Emmeline Smith explores 5 ways to make greener choices for your big day – without making compromises – which can even save you money!

1. The Dress

Whatever you chose to wear on your big day, wedding attire is a great place to start making more considered choices. With clothes worth £12.5 billion being chucked into landfill in UK each year, buying less is a great way to start helping the environment. A wedding dress costs up to £3000, so it’s also a great place to save money too!

Most wedding dresses are worn for just one day, so look for a suitable vintage option. Anything you find can be repaired and altered by a good dressmaker, to make something really unique. Family and friends may be willing to donate a pre-loved wedding dress or suit too.

Consider separates which can be worn again – bridal separates and jumpsuits are a huge trend and much more easily reworn than the standard bridal shop white dress!

Hiring wedding dresses is growing in popularity in 2022, as couples look for ways to save money and wear something really special. You can hire dresses for as little as £15 per day and some shops rent amazing designer dresses for a fraction of the sales price. Who doesn’t love to save money and help the environment?

If neither of you will be wearing a dress, there are so many more options out there. We love tailored suits with floral or colourful accessories. Or why not opt for a more casual, boho-chic look?

2. The Ring

Forget a diamond engagement ring if you want to ensure you’re making an ethical choice. Some diamonds are mined in warzones and the proceeds are used to fund more fighting and other atrocities. You can’t tell which are ethically sourced by looking at them, so to be 100% sure you’re making an ethical decision, buy a moissanite engagement ring.

Moissanites are incredible gems first discovered in meteorites that fell to earth! They are so similar to diamonds, you’d have to be a professional to know the difference! They’re almost as hard as traditional mined diamonds, will never lose their brilliance and sparkle and can last a lifetime too. Even better, they’re produced in a lab and have no negative environmental impact and are 90% cheaper than mined diamonds! So, you can afford to go-large! There’s a wide range of stunning moissanite ring styles at www.infinitydiamondjewellery.com.

Infinity Diamond Jewellery supports ‘One Tree Planted’  and donates a tree for every purchase made and we love the trees!

3. Wedding Gifts

Traditionally, the wedding gift list was so couples could ask for the essential things they needed to set up their first home together, but with many couples living together before tying the knot, it’s not necessarily needed today.

There may well be things you still need, but if you’re not in desperate need of more ‘things’, why not ask your guests for charitable donations to a cause that’s close to your hearts? It will make your special day even better, knowing your guests are contributing towards a worthy cause that means something to you.

4.The Flowers

While fresh flowers are undoubtedly beautiful, they aren’t the most eco-friendly option. Make things a bit more sustainable by decorating your venue with displays of dried flowers and grasses, which not only look stunning and are very on-trend and will last for years to come.

Top tip: If you’re buying dried flowers, do check they’re UK grown and not dyed – organic is even better!

Instead of the usual table flowers, arrange tiny potted herbs, lavender, succulents or seasonal flowers on the tables. If you encourage guests to take them home, the decor also double-up as wedding favours! You can place plants on the tables, and stick your name tags in the pots for unique place settings. If you do have your heart set on fresh flowers, always go for flowers that are in season and grown in the UK to lessen the negative environmental impact.

5. The Confetti

As the newlyweds take their first steps into the world as a married couple, the throwing of the confetti is such a fun part of the day – but there’s no need to scatter scraps of dyed paper all over the place.

Opt for natural options, such as dried lavender, rose petals, fresh herbs and fresh or dried flowers. I’ve seen couples use dried leaves, fresh rosemary, gypsophila flowers and even bird seed! If you have time to plan, dry your own petals and you’ll save ££ too! It’s good to note, if you buy dried petal confetti, do check that the petals haven’t been dyed as the dyes can be bad for the environment too. You can even go old-school and use rice – get creative! Just make sure everything you use is biodegradable and your venue allows the throwing of confetti.

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Find out more information about how to be more sustainable every day at www.wrap.org.uk