Sustainable Destination Weddings

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Sustainability is no longer just a trend, it’s become a necessary lifestyle – and a good one at that! We all need to try and be environmentally friendly 365 days of the year, so this can include your wedding day… even a destination wedding!

There are plenty of ways to make your destination wedding green and here are just a few ideas to get you started on how to pull off an amazing eco-friendly destination wedding offsetting the travel footprint as much as possible.

Invitations and Stationery

For invitations and stationery, there are so many eco-friendly options available! Plantable seed papers are so unique (your guests plant your invitations after they've received them to grow a little garden) - they use post-consumer recycled cotton as the base to break down and are environmentally safe.

Other paper lines include recycled hemp or denim and can be printed with soy-based inks.

There are so many options and companies available online and on social media, so do lots of research and find a company that fits with you best.

Sending a digital invitation is acceptable for casual weddings, while a traditional paper invitation is still considered the polite way to invite guests to a formal affair. If you decide on the digital way then consider hiring a designer to give your invite a personal look, and you can add some custom monograms and details.

Wedding Websites

Having a wedding website is a fantastic way to save on paper and provide your guests with information such as accommodations, directions and transportation. In addition, your guests can email their RSVP replies or submit them through the site.

Accommodation

Whether you’re looking for an adult’s only venue or a family friendly property to accommodate all of your guests from the very young to the older generation, there are so many venues all over Europe that cater to an eco-friendly lifestyle for your destination wedding.

For example, they grow and produce their own foods and wine to serve you and your guests during your stay. Any food they don’t produce themselves is always seasonal, locally sourced and organically grown.

They often produce their own olive oils and breads and some even produce their own beauty products in their spas which also make great gifts for guest favours.

Flowers

Another way I make your wedding as sustainable as possible is only using or recommending florists in the area of your chosen venue using locally grown seasonal flowers.

Re use your ceremony flowers for the table decorations. If you have created some beautiful aisle arrangements, have them designed so they can be moved to the tables after your wedding ceremony.

Having spent many years liasing with them, they offer completely bespoke services to all of my couples.

Source Local Suppliers

For the venues that don’t provide in house catering, I always recommend local suppliers that use local produce. These usually provide all the required furniture and mise en place too which cuts down on further transport and fuel use.

Decor

There is no need to buy centrepieces and other decor and bring it all with you as everything you desire can be hired in from local suppliers, which means less luggage and stress for you and this way also means you will be sustaining the local economy too.

A new service from lots of suppliers is to offer a hire option of fake flower centrepieces and bouquets with many styles of flowers and colours to choose from

Consider replacing individual menus and place cards at each guests place setting with a board display. This can be done for drinks menus, seating plans and order of the day programmes to.

Wedding Dress

When it comes to buying your gown in today’s world there are so many more options for choosing pre-owned gowns. There are many boutiques and internet sites offering this service.

If you do decide on buying brand new then you can always donate yours to a charity or sell it on. The same can be done for all the bridal party attire.

Maybe you have a ring that is a family heirloom that can be handed down to you as your engagement or wedding rings but if not look out for rings that are made with lab produced diamonds instead of naturally sourced ones. They are made in a laboratory, are ethically grown and produced in a sustainable way so reducing the environmental impact.

They have the same physical appearance and are both chemically and optically the same as natural Diamonds.

Travel

You may fear that a destination wedding requires too much travel to be green… but a bit of careful planning will help manage your impact. When you plan transportation for your green wedding, consider these tips.

Choose a venue where all guests can stay under one roof or at locations that are mere moments away for less driving at your destination.

Focus on venues that are in proximity to the airport to avoid extensive transportation.

Travel with an airline that has the best environmental rating.

Organize shared rides for you and your guests to and from the airport. Or if you can get them to all arrive quite close together you can organise a coach to collect them all at the same time.

You can also use fun methods of transportation during your time spent at your chosen destination, such as horseback riding or biking, to cut down on your carbon impact even more and help support local businesses.

Gift List

And finally, for any guests that wish to give a gift, why not ask them to make a donation to an environmental charity. These can be worldwide charities, or, with a bit of research, you can find environmental organizations within your wedding’s destination for localised support.

There are many of these charities and all are found online. Pick one or two that are close to your heart and this will give you and your guests the feel good factor and will help contribute to your wedding’s eco awareness.

For more information or to find out how we can help you plan your very own sustainable wedding, please get in touch with us.

info@onefinedayweddingconsultants.com

www.onefinedayweddingconsultants.com