How to plan your sustainable wedding in Scotland

Our top tips for introducing sustainability to your wedding day

Photo by Sophia Alexandria Photography

We are so happy to have met so many eco-conscious couples who are looking for environmentally-friendly ways to plan their wedding day! According to Climate Care, the average wedding emits around 14.5 tons of CO2 (to put into context the average person emits around 12 tons of CO2 during a whole year!). It is so important for all of us to start being more aware of our impact on our beautiful planet. Why not start with your wedding day?

Every wedding is unique and tells your story! These are our top tips to help you make more eco-conscious decisions when planning your wedding day. Nothing is perfect and there is no such thing as the perfect sustainable wedding so please above all make sure you enjoy your day! You are in no way required to do all of these, by even reading this and considering sustainable wedding options you are taking steps to a greener future.

Photos by Bernadeta Kupiec

1. Find suppliers that share your ethos!

When it comes to planning your sustainable wedding you don’t want to be let down by the suppliers that you pick. In Scotland, we are very lucky to have so many amazing wedding suppliers who are passionate about giving couples environmentally friendly choices for their wedding day.

Sustainable Wedding Dresses

It’s time to move away from mass-produced wedding dresses that are made in another country. Our With Love, Mirka wedding dresses are ethically and sustainably handmade right here in our Scottish Studio. Keeping waste to a minimum and giving new life to waste and plastic - our dresses are designed using laces and fabrics that are made from recycled materials. Who said recycled lace had to be boring? Our unique designs are both beautiful and comfortable - you won’t want to take your With Love, Mirka gown off!

Here’s what Mirka had to say about our With Love, Mirka gowns

When bringing a new brand to the market from the beginning I knew that being kind to our planet was really important to us. Over the past couple of years, we have worked hard to find the right manufacturers who produced stunning recycled lace especially for us. It just made sense that bringing new products into the world we have to consider the impact we have on the planet

Combined with ethical manufacturing this really is a love letter from us to you and the planet. We have been making dresses by hand for over 30 years, ethical manufacturing isn’t new to us and we plan to keep making bridal gowns ethically for years to come. 

Each wedding dress is made in our Scottish studio from start to finish with pure talent and passion, ensuring the highest quality in our gowns. 

We do not believe in mass production, each of our dresses is handmade to order to avoid overproducing and creating excess stock.

Photos by Maja Jankowska

Venues

Finding a sustainable wedding venue in Scotland is a lot easier than you might think! A lot of venues are starting to look at the environmental impact and making important changes to improve our planet. Choose a venue that has room for the ceremony, meal, and reception all under one roof to reduce unnecessary travelling between locations. Don’t be afraid to ask your potential venue about the steps that are taking to reduce their carbon footprint.

Folkerton Mill

Folkerton Mill is a repurposed Mill and barn set in the beautiful South Lanarkshire countryside. With a gorgeous 19th Century watermill, a wooden Dutch barn, gardens, and a courtyard, Folkerton Mill is such a unique wedding venue. Sustainability is at the heart of this venue, literally! The Old Mill and Piggery Toilets are constructed from reclaimed, recycled, and preloved components and after every wedding, they plant a tree your choosing on the grounds of Folkerton Mill.

https://www.folkertonmillweddings.co.uk/ @folkertonmill

Photograph by Claire Fleck

Photograph by Claire Fleck Wedding Photography

Florists

We can’t deny that flowers hold an important role in your wedding day. From bouquets to arches, flowers are integral to your decorations on the day. Unfortunately, after you’ve finished celebrating your special day they often end up in the bin. We’ve found some great Scottish florists that are passionate about sustainability without losing out on gorgeous floral design!

