The Rise of Eco-Friendly Weddings

Weddings are among life's most joyous events, but can also be one of the most stressful times in a couple's life.

They also have a significant environmental impact, but fortunately, it is becoming increasingly popular to minimise your wedding's carbon footprint. Couples up and down the country are choosing to celebrate while being mindful of their environmental impact.

What to Consider When Making Your Wedding Eco-Friendly:

• Wedding Flowers
• Venue and Location
• Eco-conscious Attire and Decor
• Food and Drink
• Sustainable Wedding Favours
• Wedding Dress Hire

We spoke to various wedding industry experts about the importance of making your wedding as eco-friendly as possible. Here is what they had to say:

When asked, what makes floral arrangements at a wedding eco-friendly?

Becky Lane, Owner of The Floral Hire, Said:

“Our approach at The Floral Hire goes beyond providing beautiful flowers – we're actively reducing waste in the wedding industry.

Each silk arrangement eliminates the traditional waste cycle of fresh flowers. We've removed the need for water-intensive farming, chemical preservatives, and refrigerated transportation.

Our in-house team maintains and repairs pieces as needed, extending their lifecycle and keeping them out of landfills. It's about creating beautiful weddings that don't cost the earth.

Transporting flowers that are not seasonal can result in a higher level of CO2 emissions.”

Many brides dream of a beautiful designer dress for their big day and spend far beyond their budget to get it. Hiring your wedding dress is the perfect solution to attain the dress of your dreams.

Wedding dresses often come with environmental costs; it’s easy to forget that the metres of tulle and embellishments can require significant resources. Hiring your dress can help reduce this impact.

According to Statista:

‘In 2023, couples in the UK incorporated second-hand or vintage wedding fashion elements, like jewellery or veils, into their weddings. Vintage jewellery was especially popular with Gen Z couples.’

If hiring a wedding dress, bridal attire, or groomswear is something you are considering, here are a few trusted rental sites in the UK:

• https://www.somethingborrowedrent.co.uk/
  
• https://thebridalgalleryuk.com/
  
• https://www.menswear-amelias.com/
• https://byrotation.com/
  
• https://johnlewisfashionrental.com/edits/standard_edits/bridal

We spoke to Hayley Guest, Owner of Limelight Occasion, to hear about the benefits of sustainable bridalwear:

1. How do wedding dress/suit rentals reduce environmental impact compared to buying a brand new gown?

“Limelight Occasions offers men’s wedding suit hire, which has several environmental benefits. Hiring suits encourages reuse over single-use, reducing textile waste and the demand for new production. It also extends the life of each garment, lessening the environmental impact associated with manufacturing and shipping new items.

One van delivers all the suits from our hire company to all their hire providers for all the weddings in our area and collects them all again one week later when delivering suits for the next week’s weddings - so hundreds of suits delivered and collected in a cycle of one round trip keeping the environmental impact of traffic on the environment to a minimum.

While we cannot offer wedding dress rental because gowns must be custom-fitted to each bride to look perfect, we do offer off-the-peg sample dresses, which contributes to sustainability by giving existing gowns a second life, rather than letting them go to waste.

We also show our brides how their wedding dresses can be altered for reuse after the wedding; for example, by shortening the dress to tea length or mini to wear to parties or by taking off the bodice to wear more casually with jeans. Our consultant made her bridal dress into two dresses, one for her daughter and one for herself to wear after the wedding.”

2. How do you see the wedding industry evolving over the next 5–10 years?

We expect to see the wedding industry become increasingly sustainable, inclusive, and experience-focused. Couples are moving toward more conscious choices—whether that’s in attire, venues, catering, or decor. We foresee a rise in eco-friendly materials, local sourcing, rental or pre-loved options with smaller, more personal celebrations. Increasingly, brides are selling their wedding dresses to other brides, and the preloved market is gathering momentum. We see this trend continuing, which will reduce the demand for new manufacturing.

The bridal industry is fashion-led led with wedding dress trends lasting, on average, three years. Many of the international bridal labels launch new collections twice a year. Now, when Limelight takes on a bridal label, we look for brands that are reducing their manufacturing impact on the environment by launching a new collection only once a year instead of twice.

Technology will also play a larger role, with virtual dress previews, planning tools, and immersive experiences becoming the norm.

3. Do you collaborate with other eco-conscious wedding vendors (e.g. planners, caterers, florists)?

We’re always looking to build relationships with like-minded, eco-conscious wedding professionals, including planners, florists, and caterers, and we meet with them regularly at wedding fairs and trade exhibitions. Collaboration helps us offer couples a more sustainable and cohesive wedding experience. We love supporting local businesses that share our values around quality, sustainability, and exceptional service. We’re always open to expanding our network of partners.

As well as our men’s hire wear partner, Peter Posh, our reusable eco-friendly rPET garment bags are supplied to us by Hoesh, who are committed to protecting clothes while reducing plastic waste, offering durable, breathable storage for conscientious consumers

https://www.hoeshinternational.co.uk/collections/sustainable-eco-friendly-bridal-gown-garment-bag-and-duvets

All our dress suppliers use eco-friendly packaging, and we recycle this packaging or reuse it in the boutique and in our homes.

Our local seamstress partners reuse everything. Lace that is cut off to reduce a hemline will be used to trim a veil or create an accessory, buttons and zips are repurposed, and tulle petticoats unwanted in one dress will be remade in another… the list is endless, nothing is wasted.

4. What inspired you to offer bridal attire for hire?

Our decision to offer men’s wedding suit hire came from a desire to meet the needs of modern couples who value style, practicality, and sustainability. Suit hire allows grooms and groomsmen to look their best without the cost or waste of buying something they may only wear once.

As explained earlier, we’re committed to sustainability in other ways for wedding dresses. Altering a beautiful sample gown to give it a second chance to be part of someone’s special day is especially satisfying. The creativity involved, as well as the benefits to the environment, inspire us.

“The Limelight team also encourages our brides to think about reuse, and together we come up with all sorts of creative ways to incorporate sustainability into their special day. There is a brilliant bridal tradition that every bride should wear something old, something borrowed and something blue on their wedding day. This provides the perfect opportunity for reusing a wedding garment by handing it on to the next generation, or a friend or … to a pet! One of our favourites is the ring-bearing dog … his harness was made from the fabric removed when we shortened the bride's train!”

Sustainable Food Choices:

Choosing eco-friendly catering is another impactful step. Here’s how:

• Reducing meat consumption can significantly lower your wedding’s carbon footprint

• Sourcing organic or local ingredients helps reduce environmental impact

• Planning portion sizes carefully can help minimise food waste
  

At Love Energy Savings, we believe your big day does not have to come at the planet's expense. With small, thoughtful changes, you can have the perfect celebration while protecting the environment.

*Some of the data from this page is taken from Pinterest Trends and Google Searches and is subject to change*