7 Easy Ways To Make Your Wedding More Sustainable
Photo by Tim Dunk
Written by Ellie Kime, The Wedding Enthusiast
Call it bridal intuition, but I already know you’re an incredible soul with an inquisitive mind, a caring heart and a clear conscience, right?
How do I know that?
You’re reading THE UN-WEDDING, the blog created for exactly those sorts.
Welcome home.
None of those traits suddenly stop when you’re engaged – in fact, they're emphasised, as you realise you’re bubbling over with ideas and creative energy, determined to make it the best day ever!
As such a caring, conscientious soul, the idea of so much potential wastefulness may quickly turn you from easy to queasy. There are tons of ways to make your wedding, eco-friendly (and they don’t all have to be the twee Kraft paper nightmares we often see) so you can party all night without feeling guilty all of the next day... Well, depending on what you do on the dancefloor after those doubles - but hey, we don’t judge.
As always, the answer lies in choosing the right suppliers and thinking about the details of your wedding as tailor-made to your day. Here are just a few easy ways to make sure your wedding is more sustainable.
1. Forget the favours
If you’re having favours, make sure they’re useful. Although they look great on the tables, we’ve all been to a wedding where the favours have been nothing more than pointless tokens. If you’re going to go down the favours route, make sure they’re something people aren’t going to leave on the table or chuck away immediately afterwards, something they’ll use and enjoy. Alternatively, don’t bother with them at all – make a donation to a charity in their place.
Photo by Joanna Bongard
2. Research your materials
Ask your stationer about their materials. Are they FSC-certified? FSC-certified paper and card is made from well-managed forests (meaning that they’re actually keeping forests alive for generations to come) or from recycled materials, ensuring they’re totally environmentally friendly.
Book Of Love supplier, Nat's Paper Studio use FSC certified paper
3. Work with mother nature
Using in-season flowers helps to minimise their airmiles and carbon footprint. Maximum impact on the day, minimum impact on the earth. F yeah.
Photo by Tim Dunk
4. Choose finger food
Minimise waste from your caterers. Book of Love supplier Platter London deals exclusively with abundant arrangements of stunning produce, stacked high and served beautifully. Lavish grazing tables filled with homemade food means they’re guaranteed to have no nasties in (for you or the world) and a platter-based serving style minimises the need for wasteful cutlery or crockery.
5. Go back to basics
Instead of taking transport between venues, why not walk (if possible?) Either en masse with your whole crew and crack a few open on the way, or take yourselves off for a moment of serenity together as a married couple. Better still, take your photographer and videographer with you and get some memorable shots as you go?
Photo by Tim Dunk
6. Go Bio
In your hair, on your face or even on the tables... If you are going to use copious amounts of glitter... which I really hope you are... then make sure your glitter is bio-degradable – like these pots of joy from Disco Dust.
7. Stay true
If you want a small wedding, have a small wedding. Don’t waste resources on loads of people and their plus ones if you’d rather curate a small and meaningful clan of people to really spend the time with on your big day.
Photo by Joanna Bongard
Relax - Frankie says so, and we do too.
Thinking about your options, making informed choices, being unafraid to ask the questions and picking the quality suppliers who care about their craft can help keep your wedding sophisticated, stylish and sustainable.
Author Biography - Fellow Book Of Love supplier, Ellie Kime aka The Wedding Enthusiast... does what it says on the tin...
... Whether you are a couple about to embark on your wedding planning and don't have a clue where to start?... need guidance with your styling from someone in the know?... supplier recommendations from one of the industry's 'go to' girls?... or someone to take the weight off with all the dreaded wedmin (because she actually LOVES it) ... Ellie is a walking solution to all of these problems, also working alongside many indie wedding businesses.
To see how she can help you, contact ellie@theweddingenthusiast.co.uk