Eco-friendly wedding planning tips
Planning an eco-friendly wedding does not ever mean having to compromise on style – there are so many wonderful eco options out there that the possibilities are as endless as your imagination.
As an eco venue, we’ve been planning breath-taking green weddings at our 42 acre site on the North Cornish coast for over 10 years, so we thought it was about time we shared some of our tips and tricks for holding the ultimate eco-friendly wedding with you.
Choosing an eco wedding venue
Ok, so we’re biased here but even if you’re not planning your wedding with us at the Eco Park, there are some simple things that you can look for when choosing your venue to verify their eco-friendly credentials. What is their recycling policy? Do they allow single use plastics? How do they tackle energy efficiency? Arm yourself with a list of questions when visiting venues and be sure to let them know you are considering the environment in your wedding planning journey.
Keep it Local
One of the simplest ways of reducing the carbon footprint of your wedding is by choosing local suppliers. From ensuring your florist sources flowers from local growers rather than importing, to simply checking the location of your photographer and hair stylist. There are so many amazing independent wedding suppliers so this should be an easy one to tick off – it might just mean a little more research (we’re always happy to share our Cornwall based recommendations!).
Upcycle and Recycle
There’s no need to buy new for your wedding – often you’ll only use these items once and you don’t want to be stuck with 100 candle holders after your big day. The most environmental and cost-effective way of managing this is either by hiring in items or upcyling – or a mixture of both! Wedding hire companies have done all the hard work for you by finding the perfect items for wedding celebrations, from vintage lawn games to tables and chairs – so make use of them! If you love finding unique items yourself and know that you’ll have use for them after the big day, then charity shops and vintage stalls are the perfect place to find one off pieces. We will never tire of seeing upcycled old jam jars and vintage coloured glass bottles filled with cottage garden flower stems!
The Dress
Choosing your wedding dress should be one of the most exciting parts of planning your big day – and adding ‘eco-friendly’ to the list of requirements doesn’t need to take away from that. Choosing a vintage dress is a great sustainable option and there’s something so special about wearing a piece of history. With so many eras to choose from you’re sure to find a style that suits you and often vintage gowns are made with better quality construction than their modern counterparts. If vintage isn’t for you then try to find a dress made with natural fibres and a brand with a transparent supply chain – or even hire a dressmaker to create your very own bespoke gown.
Vegetarian and Vegan Wedding Feast
Following a plant based diet is an easy way to dramatically reduce your carbon footprint, which is why choosing a vegan and/or vegetarian wedding feast is the best option for an eco-friendly wedding. Not only that, it can also be seriously delicious and wow even the most dedicated carnivores. Catering for Eco Park weddings is supplied by our wonderful on-site café, Cabana Kitchen & Café. From big-pan sharing feasts to 5 course banquets there’s certainly not a lack of choice, and dishes are made using local, fresh ingredients including veggies from our organic allotment. If you’re nervous about going 100% vegetarian or vegan for your wedding day then chat to your venue and caterers about your options and ask them to get creative!
Sustainable Wedding Stationary
There are plenty of choices for sustainable wedding stationary, from using paper embedded with seeds that will grow once planted, to using recycled papers and vegetable based inks. Eco Park Press can design and print your invites and menus for you using their environmentally friendly Risograph Printer. If you would rather get creative yourselves, then you can book a workshop with Amy to design your own. Alternatively, if you haven’t got your heart set on printed invites, then you could choose to send them digitally. You can design your own and send them via your normal email provider or use a third party online wedding invite company.
These are just a handful of ways that you can consider the environment when planning your big day – Don’t feel pressured to be perfect, we’re firm believers that by us all doing a little bit, we can make a big difference.
Want to know more about Eco Park weddings? Request a brochure here.
If you’d like to learn more about just how possible it is to hold the celebration of a lifetime without sacrificing the environment, then join us at the Wild Wedding Fair on Sunday 6th September 2020.
