Weddings are a grand affair, and should be one of the most memorable days of your life. Often no expense is spared when it comes to organising the finer details of the day, as couples look to create the biggest and best celebration possible.
But along with the customary festivities comes the potential for harm to the environment, if you don’t make sustainability a priority when it comes to the important elements of the day.
Whilst making eco-friendly changes to your plans can seem like a daunting prospect, there are actually some very simple alterations you can make to best protect our environment. At The Tamarind Tree, we strive to keep Mother Earth happy.
Here are three of the most important elements to consider for a sustainable wedding!
CATERING
Food plays a central role in any wedding, and it will be one element you want to get just right. With so many different tastes and preferences among your guests, it can be difficult to know how to tackle this particular part of the day. What’s more, how do you go about sourcing sustainable food options to ensure everyone has enough, without being left with lots of waste at the end of the day?
A good place to start is by planning your menu around locally-sourced ingredients, which won’t have to travel far to land on your plate. Another way of reducing your carbon emissions for the day is to focus on meat-free recipes. Studies suggest that a vegetarian’s carbon footprint will be half that of a meat eater, so this could be a good place to start in creating an eco-friendly celebration.
However careful you are with the planning, it’s likely you will have leftovers at the end of the day. Instead of throwing all of this food away, consider using a food donation service. In advance of the day, get in touch with one of your local food banks or NGOs who will be grateful for your donations, and will ensure your leftovers don’t go to waste.
FLOWERS
Carefully choosing your flower arrangements for the day is a really quick and easy way to make your wedding more sustainable and eco-friendly. There are an abundance of ways you can make more sustainable choices when it comes to picking your flowers.
First, consider contracting a local florist to reduce the impact of long-distance transportation. They will also be able to inform you about what is being grown in your local area, which could be helpful in guiding your choices.
Another way to make sure your floral choices are environmentally friendly is to select flowers that are in season. This will ensure that your flowers have been grown using completely natural methods, which reduces energy consumption and emissions in the growing process.
DECORATIONS
Decorations will likely be at the forefront of your mind when it comes to planning your special day. You want your wedding to be memorable, and one of the lasting memories your guests will have of the day is the appearance of the venue. Whilst it will increase the workload slightly on your part, making eco-friendly considerations when it comes to the decorations can go a long way to helping the environment on your wedding day.
Rule number one for your eco-friendly wedding decorations is to try and avoid single-use plastics where possible. Just one wedding can account for up to 20kg of plastic waste, so cutting this out is a really effective way of reducing your wedding’s carbon footprint. In its place, consider using fabric or paper, which can be reused or recycled, and either make your own or hire a local supplier to provide the decorations.
