Green Eco-friendly weddings

Author Kerry Jackson-Rider 

When Planning your Wedding Simply Ask Yourself: "How can we use less 
and do we really need it?"
 
 Having been lucky enough to spend a lot of time outside enjoying Nature 
over the past couple of weeks I felt inspired to write this blog post on Green/ Eco-friendly weddings. Many 
couples are making the conscious decision to have a Green wedding and I applaud them for it. 
It is always possible to celebrate your marriage in spectacular fashion whilst still protecting 
(or at least not damaging) the environment and by holding on 
to your firmly held values and sharing them with your friends and family. 
Most of all we should aim to avoid wasteful 
and damaging consumption which, by definition, includes 'wasting' or spending 
excessive amounts of money which often 
we can't afford. I'm not going to get into the issue of budgets here as we all have 
our different ideas as to how much is 
excessive and it is always such an emotive topic. Let's just focus on some of 
the ways in which you and your guests can choose 
even just one or two ways to enjoy a Green wedding. We'll call it spending 
your money more wisely and a great way 
to start is to perhaps choose a 'Back to Nature' styled theme which also 
reflects what you, as a couple, both really 
care and are passionate about rather than just trying to make a big, expensive show.

 
So, what simple steps can you take towards having a Green wedding? Here 
are My Top 10 ideas to get you started......
 
 
The KEY elements of any Wedding and which you can make Green choices 
about include:
 
 
1. The  Guests -
 
Keep your numbers as low as possible both to save you money and to 
minimize the impact of your wedding.
 
 
2. The Venue -
 
If possible plan it so that you and your guests can walk to the church 
and reception. Look for venues who openly promote and even hold awards 
for their 'Green' ideology eg. The Green House 
Hotel in Dorset (UK). Farms and barns are also a good choice of venue with a 
tent or tipi in a field sounding 
particularly idyllic with decor elements including meadow flowers
 in a variety of recycled glass vases, bottles and jars, using all the 
natural wood available, wicker seats and baskets,
 
cushions and hay bales.
 
Hold your ceremony and reception during the daytime so you don't need 
artificial light.Choose a venue with a lot of natural decor - outside is perfect ie. a 
woodland, farm or beach setting.Offer a range of wooden/ outdoor games such as quoits, welly wanging in 
the meadow, a wooden swing for the kids to play on and refreshing fruity homemade drinks and jams etc. made with 
seasonal fruits.

 
 
3. Stationery -
 
Don't use paper save the dates, invitations etc. use electronic ones 
with a photo or make a short video. Also get inventive

with your table plan and Menus to avoid paper waste. Ask yourself: Does 
your invitation really need to consist of ten pieces of paper??? Just saying... 
Use bio-degradable confetti or better still throw rice or real flower 
petals. Don't have your guests bring you presents and, if they do, ask them NOT 
to wrap them in glossy gift-wrap or write a card with an envelope.

 
 
4. Favors -
 
Give your guests useful, Eco-friendly favors and gifts that they can 
actually use NOT junk that will end up in the bin in a
couple of hours/ days eg. wildflower seed packets (made from 
Eco-friendly non-bleached paper), recycle jars and make
homemade jam or chutney. 
See http://www.wildflower-favours.co.uk for more ideas.

 
5. Transportation -
 
Limit the number of guests in general and especially those who will 
have to drive or fly long distances to reach the wedding.
You can calculate the mileage your traveling guests will have to 
travel and offset their carbon emissions through a project
 such as Carbon Footprint   Use buses or other group transport options instead of lots of 
individual cars - better still use environmentally-friendly transport options such as 
horses, carts/ carriages, bikes and tandems. 
Have some FUN with your transportation, your guests and your wedding!

 
6. Food and Drink -
 
Look for caterers who will use seasonal, local produce to reduce costs, 
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Again, use recycled glass jars and make 
homemade lemonade or fruit-based cocktails with Eco-friendly candy-striped paper straws. 
Choose to serve Fair trade coffee and tea.

 
 
7.The Flowers -
 
This is an easy one for most people as, unless you have plans to re-use 
or distribute your flowers after the wedding, they can be perceived as a waste of money 
and moreover a waste in general if they are put straight into the bin. I love flowers at
weddings and think they can really add the WOW! factor BUT I do always try to make 
sure that ceremony flowers can be taken to the reception venue and re-sited and, at the end of the 
evening, they are given to aunties, nans etc. or held over to be used at a brunch or 
BBQ the following day. We have even taken arrangements to a retirement home so that more
people could enjoy them after the wedding. Even if money is no object it does seem a 
little crazy to spend £2000 on a floral archway which can't then be transported or re-used and ends up in the 
bin in a matter of hours. A little bit of extra thought and planning with your florist 
will make the most of your flower budget and usage.

 
 
8. The Dress  -
 
I agree that, in theory, this will never be worn again although some 
brides do choose a design and fabric with the intention of dyeing it later to be 
worn as an evening gown - this also works for shoes and clutch bags. Jewellery and head wear
accessories can of course be re-used and I am pleased that my own tiara, veil and dress 
have all been used for charity work and photo shoots rather than just sitting in the wardrobe.
Buying a pre-owned wedding dress or recycling yours after the wedding 
is the best option.There are many places where you can buy and sell a 
pre-owned dress, for example, in the UK Oxfam and in the US Craigslist, Ebay etc.
 
 
9.  Photography, Videography and Entertainment -
 
You may think there is nothing at all you can do about the 
'Eco-friendliness' of your photographer, videographer or
entertainment providers but do check their credentials. How about the 
types of equipment and batteries they use? How do they dispose of any waste?
How much electricity and wattage do they use for sound and lighting, cool units etc? How far
 are you asking them to travel to attend your wedding? Stick to acoustic only music - it uses no electricity!
 
 
10. Your Gift list/ Presents -
 
Ask your guests to make a donation to a cause that you care about eg. 
World Wildlife Fund or Save the Tiger or something else YOU as a couple have personal 
connections with or are deeply passionate about perhaps Cancer Research.
 Ask for Eco-friendly items which will enhance your life and help the 
planet eg.a kitchen waste composer, recycling bins etc.

 
 
So, where can you find Green products and services?
 
Friends of the Earth have a Green weddings page here 
http://www.foe.co.uk/living/articles/green_weddings

Oxfam have bridal departments all around the UK. You can see more here 
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/local-
 
shops/oxfam-bridal-departments

Eco-Friendly Weddings have lots of suppliers on their website here 
http://www.eco-friendlyweddings.co.uk/

Green Union has a directory of suppliers here 
http://www.greenunion.co.uk/

There are some great Green items for your wedding decor and favors 
here 
https://www.greenbrideguide.com/wedding-

 
 
At this time when we are all looking for a sense of shared 
responsibility even the smallest gesture WILL make a difference
or positive impact. If you are currently planning your Wedding maybe 
you can think through your current ideas for your Wedding and see if 
there is anything you could do slighly different 
which will make a small difference either to the environment or to improving 
someone Else's life - it will make you feel 
great and probably even save you some money!
 
Happy Planning!

Kerry. xx

 

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Author Kerry is the founder and owner of Kerry Jackson-Rider Luxury Wedding Planning and is a leading UK & International Wedding Designer and Planner.
With over 10 years experience in Wedding and Event Planning.

Categories: Budget Saving, Green Wedding, Wedding Decoration, Wedding Dresses, Wedding Planning, Wedding Tips, Wedding Trends

Tagged: eco friendly, eco wedding ideas, environmental friendly wedding, green wedding, green wedding guide, how to plan a green wedding, nature friendly, wedmepretty.com

Date: May 19, 2014

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