wineries, breweries and distillers too.
And don’t forget to ask your caterers what their food waste policy is too. Do they just throw everything away? Or will it be composted or donated to a foodbank? Or will they kindly package up any leftovers so you and your guests can enjoy them the next day?
Hire your tableware
We know that plastic straws are a no-no. As are disposable plastic plates, cups and cutlery. But if you’re setting up a bar or eating outside and have to use plastic glasses or utensils, make sure they’re fully compostable and biodegradable. Using glass and china is the best option, of course, as it can all be washed and reused again. Scour charity shops and buy vintage mismatched cups, saucers and plates. Or just hire it all in.
Have an organic wedding cake
Ask your baker to make your cake with organic, Fairtrade ingredients. And if they’re local and seasonal too so much the better. You may want to go vegan with your cake too. Or at least offer a dairy-free option to your guests.
When it comes to decorating your cake, opt for real flowers, and edible decorations such as fruit and berries rather than throwaway plastic bits and pieces, and ribbons. Take a look at Devon’s Queen Bee Cakes for wedding cake inspiration.
Choose eco-friendly wedding flowers
If you want your bouquet to be kind to the planet, choose flowers that are in season and ideally opt for a florist that buys flowers locally. Exotic flowers look stunning, of course. But if they’ve been flown to the UK, they’re going to have a hefty carbon footprint. Instead, opt for English flowers such as lilac, roses, forget-me-nots and blossom in spring; stock, nigella, sweet peas and peonies in summer; hydrangeas, dahlias and snapdragons in the autumn; and berries, jasmine and hellebores in winter. Or opt for silk flowrers that can be kept and repurposed.
When it comes to decorating your tables or the venue, choose flowers or plants that your guests can take away with them. So place flowers in recycled bottles or jam jars and let guests help themselves at the end of the celebrations. Or have potted plants on your tables. Herbs and succulents work particularly well.
Opt for sustainable decorations
When it comes to sustainable wedding decorations, avoid one-use items and recycle, upcycle and hire whatever possible. Balloons and Chinese lanterns are pretty but will as end up in landfill. If you really want to have them at your celebration, check they’re biodegradable at least. But if you’re looking for colour, you can’t go wrong with bunting, and that’s especially true if it’s been made by hand by friends and family members from recycled bits of cloth. Bunting made from old photos works too. Vintage items and signs made from old wooden pallets are perfect for styling your venue. And upcycling old books for decorations is a great idea as well. You can also hire all your decorations, props, lighting and signage. Take a look at Best Day Ever for ideas.
It's also worth talking to other couples to see if you can share decorations. Or take a look through Ash Barton's famous goody cupboard. It's full of bits and pieces that are left after each wedding, including decorations and tablecloths. Help yourself to anything you find in there and recycle them for your own big day.
What about confetti? Luckily, there are plenty of sustainable alternative to confetti for those environmentally conscious couples, including dried petals, wildflowers and even bubbles.
Choose a sustainable wedding venue
And finally, choose a wedding venue that aims to be kinder to the planet without comprising on style.
Ash Barton is a sustainable wedding venue with all its energy sourced from a 200KW woodchip boiler and solar panels that supply all its electricity. In fact, Ash Barton feeds electricity back to the national grid. There are also 7KW EV charging points for electric cars in the car park, which are free to use. And any food left over is fed to the Ash Barton chickens. It’s why the eggs are so delicious!