When you’re planning a wedding, you’ll spend time thinking about a whole range of things. Is the cake going to be suitably impressive? Are the guests going to RSVP promptly? Is the venue going to be accessible for everyone?

Increasingly, we’re thinking also about factors like environmentalism, which don’t impact us directly, but which have more diffuse consequences for everyone in the world (including people who haven’t yet been born). Some couples might simply throw their hands into the air and declare that this is a one-off event, and so just about anything goes. But other couples might wish to take steps to make their wedding as green as possible. So what might those steps look like?

Invite fewer people

There’s no getting around the fact that, if you invite fewer people to your wedding, then those people will put in fewer miles getting to you.

Keep it Local

However romantic it might seem to ask your friends and family to jet to a foreign country for an unforgettable weekend, the fact is that the practice isn’t all that green. Not only will you put everyone out of pocket (especially if they’re attending several overseas wedding in a single year), your ceremony will also put huge quantities of carbon into the atmosphere.

Source Locally, too

Your suppliers, including caterers and bands, will also have to travel to reach your ceremony. Look at how many miles there are on each of the products and services you’re using. You can take the opportunity to celebrate local produce – and you might even uncover some gems in the process. If you’re in Buckinghamshire, naturally, Cheesy Smiles is on hand to provide some reliable and memorable entertainment!

Go Seasonal

Flowers and foodstuffs that aren’t in season will need to be shipped from parts of the world where the stuff is in season. Your suppliers, if they know what they’re doing, will be able to provide you with some advice on this front.

Go DIY

Things like table decorations and wedding favours can be made by a friend with a creative bent, or by the bride and groom themselves.

Go Recyclable

If you’re inviting hundreds of guests, then the paper cost of your invites is sure to stack up. Stuff like glitter and glue can make these things impossible to recycle. If you want to go super-extreme, you might even consider opting for vegetable-based ink instead of the traditional kind.

Go Second-hand

For understandable reasons, many brides will balk at the idea of wearing a second-hand wedding dress down the aisle. Of course, you want the occasion to be unique – and if you’re wearing something that someone else has worn, then this effect is diminished a little. With that said, wearing something once and then chucking it is inherently wasteful.