In 2024, sustainability is no longer just a trend, it’s become a necessary lifestyle – and a good one at that! We all need to try and be environmentally friendly 365 days of the year, so this can include your wedding day… even a destination wedding!
More and more of our couples planning destination weddings are now prioritising sustainability and eco-conscious elements for their special day.
There are plenty of ways to make your destination wedding green and here are just a few ideas to get you started on how to pull off an amazing eco-friendly destination wedding offsetting your travel footprint as much as possible.
Invitations and Stationery...
For invitations and stationery, there are so many eco-friendly options available! Plantable seed papers are so unique (your guests plant your invitations after they've received them to grow a little garden) - they use post-consumer recycled cotton as the base to break down and are environmentally safe.
Other paper lines include recycled hemp or denim and can be printed with soy-based inks.
There are so many options and companies available online and on social media, so do lots of research and find a company that fits with you best.
A few examples of eco friendly companies are
Sending a digital invitation is acceptable for casual weddings, while a traditional paper invitation is still considered the polite way to invite guests to a formal affair. If you decide on the digital way then consider hiring a designer to give your invite a personal look, and you can add some custom monograms and details. Wedding Websites...
Having a wedding website is a fantastic way to save on paper and provide your guests with information such as accommodations, directions and transportation. In addition, your guests can email their RSVP replies or submit them through the site.
Accommodation...
Whether you’re looking for an adult’s only venue or a family friendly property to accommodate all of your guests from the very young to the older generation, there are so many venues all over Europe that cater to an eco-friendly lifestyle for your destination wedding.
In fact we pride ourselves on knowing that the majority of wedding venues that we offer our couples are embracing being greener and more sustainable, with many of them now finding eays of conserving and recycling water supplies and using solar energy.
Food
A lot of venues we offer our couples grow and produce their own foods and wine to serve you and your guests during your stay. Any food they don’t produce themselves is always seasonal, locally sourced and organically grown.
Note… To be even more environmentally aware, you could maybe even consider offering a vegetarian or vegan wedding menu.
They often produce their own olive oils and breads and some even produce their own beauty products in their spas which also make great gifts for guest favours.
Flowers...
Another way I make your wedding as sustainable as possible is only using or recommending florists from the same area as your chosen venue, who either grow their own flowers or only use locally grown seasonal flowers.
Foam Free Arrangements
Opt for foam free flower arrangements too as unfortunately, floral foam contains the same amount of plastic as 10 plastic shopping bags, is non -biodegradable, non-recyclable and toxic for both humans and animals! Specifically, it breaks down into microplastics that can contaminate water supplies and hurt aquatic life. Plus, the foam's dust may cause respiratory issues for some people.
Re-Use your arrangements
Re use your ceremony flowers for the table decorations. If you have created some beautiful aisle arrangements, have them designed so they can be moved to the tables after your wedding ceremony.
Potted plant options
Potted plants are also a beautiful and extremely sustainable option and many florists give the option of hiring instead of buying these.
Having spent many years liasing with many florists, they offer completely bespoke services to all of my couples.
Catering
Source Local Suppliers...
For the venues that don’t provide in house catering, I always recommend local suppliers that use home grown produce. These companies also usually provide all the required furniture and mise en place too which cuts down on further transport and fuel use.
Decor...
There is no need to buy centrepieces and other decor and bring it all with you as everything you desire can be hired in from near by suppliers, which means less luggage and stress for you and this way also means you will be sustaining the local economy too.
A new service from lots of vendors is to offer a hire option of fake flower centrepieces and bouquets with many styles of flowers and colours to choose from
Consider replacing individual menus and place cards at each guests place setting with a board display. This can be done for drinks menus, seating plans and order of the day programmes to.
Don’t offer those plastic throw away flip flops to your guests for their dancing feet!
Wedding Dress...
When it comes to buying your gown in today’s world there are so many more options for choosing pre-owned gowns. There are many boutiques and internet sites offering this service such as
If you do decide on buying brand new then you can always donate yours to a charity or sell it on after your wedding. The same can be done for all the bridal party attire.
Something borrowed...
Maybe you have a ring that is a family heirloom that can be handed down to you as your engagement or wedding rings but if not look out for rings that are made with lab produced diamonds instead of naturally sourced ones.
They are made in a laboratory, are ethically grown and produced in a sustainable way so reducing the environmental impact.
They have the same physical appearance and are both chemically and optically the same as natural Diamonds.
Travel...
You may fear that a destination wedding requires too much travel to be green… but a bit of careful planning will help manage your impact. When you plan transportation for your wedding, consider these tips.
Choose a venue where all of your guests can stay under one roof or at locations that are mere moments away for less driving at your destination.
Focus on venues that are in proximity to the airport to avoid extensive transportation.
Travel with an airline that has the best environmental rating.
Organize shared rides for you and your guests to and from the airport. Or if you can get them to all arrive quite close together you can organise a coach to collect them all at the same time.
If you opt to celebrate your wedding in the same country that you want your honeymoon, this can be a way of saving on having to book separate flights at a different time.
Gift List...
For any guests that wish to give a gift, why not ask them to make a donation to an environmental charity.
These can be worldwide charities, or, with a bit of research, you can find environmental organizations within your wedding’s destination for localised support.
There are many of these charities and all are found online. Pick one or two that are close to your heart and this will give you and your guests the feel good factor and will help contribute to your wedding’s eco awareness.
Eco friendly Honeymoons
Yes, the eco wedding ideas can continue onto your honeymoon choices. We are not suggesting you opt for living in a hut in middle of a jungle or a desert, but there are many fabulous honeymoon hotels and resorts that focus on sustainability.
For example, some of our favourites
In Europe…
In the USA
South America
Singapore
Check out thethinkingtraveller.com a leading directory of villas in Italy, Greece and France
Then there is greenpearls.com which is a leading directory for green hotels around the world. They choose their hotels, vacation rentals, restaurants etc based on their sustainable initiatives and their green projects.
Also check out www.lhw.com as they have a whole list of hotels that meet the highest standards of cultural, social and environmental sustainability.
There are so many other eco friendly and sustainable hotels and resorts to choose from now and the internet is jam packed with options. If you prefer to book through a reputable travel agent, there are many different travel companies with a list of such places available. You just need to do plenty of research.
For more information or to find out how we can help you plan your very own sustainable wedding, please get in touch with us.
For more wedding inspiration check out more of our blogs on these links
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