How to Make Your Wedding More Sustainable
So, you’re thinking about how to make your wedding more sustainable – great idea!
As wonderful as weddings are, there’s no denying they’re not the most eco-friendly event in the world. From catering to travel, and venue to decorations, there are lots of things which don’t do the environment any favours if you’re not careful.
But worry not because I’m here to tell you all the ways you can make your special day more sustainable. They don’t require any major sacrifices, meaning you can still have the wedding of your dreams and the environment will be very grateful too.
So, without further ado, let’s begin…
Choosing a green venue
Choosing a venue is the decision that has the biggest impact on the environment. So it’s important you get it right.
Traditional Church weddings are becoming less and less common, giving rise to all sorts of different venues, some of which prioritise sustainability. The Old Wheat Barn, here at The Pink Pig Farm, is one of those places.
Our beautiful, rustic barn is the perfect place for couples looking for a unique place to tie the knot. And what’s more, we’re always trying to do our bit for the environment.
With a solar powered barn, an air source heat pump (much more environmentally friendly than normal gas boilers), and a commitment to regenerative farming to produce healthier soil, we put sustainability first on our farm.
In the winter, we even negate the need for a lawnmower by letting our sheep graze the grass instead.
Click here to book a show-around for our barn and see for yourself all the green things we do here.
Another sustainability factor to consider when choosing a venue is accessibility – the closer and easier a venue is to get to, the better. Making your guests fly here, there and everywhere has a massive impact on the environment, so try choosing somewhere in this country (such as our barn, wink wink).
It’s also cheaper for you if you don’t have to travel far, allowing you to put more money into other aspects of your special day. And by hosting your wedding in this country, more of your guests will be able to come as well.
Speaking of guests, one of the easiest ways to make your wedding more sustainable is by reducing your guest list. That obviously doesn’t mean you should secretly elope and not tell anyone, but it is a good idea to consider who really deserves to be there on your special day. A glut of guests will quickly run your bill up.
Click here to see how many guests our Old Wheat Barn can hold.
A sustainable reception
There are lots of ways to make your wedding reception that bit greener.
The first is to hold it in the same place as the ceremony. This is an option more and more couples are taking, as it’s cheaper only renting out one space, and it cuts down on the cost of travel between venues (which in turn cuts down on CO2 emissions).
By selecting a venue that comes already decorated, you reduce the amount of single-use plastic that comes with most things you buy. Our barn (which can be used for both the ceremony and the reception), already comes beautifully decorated, saving you time, money, and effort, while helping the environment too.
We only use eco-friendly confetti, we use props and foliage already on site wherever possible, and we don’t ever use single-use plastic.
And where you do want to add your own special touches, consider switching from plastic to alternatives, like biodegradable balloons which can just go straight into your garden compost after the event (once they’ve been popped, of course).
We provide our own flowers but if you’d like to add your own, try buying ones which are in-season and grown locally, to cut down on those air miles.
Paper waste is another big reason most weddings aren’t as green as they could be. Instead of giving every guest a paper invitation, you could create a digital invitation instead. They can be just as beautiful, they don’t run the risk of getting lost, and they’re harmless to the environment.
If you do still want some paper invitations, maybe just make them for mum and dad, rather than creating them for everyone.
And for other things like orders of service and table names, it’s best to use recycled paper wherever possible, and then re-recycle as much of it as you can after the event.
Environmentally-friendly food
Taking the task of catering on yourself can be a logistical nightmare for every wedding planner, not to mention the cost of it. But bringing in your own food and drink is also one of the biggest damagers to the environment.
When selecting a venue, find out whether they can provide their own catering. If they do, then that’s something you don’t need to worry about, and it’s much kinder to the environment not transporting loads of other food and drink in.
Here at The Old Wheat Barn, we pride ourselves on delivering sustainability-driven catering. All our food is homemade, ethically produced, and sourced locally, minimising those nasty air miles.
Remember what I was saying about regenerative farming earlier? By producing healthier soil, our food is more nutritious (and tastier) as a result. That’s a win for the environment and a win for your tummy.
Click here to look at our delicious food options.
Something borrowed, not something new
Much of the damage done to the environment by weddings stems from the one-off nature of the event. You buy all these things in an attempt to create your dream day, then after… you probably throw them away or never use them again.
Perhaps the prime example of this is the wedding dress. As much as we all want to look perfect on our big day, there’s no denying that wedding dresses don’t serve much use afterwards (unless you don’t mind nipping to the shops in it, of course).
Instead of buying a brand-new wedding dress that will probably only be worn once, you could rent one or buy pre-loved. You can still find your dream dress, it’s much cheaper, and it’s far nicer to the environment.
You could even borrow a wedding dress from a friend or family member, giving it an extra bit of significance when you’re walking down the aisle.
And if you really want to buy a brand-new wedding dress, try getting one that’s been sustainably produced.
This renting and thrifting method isn’t limited to just the wedding dress – the same thing can be done for bridesmaid dresses, suits, and all sorts of decorations. Just because you’re looking after the environment, it doesn’t mean you can’t still have everything you want.
And when all’s said and done and you’re wondering what to do with all that stuff you bought for the big day, continue the cycle. Recycle what you can and pass down or sell on anything you can’t.
What makes The Old Wheat Barn such a sustainable wedding venue?
There are a lot of ways we make weddings at our barn more sustainable. Here are just some of them:
- Electricity and heating are some of the biggest environmental expenses at weddings, but not for us. Our barn is solar powered and we use an air source heat pump.
- We’re committed to regenerative farming, which generates healthier soil and produces tastier food.
- Biodegradable confetti so our sheep can safely graze the field after wedding season (letting the sheep graze the grass means we don’t need a lawnmower as well).
- We decorate our barn with things already on-site (props, foliage, ivy which we cut from the end of the drive).
- Our food is homemade, ethically produced, and locally sourced.
So there you have it, all the tips and tricks you need to create a wedding that’s more sustainable. And if you want to have your special day in a venue that truly prioritises sustainability in everything it does, download your free Old Wheat Barn brochure here, or book a show-around and see for yourself how we’re making our weddings greener.
