While more and more French men and women are committed to a way of living and consuming that is more respectful of nature and the environment, the great moments of life are also adapting to these new ways of living. As wedding season is in full swing, in this practical article we’ll give you some ideas to help you think and some avenues to explore in preparation for the big day.
Limit guest travel
Multiplying means of transport and travel time: there is nothing like increasing the ecological footprint of an event. So to reduce this impact and make life easier for your guests, think about organizing your wedding in a place that is easily accessible by public transport, to connect your loved ones to carpool. and to bring together as many different people as possible. of your ceremony, between the town hall, the reception and the return of the wedding. Ideal to allow everyone to fully enjoy this big day and at the same time reduce the risk of accidents.
Offer a 100% plant-based meal
The meal is one of the highlights of a wedding. You can take advantage of this moment of sharing to convey your values and introduce a new cuisine with a meal composed of organic, local and seasonal ingredients and a 100% plant-based cuisine. Something to subtly remind your guests that cutting meat consumption is becoming more than necessary in the face of climate change.
Buy a second-hand dress and suit
The textile industry is one of the most polluting in the world if it does not participate in the exploitation of people. How can you reduce your impact and not enrich companies whose practices deter you? Think second-hand! For example, you can give your wedding an original taste by buying a second-hand outfit (on the Internet or in a specialist store) or by recycling that of a parent or loved one. Enough to give a little more meaning to the outfit immortalized in a photo and spend part of an often substantial budget on other projects that are more in line with your values.
Rent the decoration
Who said you had to spend a fortune and collect new items to celebrate a beautiful wedding? Here too you can save costs, both financially and environmentally friendly, by renting. Furniture, decorative pieces, crockery… Ask around to find good deals and find the decoration that fits your obligations to the planet.
Choose dried and local flowers
Flowers are often an important presence at a wedding. But did you know that most of the flowers in specialized stores are not from France and have been widely exposed to pesticides? To avoid this, set your sights on local flowers, organic and dried if possible. This way you can reuse them at home as decoration or offer them to your guests.
Ethical Alliances
Wedding rings are a symbol of the love that two people have for each other. To reduce their impact, several solutions are available to you: reuse family jewellery, recycle gold from an old family member’s brooch, buy recycled gold wedding rings… It’s up to you to find what suits you best. your union in broad daylight.
Give a meaningful gift
The tradition is that the guests leave the wedding with a small souvenir. It is in most cases of dragees, but other gifts can also do very well. For food supply, local and organic products are preferred, all with recyclable or reusable packaging (recycled paper, small cloth bag, etc.). If you’d rather offer an item that will last, try to find something original that won’t end its life in the back of a closet. Here you can, for example, recycle dried flowers.
Install dry toilets
Toilets are essential at weddings. But water consumption on each visit can be saved thanks to a simple trick: the installation of dry toilets during the event. Again, you can take the opportunity to educate your guests and who knows, maybe convince some of your relatives to adopt this type of toilet at home.
Anticipate waste and leftovers
Just like at home, we remember to properly sort our waste as the event progresses and thus plan ahead with the service providers for its management. With regard to leftovers: we can keep them the day after the meal for a cozy brunch, provide boxes to give food to guests or contact an association that can make the link with people in precarious situations.
And you, what are your little tricks to reduce the impact of an event like a wedding?