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18 Dec Top tips for reducing your wedding footprint…

Posted at 12:01h in Planning Your Tipi Wedding or Event by

Living a sustainable life and reducing our footprint has become an important factor in how we live our lives, and rightly so. We are more aware now of the impact we are having on our planet, and each of us are taking steps to leave the world in the best possible condition. One of the obstacles to trying to live more sustainably is this idea of perfection, or an all-or-nothing attitude, which divides rather than helps us conquer. Weddings are a once-in-a-lifetime celebration, and culture and tradition has sculpted the way we celebrate this incredibly special day. The way in which you choose to celebrate is entirely up to you.

 

With sustainability on so many of our minds, we wanted to share with you a few ideas of things you could do to reduce your wedding footprint and help your wedding day fit your sustainable lifestyle goals.

1. REDUCE FOOD WASTAGE

Food waste is a single biggest global contributor to climate change, estimated to contribute 20% of global greenhouse gases. There are so many things that contribute to this; the food itself, it’s farming and production, the miles it’s travelled, the packaging it was delivered in and the stuff that doesn’t get used. Using caterers that source food locally or who work to sustainability policies that include minimising food waste and buying food loose where possible will help reduce the footprint of your wedding. Luckily, a lot of caterers focus on sourcing food locally and there are farms providing beautiful, fresh produce readily across the UK.

2. USE LOCAL SUPPLIERS

We’re always happy to help you find local suppliers for generators, toilets and fridge trailers. By going local, your supplier will be nearby in case anything goes wrong, which alone is great reassurance and well worth the extra few quid, should your local supplier be a little more expensive. There’s usually a saving though, as your delivery charge will be for fewer miles.  (Not to mention the saving in emissions!)

3. HIRE YOUR WEDDING DRESS / SUIT

The textile industry is a big contributor to climate change, contributing 10% of the world’s greenhouse gases and 20% of its waste water. Dresses, accessories, suits and shoes are all available for hire, including designer items which may be much more affordable as a hire item.Brides Do Good is a wedding dress hire company that works with international charities such as Plan International UK, to end child marriage and improvements in gender equality, and is a great place to start looking for your wedding dress hire. They also accept donations of wedding dresses.

4. BUY FLOWERS FROM LOCAL GROWERS

This option is becoming easier and easier as more businesses are catering to the growth in demand for locally grown flowers. The way this usually works is you contact a grower, who may also be a florist, or the grower will provide flowers to your florist. Some growers offer ‘Pick Your Own Bouquet’ packages where you visit their garden before the wedding to select your bouquet.

A few growers in our area include…
Amberley Meadow, Stroud

You can also hire lush tropical greens and succulents from the Nailsworth-based company, Junglist.

5. ASK FOR CARBON OFFSETTING GIFTS

Donations to the Woodland Trust, The National Forest or asking for a Forestry England membership as a wedding gift is a great way to give a little back. There are loads of Carbon Offsetting projects in the UK and worldwide so you could pick any project that’s close to your heart. Maybe it’s your favourite holiday destination or you want to pay it forward and invest in reforestation at your future Honeymoon destination. We love the Woodland Trust because they provide free trees to schools and communities in the UK, coupling planting trees with more wildlife habitat in urbanised areas and education.

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