How to have an eco-friendly wedding
How to have an eco-friendly wedding is the question on many nearly-wed couples’ minds. With the average carbon footprint of a wedding estimated to be around 14.5 tonnes in the UK (according to a study by the University of Sheffield), this is something we need to take seriously when planning our own grand celebrations.
To put things into perspective, this carbon footprint is equivalent to driving your car around the world twice, or equal to the amount of CO2 emissions produced by five people in a year. In the grand scheme of things, this is a worrying number and something we must consider, especially those of us working in the wedding industry. Having a wedding that is more eco-friendly is much better for the sustainability of the world we live in.
A completely sustainable wedding is a hard thing to achieve (and well done to any couples who have succeeded!). But just by making a few small changes and putting thought into how to make your wedding more ethical and eco-friendly, before making any big decisions, can make a big difference.
Eco-friendly weddings
Having an eco-friendly wedding doesn’t have to mean sacrificing everything on your dream board and starting again, it’s about making good decisions and thinking about our own impact on our world. A simple idea, instead of buying everything new, is to look for preloved items that you can reuse, repurpose or sell on after your big day. Wedding decor that you just couldn’t do without may be on sale from couples that have had their special day (Facebook have a lot of thrifty pages especially for couples getting married that want to save a few pennies and save the environment while they’re at it).
Sustainable fashion choices
What to wear for your wedding is such a big decision, but for the eco-conscious couple, they have even more to consider. Of course, buying vintage or pre-loved outfits are a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Check out these preloved websites: Bridal Reloved, Recycle My Wedding (by Rock My Wedding). If you want something a little more specific, choosing a designer based in the UK is a great place to start as many designers will ensure that fabrics are sourced locally and ethically and support fair working conditions. I highly recommend checking out the following UK designers who are just fantastic: Scarlet-Tayla (and SCAR by Scarlet-Tayla, Riley and Flynn, Legend Bridal.
JACKET | SCAR BY SCARLET-TAYLA
DRESS | SCARLET-TAYLA
FLOWERS | PAPER JACKDAW
Sustainable wedding food and drink
Food is such a big part of a wedding day which is why it’s so important to try and make ethical and sustainable choices when it comes to your catering. Of course, choosing locally sourced ingredients is a big step to becoming more eco-friendly as it avoids carbon emissions from imports. Including a good amount of plant-based options is a great choice if a vegetarian or vegan menu isn’t on the cards.
Choosing to purchase your drinks from a local brewery or distillery is another great way to reduce your carbon footprint. They are usually top notch and something that people may not have tried before, which is always a great conversation starter!
Eco-friendly confetti
I’d say this is a pretty easy one as there are so many options for eco-friendly and bio-degradable confetti out there nowadays. Of course, dried petals are number one on the list as they are naturally biodegradable. If you are going for dried petal confetti, try to choose petals that are light and floaty to maximise the effect on your confetti photos.
If dried petals aren’t your thing, there are lots of companies that specialise in bio-degradable paper confetti. I always include confetti from Proper Confetti in my welcome packs as they are eco-friendly and look AMAZING in photos! I also highly recommend checking out Flutter Darlings and Your Confetti.
DRIED PETAL CONFETTI
BIODEGRADABLE CONFETTI | STARBOX CREATIONS
BIODEGRADABLE CONFETTI | PROPER CONFETTI
Eco-friendly wedding flowers
Flowers can be such a big part of your wedding and really help to set the vibe of your day. They add colour and style and can make your venue look even more incredible. Finding wedding flowers that compliment a sustainable wedding and are eco-friendly is another important factor in making your decisions.
To have eco-friendly wedding flowers, you could consider dried flowers as they can look utterly beautiful. However, if you are opting for fresh flowers, locally sourced, seasonal flowers are the best way to keep your carbon footprint low. A great florist will be able to offer advice on the best, sustainable flowers for your wedding date.
You might choose to forego fresh flowers and opt for something longer lasting, such as a felt bouquet by Boom Bridal or something totally unique created by Foxglove and Black or Maddison Rocks. Choosing a bouquet that is not made of fresh flowers will last forever and be super eco-friendly.
BOUQUET | MADDISON ROCKS FLORAL
VENUE DRESSING | FOXGLOVE AND BLACK
BUTTONHOLE | MADDISON ROCKS FLORAL
Eco-friendly wedding favours
Instead of buying lots of mass-produced wedding favours that contribute to a large carbon footprint, there are lots of sustainable options out there. Favours can be something that is so important to some couples, but less important to others. They are, more often than not, more significant and important to the couple than to their guests. With this in mind, you might opt to do things a little differently.
Edible wedding favours go down very well, pun intended. As after they have been consumed, they obviously aren’t going to be added to the rubbish and contribute to our ever growing landfill sites. Locally sourced wedding favours, such as wild seeds or something that can be used by guests is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Much better than bulk ordering from websites that care a lot less about our environment. Consider spending your favours budget on donations to a charity in your guests’ names. This is a long lasting and amazing way of being not only eco-friendly, but also helping a cause that is close to your heart.
Choose sustainable and eco-conscious wedding suppliers
By thinking about your wedding dream team, it’s good to have in your mind the type of suppliers than can advise or help your wedding to be more eco-friendly. For many of us in the wedding industry, this is something we try to promote as we know it is something that we can have a direct, positive impact on.
How am I doing my part?
As a wedding photographer there are a few things I can do to contribute to a sustainable wedding industry that puts our environment first. Here are my top 5 eco-friendly actions:
- A few years ago, I made the change to e-brochures. When I first began photographing weddings, I would print brochures for everyone I met at wedding fairs and also for my new couples. Although they were recyclable, it’s just not a sustainable option. With the rise of online hosting, I am now able to send my clients online welcome brochures.
- I use recyclable packaging for all of my welcome packs, and everything included is either edible, useable or recyclable too!
- I promote sustainable weddings with my couples and always try to recommend options that are bio-degradable, recyclable or preloved.
- My photographic prints are sourced from fantastic UK based companies, which in turn reduces our carbon footprint.
- I have decided to do my part for our planet by funding the planting of a tree for each wedding booking I take.
Looking for an eco-conscious wedding photographer? Get in touch! Let’s chat 🖤
My eco-pledge
The climate crisis is real and needs to be addressed – together we can help to make our world greener and more sustainable.
Trees support our life, and also the lives of native plants and animals that are under pressure, particularly from habitat loss and climate change.
For every wedding booking I take, I will fund the planting of a tree in your name to support local reforestation in the United Kingdom.
