When you’re planning an eco-friendly wedding one thing you’ll have to consider is the flowers. Do you have fresh or artificial flowers? Which one is the greener option?
For artificial flowers it may be that you think they are greener because they can be used again. If looked after properly they will last for years. However, this does not necessarily make them eco-friendly. What are they made of? For your wedding you would want good quality silk flowers but where did that silk come from? The vast majority of quality silk is manufactured in places like China and India so by the time it reaches you it has already racked up quite an impressive carbon footprint, and that is not even taking into consideration the manufacturing process. The fact that they can be used time and time again is probably not enough to make them more eco-friendly than using fresh flowers. Even if you could find silk flowers that have been made with every step of the manufacturing process carried out locally, it would still carry quite a high carbon footprint.
However, are your fresh flowers eco-friendly? This is something that you need to consider. If you simply go to your local florist and order the bouquets you may find that they make them up using flowers that have been imported – also creating an unnecessary carbon footprint. If you are asking for exotic blooms then it is unlikely that they could have been obtained without importing them, at least not in an eco-friendly way.
The good news is that there are now many florists that are taking an eco-friendly approach to their work. All you have to do is ask about eco-friendly options. They will explain to you about the blooms that they source locally and explain to you about the different flowers that will be in season at the time of your wedding. Remember that if you are getting married during the winter months, flowers such as roses are not in season so even if you are sourcing locally they are being obtained from suppliers that are forcing them on, using greenhouses and artificial heat and light, not to mention the possible use of chemicals. This will give them a higher carbon footprint than normal and this should be avoided.
Make sure that your flowers are local, in season and have been produced without the help of chemicals. Opt for organic where possible as this also avoids the use of chemical pesticides. If possible, talk to more than one florist to get a wider picture of the options available to you in your area. It is really important to ask as many questions as possible when you meet your florist as it can save time and worry about the eco-friendly credentials of your wedding later.