With thousands of couples (including a certain Harry and Meghan) planning their weddings to take place this spring and summer, Friends of the Earth reveals a new list of ideas to help everyone enjoy a greener wedding.
Katie Riviere, of Friends of the Earth, said:
“At Friends of the Earth, we love helping people to make their big day more eco-friendly – with weddings sometimes seeming to cost the earth, in more ways than one. From beautiful wildflower bouquets to crowdsourced decorations, there are a lot of things you can do which will make yours much kinder to the planet, and also that bit more special!”
From the bride’s bouquet to table centrepieces, flowers are an integral part of a beautiful wedding. Why not use local, wildflowers to give the bridal bouquet a stunning rustic look, which will also have a far lower carbon footprint than imported flowers. When thinking about centrepieces and table decorations opt for potted plants instead of vases, as these can be replanted in your garden as a lasting memento of the big day!
When it comes to wedding favours, ditch packaging rich products. Be kind to the Earth by giving your guests something useful, gorgeous and environmentally-friendly instead. Beautiful Wildflower Seed Favours are the perfect take-home gift, not only benefiting your wedding guests’ gardens but providing a much-needed source of food for bees.
By lighting as much of the ceremony and reception as possible by candlelight you’ll not only save electricity but also make for a far more romantic setting! Use soy candles instead of beeswax to make the environmental impact even lower.Crowdsource decorations and dinnerware
While many people will have a very particular way they want their wedding to look, using preexisting objects instead of buying new decorations will save on huge amounts of waste. Asking around your friends and family for antiques and heirlooms to use as decorations will give your wedding a wonderful, bohemian charm and is a great way for everyone to feel involved. Who knows what treasures and stories will surface!Keep it local
Whether you’re drinking fizz or cordial, everyone enjoys a special drink to toast to the newlyweds. Use a local vineyard to source your wine or bubbly, and a local juice press for the alcohol-free option. The UK is filled with producers of stunning wines and juices; by using domestically produced drinks your wedding will have a substantially lower carbon footprint.
If possible, hold the ceremony and the reception in the same venue to cut down on travel needs (with dozens of guests travelling between two venues, the vehicle emissions can add up quickly). If travel is unavoidable, book a bus for your guests to minimize the number of vehicles used.
The Wildflower wedding favours cost £1.20, with 50p from each sale donated to Friends of the Earth, and can be purchased here. For the best results, sow the seeds in March/April or September/October.
About Friends of the Earth: For more than 40 years we’ve seen that the wellbeing of people and planet go hand in hand – and it’s been the inspiration for our campaigns. Together with thousands of people like you we’ve secured safer food and water, defended wildlife and natural habitats, championed the move to clean energy and acted to keep our climate stable.
Be a Friend of the Earth – see things differently. For more information visit: https://friendsoftheearth.uk/ follow us at @friends_earth, or like our Facebook page.
