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!
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 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.
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 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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
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 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 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!
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!
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.
Photo by Photos by Lanty on Unsplash
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:
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.
Photo by The HK Photo Company on Unsplash
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?