What is a Sustainable Wedding?
What is a Sustainable Wedding and can we have one? How easy is it to have an eco-friendly Wedding Day? Where do I start? Who can help me with it? These are all good questions that I’ll be answering.
I can confidently say that these days we’re all fully aware of the state of our planet and how global warming is threatening ALL life on Earth. And I know that the majority of us want to do what we can to reduce our own impact on global warming. The very fact that you’re here reading this tells me that being sustainable and eco-friendly is important to you
Welcome!
You’re probably Recycling, Re-using and Reducing your consumption in your everyday lives and it makes perfect sense for you to want to do that on your Wedding Day too.
That’s music to my ears. It’s also something that’s very important to me. Which is why I made the decision to work towards making my own Wedding Business as sustainable as possible. I love to work with all wedding couples and especially those who share my eco-conscious beliefs.
Read on to find out exactly what having a Sustainable Wedding means.
What does being Sustainable mean?
At the basic level a sustainable lifestyle, activity or celebration means that it’s self-supporting. It can continue without using up more energy than it produces. It’s about meeting our current life needs without compromising the future of our children and grandchildren to meet their own needs.
What is a Sustainable Wedding?
It’s very simple to apply these goals to Sustainable Wedding Planning and stop the enormous carbon footprint that has historically been produced. Did you know that in one year the approximately 245k British Weddings with an average 100 guests produced 4,910 tonnes of plastic. Source
You shouldn’t beat yourselves up about what’s happened in the past. But you can commit right here to start taking positive steps right now and going forward to have a ‘green’ wedding.
Read on to find out about the first step on your own Sustainable Wedding journey.
Trusted Eco Wedding Suppliers will help you create your Sustainable Wedding
There are many and varied marvellous wedding suppliers who would love to help you to have your perfect wedding day. From large venues to small sole traders. Each one is dedicated to making your wedding dreams come true.
More and more of these suppliers have an eco-friendly ethos already at their core or are making changes in their working practices and working towards minimising their environmental impact.
Working with experienced eco-conscious suppliers and wedding professionals is the first step on your sustainable wedding journey. Through small and easy steps, they’ll guide you and help you to make your Wedding as eco-friendly as possible.
You can find some of my recommended green wedding suppliers on my upcoming blogs.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE: ‘Green Washing’ is a relatively new term that refers to businesses who use ‘green’ marketing in a deceptive way to persuade the public that their products and services are environmentally friendly. Read on to find out how to avoid these.
Where to find trusted Sustainable Wedding Suppliers
To be sure that you’re speaking to a wedding business that really is dedicated to being sustainable, there are some things to consider and questions you might like to ask them.
Start by check out their online information to see how they are pro-actively promoting a sustainable ethos in what they do. Look for specifics. What are they actually doing and how can you verify it? Are they eco-friendly in their personal lives too? Personal and business beliefs usually go hand in hand.
Speak to them directly about what sustainable practices they follow. A green business owner will be happy to talk to you about their processes and exactly what they’re doing to be more sustainable. They’ll be proud of their eco-friendly practices. Trust in your instincts too – does this ring true? Look for a green accreditation from an independent organisation and find out exactly what it signifies. Is it from a trusted source? Do they work with other sustainable wedding suppliers? Are they part of a group or organisation of ‘green’ wedding professionals (not essential but can be a good indicator of their serious intent).
For example, Green Union Wedding Blog and Directory is a very useful listing of fabulous eco-friendly wedding professionals. Having them all in one place it saves you so much time you’d otherwise be spending searching the internet.
What to ask your Sustainable Wedding Suppliers
Each type of wedding supplier will have different ways of being sustainable. As an example you can ask Venues about their recycling practices and how they reduce their waste. What kind of energy do they use? If they’re serious about being eco-friendly you would expect to find this information on their website, but if it isn’t there don’t be afraid to ask – they may be working towards a more rounded sustainability model.
A simple way to be more sustainable is to use local suppliers. If suppliers have to travel you can find out how they are off setting their carbon footprint.
Sharing resources, taking responsibility ourselves and being kind to our planet are the keystones of being Sustainable. I’ll be going into more details about what questions you can ask different wedding suppliers in my upcoming blog.
Does a Sustainable Wedding cost more?
Of course, cost is a factor for many. We don’t all have a bottomless pot of money. However, you might be surprised to find out that many of the costs associated with your special day can be cheaper. Especially if you Reduce, Re-use, and Recycle where you can.
This doesn’t mean you have to settle for second-best. Eco-friendly wedding suppliers are experts in being creative in this respect. You’ll find boho-inspired eco-friendly wedding stylists who use pre-loved items with fantastic results. For example, think boho-chic and 70’s styling where original ‘vintage’ accessories are used. Creating stylish retro vibes ideal for informal venues like tipis and rustic country barns. Eco-friendly stylists have lots of fab style ideas.
Many wedding dress designers have embraced sustainability and ethical practices. There are numerous Sustainable Wedding Dress designers creating wonderful unique designs. There are lots of gorgeous Pre-Loved Wedding Dress shops where you’ll find a wide choice of styles. So, whatever your budget you can still satisfy your green principles.
I’ll be introducing you to some fabulous Eco-friendly Wedding Suppliers in my upcoming blogs.
Eco-friendly Sustainable Wedding Flowers
All florists obviously have a close relationship with Mother Nature. And more and more are turning to ‘green’ methods and sustainability. In the UK we have lots of fantastic local flower growers. British country garden flowers are beautiful and varied, and local artisan florists are experts in their field. (No pun intented!)
They’ll advise you and work closely with you to create a fabulous Eco-friendly Wedding Bouquet and all the gorgeous florals you want to dress your sustainable wedding venue. Keeping it local also saves on airmiles and reduces the carbon footprint of your special day. I’ll be talking more about sustainable Florists in the coming weeks.
Sustainable Wedding Elopement Ceremony
The most Eco-friendly Wedding of all is a Wild Elopement Ceremony. Just you two (and maybe a handful of guests) your Celebrant and your Photographer. Gathered at a secret outdoor venue for an intimate, romantic and fun wedding ceremony. A very small carbon footprint indeed.
Read my blog all about Elopement Weddings. Is an Elopement Wedding right for us?
Where to find out more
If you’d like to find out more about having a Sustainable Wedding I recommend you read the very interesting and informative Blog:
https://www.77diamonds.com/sustainable-weddings
Having a Planet Positive Wedding Day is not as hard as you might think. Arm yourself with these useful tips and have fun planning your own Eco-friendly Wedding.
Many thanks to all of the talented wedding suppliers who created this wonderful day. Check them out to find out more:
Venue @elmbridgefarm
Concept, Planning, Stylist & Props @bobbiwrenevents
Florist @_ashtonflowers
Dress @haarlembridal
Photographer 1 @nettlespie_photography
Photographer 2 @whatmonloves
Videographer @robcampbellweddings
Stationery @idoinvites
Cake @botanicalcakes
Natalie Jane MUA @natj_mua
Hair Stylist @thecosygardenroom
Models @hdgreeny_v
Celebrant @sharon_gordon_celebrant
Menswear @brigdens
Pampas & chandelier @pampasfans
Favours @modernmacramebysarahlouise
What an informative blog Sharon! I thoroughly enjoyed reading your take on creating a sustainable wedding and is fully of useful info to create a day that aligns with our eco conscious values! Amazing!!
Thank you Jen, I’m so happy to be a part of your wedding directory for Boho Brides, full of eco-conscious wonderful wedding suppliers.