ENJOY AN ECO-FRIENDLY WEDDING
Sarah Varley explores some simple ideas to help make your wedding environmentally-friendly as well as fabulous!
There are lots of things you can do to make your wedding day eco-friendly. Here are just a few of them.
VENUES
Many Ribble Valley venues are already incorporating lots of eco-friendly, sustainable practices into their everyday running, have a look on their websites or ask for more details.
FLOWERS
Opt for locally-grown, seasonal flowers with sustainability and the environment in mind. Trends are moving towards smaller, more delicate bouquets filled with fresh, fragrant flowers that smell amazing, such as sweet peas, peonies, digitalis and other seasonal blooms.
Floral installations are popular and make a stunning statement, and can be achieved in a more eco-friendly way. Keep them foam-free using chicken wire, water vials and vessels – chemical-free options that can be used again. You could also consider potted plants for centre-pieces instead of cut flowers.
INVITATIONS
Invitations can set the tone for your forthcoming wedding, so if you don’t want to go paperless with e-invites or save the dates, you can find beautiful stationery made using recycled paper products or sustainable materials such as bamboo and vegetable-based inks that are chemical-free.
Some paper products are even plantable, embedded with seeds such as wild flowers, so guests can plant them in their gardens afterwards and the paper turns into flowers, plants or herbs and can provide another lovely reminder of your day.
FOOD
You can work with your venue or caterer to incorporate locally sourced food into your wedding menu as much as possible, ensuring food on the day has a low carbon-footprint as well as making the most of the delicious food on offer locally! You can also get advice on vegan options and reducing waste.
CONFETTI
Dried flower-petal confetti is beautiful and a great way to get that confetti moment at your wedding in a way that is safe for the environment and wildlife.
FAVOURS
Look out for environmentally-friendly wedding favour ideas such as packets of seeds that help bee populations.
DECORATIONS
As well as using locally sourced and seasonal flowers, there are beautiful decorations available to hire from local companies that can be reused, such as giant letters or lanterns instead of balloons.
TRANSPORT
Suggest that guests coming from similar locations can carpool, or consider organising transport such as a coach or even a decorated double-decker bus to cut down on the amount of vehicles used to get to your wedding.
