Venue: Assess poten­tial wed­ding venues thoroughly

The sus­tain­abil­i­ty of your wed­ding large­ly hinges on the prac­tices of your cho­sen venue. While some may be in the ear­ly stages of adopt­ing recy­cling ini­tia­tives, oth­ers might be lead­ing the way in eco-friend­ly oper­a­tions. Con­sid­er Hotel Doolin in Coun­ty Clare, which not only offers a veg­an pack­age but has also earned Car­bon Neu­tral sta­tus, or Hore­town House in Wex­ford, renowned for its ​‘grown not flown’ pol­i­cy where all flow­ers are cul­ti­vat­ed on-site. 

If you’re pri­ori­tis­ing reduc­ing the envi­ron­men­tal impact of your spe­cial day, here are a few ques­tions worth considering: 

• How is the venue’s food waste managed? 
• Where are ingre­di­ents sourced (espe­cial­ly if they’re cater­ing the meal)? 
• What is the plas­tic usage policy? 
• What types of clean­ing prod­ucts are used? 
• Is there any involve­ment in green or char­i­ta­ble initiatives?

Cake: Indulge in a sus­tain­able wed­ding cake

Among the more fea­si­ble aspects on our check­list! Inquire with your bak­er about sourc­ing organ­ic, local, and Fair­trade ingre­di­ents for the cake, and con­sid­er incor­po­rat­ing sea­son­al fruits into the recipe. Opt­ing for a veg­an option may have a low­er envi­ron­men­tal impact, depend­ing on the sourc­ing of ingre­di­ents. Con­sid­er sourc­ing reusable dec­o­ra­tions such as rib­bons and rus­tic log plinths to fur­ther reduce waste.

Cloth­ing: Embrace eth­i­cal bridal and groom­swear choices

When it comes to wed­ding attire, there are var­i­ous eth­i­cal approach­es to think about. Here are some of our top suggestions:

• Opt for a vin­tage wed­ding dress by explor­ing fam­i­ly heir­looms or vis­it­ing vin­tage bridal boutiques.

• Con­sid­er pur­chas­ing a sec­ond-hand dress from char­i­ty bridal stores such as Barnar­dos Bridal Rooms or NCBI Bridal Rooms, which often fea­ture brand new gowns and acces­sories donat­ed by lead­ing bridal retail­ers and designers.

• Explore options to rewear, swap, resell, donate, or recy­cle your wed­ding dress after your wed­ding day.

• Sup­port design­ers com­mit­ted to fair labor prac­tices and sus­tain­able sourc­ing of fab­rics. Some notable eth­i­cal bridal design­ers include Leila Hafzi, Min­na, Geor­gia Young, Celia Grace, and Sanyuk­ta Shrestha.

• Opt for a bespoke bridal dress and inquire about using local­ly-sourced fab­rics from rec­om­mend­ed bespoke bridal designers.

• Extend your eth­i­cal con­sid­er­a­tions to jew­el­ry by select­ing con­flict-free stones, Fairmined met­als, vin­tage pieces, or brands with Fair­trade or sus­tain­able man­u­fac­tur­ing practices.

Décor: Dec­o­rate with reusable items for your cer­e­mo­ny and reception

When select­ing wed­ding décor, try to use recy­clable or reusable items to min­i­mize envi­ron­men­tal impact. Instead of bal­loons or sky lanterns, which can harm the envi­ron­ment, opt for glass­ware, bunting, macramé, rib­bon, books, vin­tage can­dle­sticks, and oth­er hire­able items. Choose non-tox­ic can­dles and biodegrad­able con­fet­ti, to fur­ther enhance eco-friend­li­ness. When using con­fet­ti or glit­ter always check with your venue first to make sure they are hap­py with it.

Favours: Incor­po­rate char­i­ta­ble giv­ing into your wed­ding favours

Maybe con­sid­er offer­ing char­i­ty wed­ding favors or request­ing char­i­ta­ble dona­tions in lieu of gifts. Sup­port envi­ron­men­tal char­i­ties or organ­i­sa­tions address­ing gar­ment indus­try issues such as Anti-Slav­ery or Stop the Traf­fik. Alter­na­tive­ly, encour­age guests to plant trees with seed wed­ding favours or cre­ate DIY sus­tain­able favours.