HOT TOPIC Sustainability sussed Our experts offer stellar wedmin advice on planning a sustainable wedding TOP GREEN TIPS Katie Poole, weddings and event coordinator at Carden Park (www.cardenpark.co.uk) says: I’ve witnessed an ever-growing concern over our environmental impact, with many individuals looking to make changes to the carbon footprint of their weddings. According to the Sustainable Wedding Alliance, there are approximately 278,000 weddings every year in the UK. Each of these can produce 14.5 tonnes of CO2 emissions. The scale of this is hard to imagine, but if each wedding reduced its emissions by 50 per cent, that’s the potential of taking an equivalent of 850,000 cars off the road. Here are my top tips or small changes that you can consider, without making major sacrifices to the vision of your special day, while still reducing its harmful impact. •Eco-friendly confetti. A more sustainable alternative is water-soluble rice paper, or petal confetti, offering a vintage look with various colours and 100 per cent natural biodegradability. Both are environmentally-friendly choices compared to traditional paper confetti. •Sustainable wedding venue. Consider the location of your wedding, where are your guests travelling from to be there? The more central you are to your loved ones, the less travel will be needed. Finding a venue that accommodates both the ceremony and your evening reception will also mean a decrease in required miles. •Organic wedding attire. There are many bridal shops that use fabrics which are gentle to the earth and sourced by ethical means. This is often referred to as the minimalist bride movement, using materials such as organic silk, English lace, and vegan bamboo to create a sleek luxurious, and sustainable look. •Earth-friendly invites. Many stationers now offer invitations made with recycled fibres, which are in turn recyclable themselves. •Zero-waste favours. Some of our favourite sustainable wedding favours are take-home plantable place cards, reusable beeswax wraps, handmade soaps, and personalised reusable straws. KEEP IT SIMPLE Katie McHugh from The Swettenham Arms (https://swettenhamarms.co.uk) says: Embracing the essence of mindful décor, our venue’s natural beauty and lavender gardens serve as the perfect canvas, eliminating the need for elaborate embellishment. We encourage the use of minimal, reusable, or biodegradable styling elements, such as potted plants that not only beautify the space but can also be used later in your guests’ homes. Utilise personal items that infuse your celebration with intimate, meaningful touches. In alignment with our commitment to sustainability, we also advocate digital invitations and correspondence between ourselves and our couples to significantly reduce paper use. For those indispensable printed elements, we aim to use recycled paper and eco-friendly inks. https://chelseashoesmith.co.uk ASK THE EXPERTS 59
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