With many people looking to be environmentally aware these days, it is natural that it should be considered for every aspect of life and your wedding day is no different. After all, there are environmental implications in everything we do and when we plan for weddings the environment might unfortunately be overlooked. It is estimated that the average wedding will leave behind 400lbs of waste and create 63 tons of CO2.
Consider the implications of a traditional wedding:
- Stationery – invitations, order of service and other printed materials for the day will have an impact on the environment.
- Transport – those traditional vintage cars are not really eco-friendly are they?
- Outfits – wedding clothes can be just as unsustainable as other outfits you buy, even more so when you consider that they will only be worn once.
- Venue – is the venue an environmentally friendly one?
These are just a few factors to take into consideration but when you sit down and add it all up your wedding day could be one of the most unsustainable days of your life.
So how do you combat this? First of all by making sure that you look into every aspect of the day carefully and making sure that it is as green as possible. You will soon realize that an environmentally friendly wedding is easier to arrange than you might think.
Minimizing waste is an essential part of the process. For example, room decorations for the reception. These are often thrown away at the end of the day but you could hire reusable decorations so that nothing goes to waste. Hiring items is often the most environmentally friendly way to have the look and feel that you want for your day without the guilty conscience. These items will be used time and time again, reducing any impact that they have on the environment.
Then there are other aspects of the wedding. Flowers, for example, are something that most people would not think could leave a negative impact on the environment. However, many commercially grown flowers are grown with the help of fertilizers and then there are the environmental implications of transportation. For a greener wedding, organically grown flowers are a must and locally sourced flowers are essential for reducing environmental impact.
Choosing a venue that has a strong sustainable focus is an important factor. Consider how the venue generates energy. If you are opting for a hotel ask if they make use of solar power or other methods that reduce their CO2 emissions. Talk to the caterers to see if their ingredients are organic and sourced locally. Find a dress made from organic fibers or use one that is hired or borrowed. Make your own invitations or send them electronically to reduce environmental impact.
All of these are small changes that can be made to the traditional wedding and their impact will hardly be noticed – least of all by the environment.