Your wedding day is arguably one of the most important days in your life, but it comes with a rather large environmental cost. According to the Chicago Tribune, the average wedding will produce 400 pounds of garbage and 63 tons of carbon dioxide. That’s a pretty huge footprint for just one couple (and their guests, of course). Eco-friendly weddings are now absolutely achievable, but why not take it to the next level and embed eco-activism into the small details of your special day?

The rings

The engagement and wedding rings are a huge focal point of the big day. In the modern-day, there are a hundred styles you can reasonably wear, from the quirky two-stone ring to v-shaped bands. With more variety in design comes the opportunity to make an eco-activist splash. How? Vogue has produced a roundup of environmentally-friendly wedding and engagement bands, and one key trend will attract attention and show your credentials – going for the vintage. Rings that have been passed down the family, or worn before, will have quite literally half the carbon impact today.

Farm to table

Food and flowers combine to be one of the biggest contributors to the carbon footprint and waste count of a wedding. Food takes, on average, 1,500 miles from source to table, according to the Chicago Tribune’s report. Flowers aren’t much better, especially if shipped from overseas. When you pick your wedding venue, look for local providers and producers who can specifically give you guaranteed eco-friendly sources. You can take this to the next level by using ethical farming, and by spreading the good word – let your food be an advertisement to guests.

Invites and spreading the word

Your invites will likely already be recycled – but why not use that as an opportunity? Use your invites to tell your guests exactly what they are receiving. For digital invite systems, use the wealth of information you can put online – at a lower energy cost – to provide information on how your eco-credentials have merged with your wedding, and inspire your guests that way.

You can use every stage of your wedding to provide crucial information on your eco-credentials to your guests. A wedding is a time to celebrate, but it can be a chance to educate, too. Don’t let the opportunity slip – use the chance to have a natural, low-impact wedding, that hopefully has reverberations in the habits of your guests down the road.

Have you planned or considered planning an eco-friendly wedding?

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