In the excitement leading up to your big day, it's easy to forget the impact a wedding can have on the environment. When you think about it though, all of the guests traveling to you, the food they eat, the electricity needed to run the marquee and for the band, not to mention the paper used in stationery - it all adds up to one whopper of a carbon footprint. Luckily for the Eco-conscious couple (and for the environment), green weddings are become more popular, and there are now a range of suppliers who can boast top-notch green credentials. It's also easier than you might realize to reduce the environmental cost of a wedding.
Cut Down that Guest List!
The quickest way to reduce a wedding's carbon footprint is to reduce the number of guests. Less guests mean less people traveling in their cars, and less items needed on the day itself. It might seem fun to open your arms and invite everyone, but you'll end up with a lot of people you don't know, and a huge catering bill. The easiest way to weed out guests you don't need is to ask "would I invite this person to my house for a cup of tea?" If the answer is 'no', or 'hmmmm', or 'well I haven't seen them in 10 years, do they even like tea' then there's no point inviting them to the most important day of your life!
Check Your Suppliers
As mentioned before, there are now a variety of wedding suppliers who specifically offer Eco-friendly alternatives to traditional items such as stationery or flowers. You can have Eco-venues, Eco-jewelry, and even Eco wedding dresses. The best place to start is on a website such as The Natural Wedding Company, which lists such suppliers. If your preferred supplier isn't on such a list, however, don't panic. You can simply ask them what they do as a company to reduce their environmental impact, and whether they can suggest greener alternatives for you from amongst their range.
Locally Sourced Is Best
The less that food, flowers, and other items have to travel, the better for the planet. So it's a good idea to source things from suppliers who are local to where you're getting married. Locally produced flowers and food are all the rage right now, so it's easy to find suppliers offering them. This also means you'll be supporting independent British businesses, which is always good!
Reuse, Recycle, and Make things Yourself
A brilliant way to save money and help the environment is to go hunting for your wedding decorations in car-boot sales and antique shops. These places can be a treasure-trove of interesting finds, and it's nice to give new life to something. The decorations you come back with could even be your 'something old'. Another way to cut down on the carbon footprint, and give your wedding a personal touch, is to use your families hidden talents and make things yourselves. On the day itself, set up bags to recycle things like glass or plastics.
What About The Rings?
Your wedding rings are an important symbol of your married life together, but it's equally important that the people who mined the materials did so in safe conditions and received a fair wage. Buying a fair trade ring from somewhere such as CRED ensures that the workers were not exploited. Another option would be to get your rings custom made by a local jewelry designer.
Use Technology, Not Paper
Everybody communicates via the internet these days, whether by email, instant message, or Skype. So do you really need all the paper commonly associated with a wedding? Instead of invites and RSVPs, why not have a wedding website? It's a great, instant way to update your guests, and it can be very cheap or even free!
It's simple to make a few steps towards a greener wedding, and you can spend your big day knowing that the planet's as happy as you are.
Image credit: trekalong.com
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