Four Sustainable Decorations
That will look great in your wedding photos
Your wedding is a chance to create your dream day, filled with the people you love and the food, music and entertainment that you enjoy. Of course, you’ll want a beautiful backdrop for this special occasion, so that everywhere you look is perfect on the day, as well as in the photos.
Your choice of decor is a big part of your ideal aesthetic, as well as being the thing that ties everything together visually; it’s also a chance to show your personality and share your love story. The seemingly little finishing touches will be central to how your celebration looks, so it’s important to leave enough time to consider them carefully.
Unfortunately, with so many options out there, it’s easy to fall into the trap of buying something that’s not sustainable and causes harm to the planet. So how can you make sure your wedding only brings joy? Here, we share four sustainable decoration options.
01
Dried flowers
Flowers are a classic decor choice for the majority of weddings, but many blooms are imported from around the world so that couples can get the varieties they want at any time of year. Alternatively, flowers are grown locally, but forced to bloom thanks to constantly heated tunnels which aim to replicate the weather elsewhere. Both of these options mean the flowers have a higher carbon footprint in comparison to locally grown, seasonal flowers.
Even fresh local flowers have a time limit, wilting once they’re cut and then being thrown away at the end of the day. As a more sustainable alternative, you could opt for dried flowers instead. That way, you can keep them for longer, as well as avoiding the practice of force- growing flowers out of season.
02
Fabric bunting
Strings of bunting hanging over your tables can add a pop of colour to the room, or you could have a hanging backdrop behind your top table to provide a lovely background to your photos. Of course, you could use paper or printed plastic bunting to achieve this effect, but why not use fabric instead? This way, you can re-use it at another party, or even just sell it on for someone else to enjoy, rather than throwing it away or letting it sit in a box.
If you or a family member are handy with a sewing machine, you could even make your own – it’s an easy first sewing project. If you prefer a streamer effect, attach long strips of fabric to your binding in the same way as you would with the traditional triangle shapes.
03
Solar lights
As the sun sets and the evening celebrations begin, there’s no reason why your decorations shouldn’t continue to set the scene. However, mains-powered lights can consume a lot of energy, and battery lights can run out quickly, as well as creating battery waste. So, why not use solar lights instead?
If you’re getting married outside, you can set these handy light strings to charge in the day, then simply turn them on as the sun goes down. Some even turn on automatically when the sensor detects low light conditions, doing the work for you.
After your wedding, hang them in your garden to create a cosy ambience in the summer evenings, or save them for a spectacular Christmas display.
04
Secondhand or rented decorations
If you’ve got your heart set on a specific type of decor that is challenging to source sustainably, then your next best option is to try and find the same items secondhand. Many couples buy decorations for their wedding and then have no use for them, so list them on online marketplaces for a small amount of money – the perfect chance for you to get a bargain and also get some more life out of the item.
Alternatively, you could also look to rent decor. Many event professionals don’t keep a warehouse full of decorations, so renting out table centerpieces, lights, table linen etc from a separate source is surprisingly common. Of course, this may mean you have a more limited choice, but there’s no reason you can’t hire the items and then add your own personal touch – just make sure everything is back to normal before you return them. Having a set range of options can also be helpful; there are so many wedding decorations out there that it can soon become hard to decide what you want.
Be kind to the planet on your wedding day
With the average wedding producing the same amount of carbon dioxide that five people would in one year, according to 77 Diamonds, we can all do our bit to reduce the impact. Sustainable still means stylish; there’s no compromise to how your decorations will look in person and in the photos – it’s just that little bit kinder to the planet.
Ready to start planning your celebration in Greece?
