With thousands of couples (including a certain Harry and Meghan) planning their weddings to take place this spring and summer, Friends of the Earth reveals a new list of ideas to help everyone enjoy a green wedding.

Katie Riviere, of Friends of the Earth, said: “At Friends of the Earth, we love helping people to make their big day more eco-friendly – with weddings sometimes seeming to cost the earth, in more ways than one. From beautiful wild flower bouquets to crowdsourced decorations, there are a lot of things you can do which will make yours much kinder to the planet, and also that bit more special!” 

6 tips to have a green wedding

Go wild with floral decorations
From the bride’s bouquet to table center pieces, flowers are an integral part of a beautiful wedding. Why not use local, wildflowers to give the bridal bouquet a stunning rustic look, which will also have a far lower carbon footprint than imported flowers. When thinking about center pieces and table decorations opt for potted plants instead of vases, as these can be replanted in your garden as a lasting memento of the big day!

Bee friendly to your guests, as well as the planet
When it comes to wedding favours, ditch packaging rich products. Be kind to the Earth by giving your guests something useful, gorgeous and environmentally-friendly instead. Beautiful Wildflower Seed Favours are the perfect take-home gift, not only benefiting your wedding guests' gardens but providing a much-needed source of food for bees.

Embrace romantic candlelight 
By lighting as much of the ceremony and reception as possible by candlelight you’ll not only save electricity, but also make for a far more romantic setting! Use soy candles instead of beeswax to make the environmental impact even lower.

Crowdsource decorations and dinnerware
While many people will have a very particular way they want their wedding to look, using preexisting objects instead of buying new decorations will save on huge amounts of waste. Asking around your friends and family for antiques and heirlooms to use as decorations will give your wedding a wonderful, bohemian charm and is a great way for everyone to feel involved. Who knows what treasures and stories will surface!

Keep it local
Whether you’re drinking fizz or cordial, everyone enjoys a special drink to toast to the newlyweds. Use a local vineyard to source your wine or bubbly, and a local juice press for the alcohol-free option. The UK is filled with producers of stunning wines and juices; and by using domestically produced drinks your wedding will have substantially lower carbon footprint.

Cut down on travel
If possible, hold the ceremony and the reception in the same venue to cut down on travel needs (with dozens of guests travelling between two venues, the vehicle emissions can add up quickly). If travel is unavoidable, book a bus for your guests to minimize the number of vehicles used.