Explained | What is a Carbon Neutral Wedding and how it can be planned

And the wedding season is here! A wedding is one of the biggest events in one’s life. Naturally, because it is meant to be the most important day for the wedding couple. For most of them, every arrangement should fulfill their fancy expectation and needs to be grand. However, despite being an occasion full of joy, weddings are also somewhat synonymous with pollution and waste be it leftover food, floral décor, loud music, excessive lighting and single-use plastics among other things — all impacting the environment at many levels. 

And in the present times when climate change is one of the greatest concerns of humankind globally, carbon emissions from weddings are also turning out to be a major concern. This brings us to the concept of carbon-neutral weddings. By making weddings carbon neutral, one can reduce their carbon footprint equivalent to cutting 100 odd trees. 

What is a Carbon-Neutral Wedding?

Carbon neutral wedding or sustainable wedding is a wedding celebration where the couple and the guests try to reduce the event’s impact on the environment. They opt for ways and alternatives which suit their wish and are a greener alternative to the traditional ones. 

How to plan a carbon-neutral wedding?

There are many sustainable ways through which one could make their wedding carbon-neutral and still enjoy it to the fullest. Here are some alternatives to keep in mind before a wedding is planned. 

1. Eco-friendly wedding invitations

Wedding invitations are the first source through which you inform your guests about your ceremony. So why not make it an eco-friendly one? This will indicate your initiative towards a carbon-neutral wedding and will encourage the guests to be a part of it.  Carbon neutral invitation includes one which does not waste much paper. One can opt for recycled paper or seed paper ( plantable paper) to print their invites. Also, in this digital era, there are a lot of ways to create beautiful digital e-cards and invitation videos. This will save paper, fuel, and of course time. 

2. An eco-friendly time?

Do you think the time you choose for your wedding functions to take place impacts your carbon footprints in a lot of ways? Yes!

• Daytime weddings save huge lighting costs. That will cut lots of energy emissions and use of a generator in the wedding. 
• Natural light will result in beautiful photographs. The photographer will not require extra lighting to capture your wedding because of natural daylight.

3. Choose an open venue amid nature

A venue amid nature with both lighting and shade from the sun would be a perfect wedding venue for you. Venues amid nature cut the cost and waste generated in decoration way down as compared to the decoration in a closed banquet hall. While booking your ceremony and reception venues, look for spaces that offer details that fit your kind of wedding style. This will be both eco-friendly and pocket friendly— a win-win situation. Wineries offer amazing scenic backdrops, botanical gardens give you beautiful floral décor, wildlife parks and seaside wedding venues offer great scenic views.

4. Check the flower arrangement

Bouquets are the most popular form of decoration, and there is no doubt that those flowers look beautiful. But these freshly cut plants aren’t the best thing you need for your wedding while generating a huge amount of waste the next day.  Luckily, there are amazing eco-wedding alternatives. Why not go for flowers without cutting them? Consider potted flowers, such as orchids or spray roses, or plants that include herbs and even small trees, that can be later reused at home, or transplanted into the home garden after the wedding event. 

Even for the mandatory rituals at the wedding, choose seasonal blooms that are grown locally and not imported. Flowers that are imported for decoration not only generate a lot of waste the next day but also, consume a lot of fuel before they reach you. 

One can also be in contact with a local vendor and give them a contract to arrange local flowers at a minimal level for your wedding days. Also, politely request your guests to avoid bringing bouquets for the couple. 

5. Carbon-neutral gifts

When planning an eco-friendly wedding, wedding gifts for the guests are the perfect way to share one’s love and awareness for the environment and spread the message of eco-consciousness. 

There are a lot of options nowadays for going carbon-neutral when one is considering a gift. Instead of some gifts with fancy packaging, go for the following things:

• Clay Pottery
• Decor items made of recycled materials

• A house plant
• Reusable customized mugs

6. Food waste

By reducing the number of miles the food items or raw material has to travel before reaching your venue destination, you are cutting down your carbon footprint of the meal served. Opt for a catering service that includes making sure that the food is locally sourced.

7. Avoid single-use plastic 

One should keenly observe and plan all areas which require the single use of plastic and take measures to avoid them fully. Avoid anything that is disposable! Cut down on the things that will be thrown away right after the wedding. Things that are reusable should be given value. This means you need to avoid balloons, paper plates, and plastic cutlery, single-use plastic table decorations that will be thrown away later. Table linens and chair covers should be of a material that is washable and can be reused. 

This picture shows an eco-friendly and beautiful alternative to avoid packaging wedding rings.

(with inputs from Aayushi Sharma)