There’s no doubt that weddings can be “wasteful” or non green, but as we become more aware of sustainability issues and how weddings can impact the environment there are now lots of things you can do to make your wedding greener.
Photo by Steven Gallagher Photography
Say yes to flowers
Many green wedding blogs suggest that you skip flowers at your wedding all-together and opt for plastic flowers or plants. Both of these options however will likely have been flown in from far afield, which will increase the carbon footprint of your nuptials. Artificial flowers, although long lasting, do fade over time and tend to malinger in a dusty corner once your wedding is over, not to mention they are a single use plastic and the chemicals and energy used to create them is no doubt not entirely environmentally friendly. So what can you do?
Photo by Lianne MacKay
Locally grown flowers
At Briar Rose Design we choose to use locally grown flowers wherever possible. These come from our own cutting garden and from other local growers. This helps support the local economy, cuts down on air miles and provides a great environment for pollinators and other wildlife. Sticking to British grown flowers means your wedding will be much more representative of the season so you will have to be flexible on which flowers go into your arrangements. These flowers often have much more character, movement and scent than their imported counterparts and are particularly good for working in the loose natural style we love.
Recycle
Instead of buying vases you are unlikely to use again get collecting bottles, jars and pots. Once the wedding is over you can give them away to your guests or they can go back to the bottle bank and be melted down and re-used. If you are collecting jars or bottles ask around at bars, pubs and cafes – they use lots of products that come in jars and bottles and you could save them a trip by taking them off their hands. If you don’t want to use bottles or jars consider renting or buying second hand vases and props from charity shops or past brides.
Photos by PJ Phillips and Lianne MacKay
Photo by The Kitcheners
Avoid waste
If you can’t bare the idea of your flowers going to waste talk to local care homes and hospices to see if they would like the flowers for their residents to enjoy after your wedding. Other options could be to give flowers to your guests, save them to dry or press, or some past brides have even used them to dye fabric!
Say no to floral foam
For many years florists have used floral foam – often known as Oasis. This green foam is a way of providing a water source for flowers and giving structure and support to designs. Unfortunately it is not biodegradable and when the water it is soaked in is poured away it carries micro particles of plastic into the waterways which then harms wildlife. To stop this and to cut down on single use plastics many florists are now pledging to go #foamfree (you can see their amazing work by searching this hashtag on Instagram). We are foam free unless absolutely unavoidable and try to use moss and other alternatives which can be reused for many weddings. If you want to go plastic free and wildlife friendly ask your florist not to use floral foam. You can read more about our approach to foam free floristry in our blog.
If you’re interested in planning a green wedding and want to talk all things flowers get in touch. Or have a look at our wedding flowers gallery and Instagram feed to see what we’ve been up to recently.