Sustainable Wedding Ceremonies

Creating a sustainable and ethically sound wedding day is more and more important for couples. @SomethingGreen Wedding fair recently produced statistics that show 2 in 5 couples planning a wedding in the next 5 years are actively seeking ways to make sure that their wedding is as ‘green’ as possible. Over a third of couples are planning to avoid single use plastic. 

Thinking about environmental sustainability and a respect for nature and living things is actually very much a humanist principle. There are lots of ways you can make choices that reflect your desire to protect the environment throughout your wedding day. Here are five ways to make sustainable choices in your ceremony itself.

Promote using public transport or car sharing to your venue

As a wedding celebrant who covers much of the country, I am committed to using public transport as much as is possible and practicable to get to your weddings. Why not suggest the same to your guests, if you are having a city wedding this is especially easy and you could even include links to journey planning in your wedding invites. (When Mr Celebrant Kathryn & I got married, I embedded a Transport for London Journey planning widget into our wedding website)

If you have older or less mobile friends & relatives that you are worried about, you could look to hire an accessible taxi or two to help support them. If public transport isn’t feasible, you could organise a wedding carpool, this does take a little more organisation but it can be done and could even be a lovely way for guests to get to know each other at the start of your wedding day.

Choosing alternatives to releasing lanterns or living things at your wedding

You may have spotted on my ‘need to know’ page that I would rather not take part in ceremonies where non-biodegradable objects, such as lanterns or balloons, or where living creatures such as doves or butterflies are released. As someone whose humanist values extend to a respect and passion for protecting animals and our environment, these actions don’t sit comfortably with me. 

If you want to find a way to mark your day in this way, you could consider these alternatives:

• Give each guest (or seated row) a decorated, recycled jam jar with a t-light in and ask them to light it at a certain point, you could switch these to LED lights if you are worried about flames but consider the plastic that may be included. These could even be given as gifts or favours.

• You could create small glass jars filled with bubble mix and get everyone to blow bubbles at the end of your ceremony. Try to use soaps that are safe for fish and the environment and make sure any plastic wands are disposed of in recycling.

• Why not include a tree planting ceremony! Some couples now choose to plant a tree as part of their ceremony. This is a great twist on traditional unity ceremonies and is a lovely way to symbolise your partnership as it develops roots and grows strong.

Choose Local, Seasonal Wedding Flowers

If you choose to use flowers in your ceremony decor or as bouquets and buttonholes, work with a local florist who can advise you on what is seasonal for your wedding date. It’s also worth trying to identify flowers and greenery that is grown as locally to your wedding venue as possible. If you are in London or the South East, I highly recommend Unruly Flowers!

You could also consider growing your own potted plants to be used as ceremony decor. These look really wonderful in boho, garden or relaxed outdoor wedding ceremonies. They are also great to be given as gifts to those people who’ve supported you on your wedding day.

Choose Reusable Decor for your Ceremony Backdrop

When thinking about decoration for your ceremony think about things you could use elsewhere in your life or that you already have. I really love that I spot bits and pieces around our home all the time that were part of our wedding, they’re a lovely memento.

You can also borrow decorative things from friends or relatives, especially if you are after a more mis-matched style. If you have a particular aesthetic in mind you could think about hiring decor, or working with a wedding planner specialising in sustainable weddings such as 4yaParty and Capston Second

Choosing a celebrant-led wedding is likely a great choice for you if you are a couple who are keen to reflect your values across your wedding day and have a ceremony that authentically reflects your commitment to protecting our environment.

*****

As a wedding celebrant I’ll craft and create a ceremony that celebrates your love of each other and your love for the world around us, choosing rituals that have an impact on you and your guests but not negatively on the world around us. 

Ready to start planning your feel-good, fabulous day with me? Drop me a line and say hello!

If you are looking for more suppliers committed to sustainability, especially in London & the South East why not check out the SomethingGreen Wedding Directory

Photo by Ali Karimi on Unsplash