8 ideas for an eco-friendly wedding

Feeling guilty about the fantastic wedding you are preparing and living in fear of vegan friends reprimanding you for food and energy waste? If you are concerned about your wedding’s environmental footprint, here are some ideas to prepare an energy-neutral wedding by suggesting appropriate balancing actions. Just think that the CO2 emission of a wedding can reach up to 50 tons and you will need to plant about 2,500 trees to compensate this.

The four biggest environmental impacts of a wedding are air travel, number of guests, food waste and imported flowers. A suitable solution would be to have a small local wedding with a vegetarian menu and second-hand outfits to compensate for the environmental impact of flying her guests to the event, but we also present some less radical tips, depending on the degree of sustainability you want to succeed. The first step is to start with the right suppliers. Ask your potential business partners if they recycle or look for eco-friendly wedding planners.

1. Pledge your vows to an estate dedicated to sustainability

You can also show your interest in the environment at the wedding event choosing small estates for the ceremony and reception. Under the starry sky and with the company of a few friends and relatives you can enjoy the celebration of your life in a banqueting space, in harmony with the natural environment that requires minimal decoration to be transformed into a festive yard. Choose an event venue that respects the environment, is in tune with nature and can provide you with ecological solutions in terms of lighting and decoration, limiting the use of non-recyclable products, energy consumption and the waste produce. Bioclimatic venues ensure perfect heating or cooling and ventilation, while the ecological philosophy of the estate should be reflected in the natural materials used, as well as in its provided services (organic products, cosmetics).

There are many eco resort reception venues that hold events in perfect harmony with the natural environment and with so many small wedding estates going eco-friendly, you won’t have to sacrifice style to be sustainable. The checklist you should check before choosing your wedding reception venue includes some small but important green steps:

• Replacement of incandescent light lamps with energy-efficient options, such as LEDs

• Water heating using solar energy in the summer months

• Use of LPG in kitchens

• Use of new linen washing technology, with energy saving mechanisms

• Chemical analysis of drinking water by a private accredited laboratory

• Environmentally friendly cleaning detergents

• Use of returnable packaging

• Use of recyclable serving item

Recycling of burnt oils, plastic, paper and glass in collaboration with the Municipal Recycling Company, batteries, ink cartridges, electrical and electronic waste in collaboration with the Municipal Recycling Company.

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2. Transplant the flowers

Of course, flowers play a decisive role in the decoration of the venue and omitting them is not an option. Make sure, however, that the decoration is environmentally friendly, perhaps with flowers and plants that can later be transplanted. You can choose seasonal flowers that are grown without the use of pesticides or get them from a local florist, reducing carbon dioxide released during their transport and at the same time asking the florist not to spray them for extra fragrance or durability. Alternatively, you can of course choose to get married in a lush – naturally decorated – garden!

3. Minimize food waste

The quantities of food you order should be based on RSVP, while the menu should be put together depending on the seasonality of the ingredients. Support local producers, look for the vegetables with the least pesticides or even dare a vegan menu, and if there is a surplus of food, you can offer containers made of biodegradable material for guests to take the food home.

4. Give the past a chance

The choice of wedding outfits can be done ecologically and consciously by renting the dresses of the bridesmaids, which is an environmentally friendly and quite economical option. Alternatively, you can go for a vintage look, using hidden treasures in your mother’s wardrobe or even wear her wedding dress! However, more and more designers are launching entire eco collections taking care not only of the environment but also of considering the working conditions of the people who make them with the recyclable materials, such as organic cotton, ecological silk and durable bamboo fiber, to give undeniable sophistication.

5. Eco-invitations

Surely, you could send the invitations online. We, on the other hand, think you should go for the traditional way and send them by post! Reduce the amount of paper you use, the guest list or use recycled paper. Avoid bows, glue, glitter or decoration that make invitations unsuitable for recycling and opt for pyrography instead of using ink.

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6. Choose "green" transfer

Reduce the transport and carbon footprint of your wedding and suggest that your guests carpool or rent mini buses, significantly reducing the carbon footprint. If you’re getting married on an island, leave the car at home, and walk to the church, or go by horse-drawn carriage, boat, bicycle or even on foot accompanied by a group of musicians. Another way to make your wedding more “green” is to not have to re-locate the guests to the reception area and reduce the use of electricity if the wedding takes place during the day.

7. Break free from plastic

One of the most impactful changes you can make is eliminating single-use plastic from your wedding celebration. Invest in reusable glasses and straws for your drinks, look for utensils made from eco-friendly materials like bamboo, and you can also go green by choosing to rent the decor you use.

8. Ecological wedding favours

A beautiful idea for party favours is to use flowerpots or recycled paper boxes with plant seeds. Alternatively, you can choose classic wedding favours, made of fabrics such as linen in harmony with the colors and style of the rest of the decoration. Another trend that is growing in popularity is to donate an amount to a charity instead of a party favor!

Every moment is appropriate to show our concern for the environment and reduce the great damage we have caused. Planning your wedding with these easy and useful tips can become a piece of cake and you can live the happiest day of our life with a green character and -of course- guilt-free!

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