Before you say anything – no, I’m not getting married! Rather, my little sister is! I’m so excited for her wedding later this year, and it’s shaping up to be a beautiful celebration. I’m also delighted to say I am her Maid of Honour, and I’ve been involved in lots of the wedding plans. As such, I wanted to share a few sustainable wedding ideas we’ve been looking at!
A wedding can be a big, costly, not-so-sustainable event. There are a lot of moving parts: venue, food, travel, guest list, cake, flowers, decorations, dresses, suits, registry, hair, makeup, honeymoon… The list goes on! It can be quite overwhelming, and even more so if you wish to choose sustainable options. To help with that, I’ve compiled a list of sustainable wedding vendors and other ideas to help you make your wedding both a beautiful and eco-friendly event.
Sustainable Wedding Ideas
Paperless Invites
We live in a time where paperless invites are now the done thing. They’re easier to design, they’re cheaper than physical invites, and they reduce on planetary impact too. Sites like Greenvelope and Paperless Post offer ready-made designs for wedding save-the-dates and wedding invitations.
Local Venue
To cut down on travel, choose a local venue. My sister and her fiancé are getting married at a beautiful location half-way between our family home and his family home, which really does feel like a fairytale! It also helps the entire guest-list to travel less, and therefore reduce on emissions. Some of us will be staying overnight on-site, but most people will be able to return home, which also helps reduce on cost and impact.
Made-To-Order Bridesmaid Dresses
Bridesmaid dresses can be difficult to organise, due to the mix of size and styles everyone wants. For my sister’s wedding, it was important that we found dresses in the same colour for everyone, but in a range of sizes and styles. We also needed two modest bridesmaid dresses for the Muslim women in the bridal party.
After some searching, we chose Azazie for our bridesmaid dresses. Azazie makes all of their dresses to order, and offers a great range of styles and sizes that suited all of us bridesmaids, while still all wearing the same colour and fabric. They also offer a range of beautiful formal dresses* that can be reworn for special occasions.
If you are happy to have a mix of bridesmaid dresses, I’d recommend using a fashion rental site. You can save £££ by renting a dress rather than buying, and it’s also a lot lighter on the environment. I attended a wedding last summer where the bridesmaids all wore a different colour, with a few of them renting their dresses!
Sustainable Wedding Dress
Now onto the wedding dress. This is a biggie! My sister was incredibly choosy over her dress, and rightly so! Ultimately she chose a dress from a local independent wedding boutique. Her dress is off-the-rack, so it will be the same dress she tried on in store, and she’ll have all her alterations performed by a local seamstress too. Choosing an independent, local shop helps to support the local economy, and also supports local garment makers too.
For more sustainable options, you could consider second-hand or vintage wedding dresses. Adored Closet* curates a range of incredibly vintage dresses from the 20s, 30s, and 40s, while Oxfam Bridal* offers more contemporary ex-display and pre-loved wedding dresses. My sister also used Vinted to find a danceable dress for her wedding reception!
If you’re looking for something bespoke, there are a few sustainable fashion designers who offer bespoke bridal services, including Phoebe English and WED.
And for something in-between, check out the bridal collections at Reformation and Stella McCartney.
Handmade Bridal Accessories
A wedding dress isn’t complete without its accessories! For handmade veils, with customisable options, I recommend checking out Cyruson. This is a new, digital boutique for luxury handmade bridal accessories. You can also find handmade hair pins, alice bands, and more.
And, for the all important garter, check out Ayten Gasson. This luxury lingerie brand hand-makes their garments to order, and you can customise the garter to the bride’s size and style.
Sustainable Wedding Rings
Next, let’s talk wedding rings. In my guide to sustainable jewellery, I recommend a few different certifications for sustainable fine jewellery. You may not know this, but most jewellery is made from recycled materials, as precious metals are just too valuable to throw away. Recycled metals should be the bare minimum, and always check for a hallmark to guarantee legitimacy.
For diamond rings, go for lab-grown diamonds made with renewable energy. This last part is important, as it takes a lot of energy to make a diamond. My sister’s engagement ring features a beautiful oval lab grown diamond.
Fairtrade Flowers
Flower arrangements are a key feature of any wedding, but before you start on your perfect bouquet, I recommend looking up florists that work with Fairtrade or UK growers. It’s not very easy to find ethical flowers, but Fairtrade certified flowers, or those grown locally and seasonally, are my best recommendations. Arena Flowers has a beautiful selection of white flower bouquets* and Fairtrade roses.
No Gifts
Finally – go for no gifts if you can. In almost every gift guide I write, I highlight how wasteful gifts tend to be. This also goes for wedding favours. If you do wish to receive truly meaningful gifts you’ll treasure, create a registry at BuyMeOnce* or John Lewis. Both of these organisations are ethically run, and offer high value, tested items.
15 of the Best Sustainable Wedding Vendors
Adored Closet*: Hand-picked vintage wedding dresses from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s.
Ayten Gasson: Luxury silk lingerie and wedding garters, handmade to order.
BuyMeOnce*: Choose from their Wedding Gifts section for gifts that will last a lifetime.
Azazie: Made-to-order bridesmaid dresses in a range of styles, with a closed-loop recycling programme.
Cawley: British sustainable fashion brand crafting avant-garde bridal designs.
Cyruson: Bridal accessory boutique offering luxury, handmade veils and hair pins made in UK.
Greenvelope: Digital service providing pretty paperless wedding invites and save-the-dates.
John Lewis: Use the Wish List service to create a registry of meaningful gifts.
Oxfam Bridal*: Ex-display and pre-loved wedding dresses at affordable prices.
Paperless Post: Digital service to create decadent paperless wedding invites and save-the-dates.
Phoebe English: Renowned sustainable fashion designer with bespoke wedding dress service.
Reformation: Sustainable fashion brand with beautiful, minimal wedding dresses.
Stella McCartney: Luxury vegetarian fashion house creating inclusive wedding attire.
Vivienne Westwood: World-renowned fashion designer and wedding dress maker.
WED: Contemporary and high design bridal studio creating consciously.
I hope this guides helps, and I wish you all the best for your wedding!
