If you’re making an effort to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle, why not make sure that your wedding reflects this? There are a number of easy ways to ensure that your wedding isn’t harmful for the environment. According to Country Living, UK weddings create up to 4000 tons of plastic each year.
Read on to discover how you can avoid contributing to this huge amount of waste, without compromising on any of the luxury that you always dreamed of.
Firstly, you may have to check your basic notions on energy consumption and how to measure it to then know where changes can be made. Only once you know what is a kWh will you be able to efficiently spare some.
Firstly, make sure you hire catering staff who share your values
Not only do you want to make sure that the catering company you choose does not use single-use plastic, but you also want to ensure that they source their food locally. Sustainably, ethically, and locally sourced produce will mean that your wedding meal won’t be contributing to climate change with regards to travel emissions, but it will also be fresher for your big day. If you want to go the extra mile, you can even opt for a totally vegan wedding!
Choose a sustainable venue
You might dream of getting married in an old, traditional venue. But, the chances are, these won’t be as sustainable as newer buildings. Choosing a sustainable venue means taking into account their energy consumption, where they source their energy, and how much plastic they use. For example, opting for a venue with solar panels will reassure you that your venue is eco-friendly. Before choosing your venue, it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with the basics of energy bills! You’ll therefore learn that the surface of the venue has a huge influence in its energy consumption. Furthermore if your guests require accommodation, you could consider glamping or eco-friendly resorts. Also, you might want to make sure that your wedding is located on your home soil, so your guests don’t have to travel too far, for example on a plane.
You might not like this one… but keeping your guest list small is good decision if you want an eco-friendly wedding!
Although it’s tricky to cut down your guest list, it makes a lot of sense. Fewer guests means fewer modes of transport, a smaller venue with a lower energy consumption, and less cooking required! However, if you really can’t keep it small, then keep it local! This means people won’t have to travel too far, and you can be sure that your food is locally sourced.
Cut the paper and plastic
Confetti and balloons are notoriously bad for the environment. This is because they are single-use plastic and therefore take years to biodegrade. Weddings have always been known for glamour and glitz, but you can still have your fancy wedding and not use tons of plastic that is terrible for our planet! There are loads of companies who produce party supplies that are eco-friendly and do not use plastic. If you really want to commit to reducing the harmful effects caused by your wedding day, you can try to keep the decorations as minimalist as possible. The less paper you use, the better as well. There are eco-friendly decisions you can make long before your big day. For example, send e-invitations to avoid excessive printing. During canapes, opt for ceramic plates instead of paper plates or napkins. Not only is it more sophisticated, but you are also saving the planet!
Overall, there are lots of very small changes you can make on and before your big day to make sure that your wedding day isn’t harming the planet. You don’t need to choose between eco-friendly and the wedding of your dreams! For further information, you can read up on energy bills to make sure you understand where small changes can be made to have big effects with regards to your energy consumption.
This article was supplied by our wonderful friends at Papernest, a free service that manages any paperwork when moving!
