Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Your Wedding

Words by Utterly Printable

Over the last decade it has become evident that we really need to start reducing the damage we do to the climate and the planet. ‘Eco-friendly’ has become a buzzword, and it is certainly something we need to be taking seriously to ensure that future generations still have a world to call home. This extends to big events such as weddings that can take quite a toll on the environment. So, for the eco-warrior bride and grooms out there, here’s a list of things to keep in mind when trying to reduce the carbon footprint of you wedding:

Eco-friendly Wedding

When it comes to planning your wedding, there are many things you can do, from small steps to much grander gestures, to ensure that you are having a green wedding that has minimal impact on the planet. Even the smallest efforts toward sustainability are worthwhile pursuing: everything is beneficial to the planet. Here are some ideas for what you can do to reduce the carbon footprint of your wedding.

When and Where?

The first thing you can do is think about when you have your wedding. This might sound strange but, if you think about it, it will mean that you’re using less in the way of heating, and lights can stay off until much later in the evening. When it comes to choosing a venue, you want to avoid places that use air-conditioning and choose somewhere naturally cool or embrace the climate as it happens to be that day.

Some wedding venues will help you add an element of eco-friendliness to your wedding by making planting a tree part of the ceremony. Of course, in this day and age there are venues that are eco-friendly with their power provision and use wind turbines, solar power or geothermal energy. In Somerset, the Longhouse in Bruton is considered to be the most sustainable venue in the country. It has rainwater storage, on site solar panels, and geothermal heating plus the building is made from recycled materials wherever possible. So, when it comes to reducing the carbon footprint of your big day, the venue is very important. Find one that has the same ethos as you.

Who is Coming?

While it is natural to want to celebrate with all your friends and family, the more and further people have to travel, the higher carbon footprint for the day becomes. If possible, you should consider holding the event at one venue; as in the ceremony, the dinner, the evening do, and accommodation for your guests. This cuts down on travel between venues and no one needs to worry about getting home that evening. And while getting married abroad is a dream for many people, it is sadly not eco-friendly.

Small Changes

These are perhaps the biggest elements of a wedding, and there are certainly many other small changes you can make. Sustainable wedding stationery, locally produced vegetables for the meals (certainly no beef!). And perhaps a second-hand wedding dress, anything you can do to reduce the carbon footprint will really help. Organic produce is certainly a friendly way to feed your guests, you can take that further with all sorts of organic things like materials in dresses, the linen, and more. Consider the setup of the venue, if you use sashes and chair covers and tablecloths all this has to be washed afterwards. Some of the best eco-friendly weddings we have been to, took place in a field, with a tent and bales of hay.

Carbon Offset

Wedding stationery printing

To really minimise the environmental impact of your big day, it is now very easy to offset the carbon footprint of your wedding by planting or protecting trees. We in our own small way offer a carbon offset printing service for all of our traditional wedding stationery. In partnership with the WLT, we give you the choice at checkout to offset the exact carbon footprint of your order. This means you can be sure that you’re buying the most eco-friendly wedding invitations around. Perfect!