Tupelo Tree

Tupelo Tree is Scottish inspired sustainable florist and artist based right in the heart of Scotland in Fife. Their aim is to be as sustainable as possible. From only sourcing seasonal blooms from local growers to recycling large installations and flowers with other local florists. Natasha and Louise even go out foraging to add some of Scotland’s wild and green spirit to their floral decorations!

https://www.tupelotree.co.uk/ @tupelotree

We asked Natasha and Louise from Tupelo Tree what makes their flowers unique and sustainable.

We’re so lucky in Scotland to be surrounded by incredible local growers and amazing woodlands. This means we get to work with a huge variety of local and seasonal flowers and foliage. As sustainable florists, we want to ensure our environmental impact is as little as possible. For weddings, we use local and seasonal flowers rather than importing - there are so many incredible native options to choose from! We also forage a lot of what we use from the local area - responsibly of course, using fallen branches and trees where possible (and when cutting from trees, we cut mindfully and correctly to promote healthy growth!). At Tupelo Tree, we love bringing the outdoors in - whether it’s by creating miniature woodland settings based on Scottish scenes or wild woodland canopies foraged from forests nearby, we love being part of your special day.

Flower Decor by Tupelo Tree

Briar Rose Design
Briar Rose Design is a sustainable and wild Scottish florist and flower grower based in Glasgow. Committed to becoming more sustainable and adopting more environmentally friendly practices, their dreamy flowers are made using predominantly Scottish-grown wildflowers. Melanie even runs flower workshops in central Scotland, from Stirling to Glasgow, Edinburgh to Perth, and much further afield!

https://www.briarroseflowers.co.uk/ @briarrose_design

Here’s what Melanie from Briar Rose Design said about her gorgeous sustainable flowers.

Working sustainably with flowers is at the core of my business. I grow my own flowers at our cutting garden near Stirling and work with other local growers to use Scottish grown flowers wherever possible. This helps cut down on the carbon footprint of the flowers that comes from transport (air miles) and energy use involved in large scale flower farms. It also means the flower garden provides great habitat for wildlife. I have cut down on single use plastic in the business too and no longer use floral foam or dyed, painted or bleached materials in any of my designs as these can all be very harmful to the environment. You can have beautiful seasonal flowers, completely unique to you and your wedding day that don't need to cost the earth.

Briar Rose Designs shot by Sarah at Fotomaki Photography

Some great alternatives to your centrepieces are potted lavender or fragrant herbs! When buying your table settings and decorations think about the lasting impact after your wedding day. These can be replanted in your garden or given away as wedding favours to your guests.

Photo by Wendy Wei from Pexels

Rings

We know that your wedding ring is more than just a ring! We want you to find a ring that sparkles and shines that you are proud to show off. Sustainable mining and jewellery making has come a long way and we love to see so many jewellers using ethical practices when making your rings!

Lisa Rothwell Young
Lisa is an ethical fine jewellery designer based in Lancolm, Dumfries & Galloway. Lisa is proud to make personal pieces with a sense of meaning, that are both beautiful and ethical! Her designs are so stunning and unique and her bespoke service allows her to capture your story.

https://lisarothwell-young.co.uk/ @lisarothwellyoung

We asked Lisa from Lisa Rothwelll Young what sustainable weddings means to her and what makes her rings unique.

For me being sustainable is about using materials that cause as little harm as possible, that can be reused, recycled and composted. I also make sure my materials are ethically sourced and I prioritise working with suppliers who support charitable initiatives. Even my water and electricity suppliers do their bit and my jewellery is also vegan. I work closely with my couples to customise rings from the environment inspired collections, especially sourcing gemstones and diamonds they can choose from. Alternatively, I'll make them something bespoke based on their journey and stories. It's a very personal way to work and makes the process of choosing rings a much more special experience and one they'll remember for the rest of their lives.

Alison Macleod Jewellery

Alison is based in Thornhill, Dumfriesshire. All the rings are personally designed by Alison and handmade by herself and her team in their studio from Fairtrade gold and ‘conflict-free’ diamonds and gems. They’re even packed in vintage ring boxes! What a great added touch to bring a bit of life to an old treasure.

www.alisonmacleod.com @alisonmacleodjewellery

Here’s what Alison from Alison Macleod Jewellery had to say about her sustainable wedding jewellery

As we’re all trying our best to make more eco friendly choices in our every day lives it seems natural to apply that to the choices one would make when planning a wedding. It’s wonderful that there are so many more suppliers offering sustainable options for eco weddings. Using Fairtrade gold for our wedding and engagement rings is important to us because of its unique traceable supply chain insuring good practice to the workers and the environment.

Anna Fine Jewellery

Anna is an ethical designer and goldsmith based in Gloucestershire. Every piece of jewellery is made by hand by Anna. Anna’s passion for helping the environment shows not only in her personal life but in her business too! Always choosing either fair trade or recycled precious metals and where she can, Anna loves to rescue and recycle old sentimental jewellery and transform them into new, beautiful pieces!

https://www.annafinejewellery.co.uk/ @annafinejewelleryuk

Here’s what Anna from Anna Fine Jewellery had to say about making rings that are sustainable.

Wedding’s are just one day out of a whole lifetime together, but can produce so much waste. So, if I can help reduce a bit of that, by helping couples to choose recycled gold, or to re-use old family jewellery, the hopefully it might help them to think about being more sustainable for other parts of the day too. I don’t make rings that look like something you could buy in a high street shop. My rings are all completely handmade by me, with my signature “natural” styling, making every one unique.

Catering

Find caterers that focus on seasonal ingredients that are ethically and sustainably sourced. A tenth of all wedding food ends up in the bin which is why it’s so important to find a caterer that cares about their environmental impact and will work with you to not only reduce food waste but excessive spending too!

Hickory Food

Hickory Food is a bespoke wedding catering service whose passion for sustainability shows in everything they do! Their chefs plan menus around seasonal and sustainable local ingredients - actively seeking out local Scottish suppliers and small artisan producers to reduce food miles and support Scottish farms, fishermen, dairies, cheesemakers, butchers, bakers, and more. Their food waste is then recycled to produce green electricity and natural bio-fertilisers and their cooking oil is recycled into biodiesel - contributing to a greener, circular environment.

Wild Rover Food

Wild Rover Food is a wedding catering service that specialises in serving seasonal, scrumptious, sustainable food! They develop seasonal menus which reflect local produce that is available throughout the year. They only work with local producers who sustainably grow and rear their product to ensure not only the freshest taste but showing a care for the environment.

Wedding Planners

Planning your wedding can be daunting and trying to find sustainable wedding suppliers and options can add an extra layer. Wedding planners can help take the pressure off before and during your wedding day. Giving you suggestions and advice for planning the sustainable wedding of your dreams and making sure that your wedding day is exceptional!

Revelry Events

The Revelry Events Team is passionate about helping you plan your wedding! They believe in rulebook-free weddings that capture your personality. Their Eco-Minded Wedding Planners will help you plan your dream and provide you with some great environmentally friendly options to make your wedding day a bit more green!

https://www.jointherevelry.com/ @revelryeventsuk

We asked Susie from Revelry Events how they help you plan your dream sustainable wedding.

All our weddings are run with an eco-minded approach. Which is really just a fancy way of saying we are environmentally friendly but won’t preach in your ear all day long about it. What we will do is be considered. Considered about the suppliers we suggest. Considered about the style we create and considered about your wedding carbon footprint. What we won’t do is be restrictive. If you’ve got your heart set on a meat feast of a meal then we’ll aim to find suppliers with ethical practices and locally sourced ingredients. If you and your guests are jetting in from overseas then we can suggest how to offset those miles. It's our job to keep educating ourselves about sustainable practices and suppliers so we can pass those recommendations on to you and make your wedding planning just a little bit easier on the planet.

2. Quality over quantity

It’s no surprise that weddings can generate a lot of waste. It’s easy to fall into the wedding planning hole where you want to get just about everything that you see on Pinterest. You shouldn’t have to miss out on beautiful wedding decor just because you want to be more eco-conscious. Think about what’s most important to you for your wedding day and stick with these.

Wedding Favours

As much as we love the idea of giving a little present to your guests to keep as a memento and to thank them for coming to celebrate your big day, a lot of the time wedding favours end up being left behind or thrown in the bin as soon as they get home.

If you’ve decided to give favours, the best thing to consider is whether it is something you think you and your guests will love and be excited to receive. There are a lot of great eco-friendly options such as wildflower sachets or bombs and local produce (honey, jam, you name it!). Pinterest is great for finding inspiration for your sustainable wedding favours!

Charity wedding favours are a great way to give back and make a meaningful impact. Why not check out your favourite charity and make a donation in your guests’ names? Here are a just few we found with a quick google search - Scottish SPCA, Macmillan, Cancer Research UK, Mind, Marie Curie, Alzheimer Scotland.

Stationery

Have you considered going digital for your invitations or save the dates? This is a great way to reduce paper waste (as well as saving you money on printing costs!). We know invitations have their charm, so if you are committed to sending invitations why not limit yourself to one knockout piece? Find a stationery supplier who has sustainable options - such as recycled paper or plantable invites that encourage your guests to plant their cards in their garden to grow some beautiful wildflowers.

3. Consider buying second-hand!

Try to focus on my recyclable or reusable wedding decor and avoid single-use plastics at all costs! Glassware and woodworks are great for adding a bit of boho, vintage flair. We love vintage accessories such as candlesticks, glass bottles, and lanterns for your table decor! Rock My Wedding has a great online service that allows couples to sell and buy their wedding decor and accessories all in one place! You can also check out websites like gumtree, Facebook marketplace, or preloved - you’ll be surprised what you can find by just searching ‘wedding’ on these sites! Lots of couples will be looking to get rid of their decorations after their wedding day so why not pick these up for a fraction of the price (or sometimes even free!)?

Here’s what the team at Rock My Wedding said about their new one stop shop for your sustainable wedding day:

It is widely known that weddings can produce a lot of waste and, more so now than ever, people are looking at ways they can choose eco-friendly and sustainable options for their weddings. Recycle My Wedding provides a platform for brides and grooms to sell their wedding items on to other couples. From pre-loved wedding dresses and outfits to decor and accessories, there is something for everyone. The best bit? For every item listed, we donate 10% to Trees For Life. So whether you sell or buy, you’re making a pro-planet choice using Recycle My Wedding.

You can also keep an eye out for companies that hire vintage props - perfect for finding your dream decor without having to invest in a lot of new products and then having to either sell or bin them after your wedding day!

4. Turn to DIY

If you’re feeling crafty then there are a lot of great wedding crafts to put your own personal stamp on your wedding day. We love macrame and bunting for adding a bit of boho style to your wedding day! There are so many great tutorials online that can give you some inspiration. What about a vintage mirror for your wedding signage or reclaimed wood for your seating chart?

Consider making your own confetti from dried flowers or leaves. You can check out some great crafting videos from @johannacryer who is making her own dried flower confetti with their own confetti cones or you can even try your hand at her homemade confetti cannons! Some more great options for confetti are birdseed, lavender, or you can even make your own ribbon wands.

5. Donate or sell your decoration after your wedding day

Instead of just throwing away your decor why not donate or sell them online? Facebook marketplace, gumtree, or preloved are great places to sell your wedding decorations once you are done with them! You can even set up a selling profile on Recycle My Wedding.

When your wedding day comes to an end don’t just throw your flowers away! There are lots of great options to avoid your flowers going straight to the bin - from giving them away to your guests as favours, to preserving your bouquet in a frame or in resin. You can also get in contact with local hospitals or care homes to donate your flowers. What better way to brighten someone’s day than a beautiful bouquet of flowers?

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