Nice day for a green wedding

For the environmentally-conscious bride and groom, the idea of jetting thousands of miles for a wedding might initially seem to leave too big of a carbon footprint. However, there are a number of ways for couples to respect the planet by making their destination wedding a little greener.

While some people might think the idea of a "green wedding" is the reserve of “hippie couples”, an increasing number of brides and grooms-to-be are factoring eco-friendly touches into their weddings, especially those that choose a destination wedding on a tropical island in Thailand.

The preparations for a green wedding can stretch as far as you want them to, from organic bridal gowns, recyclable invitations and eco-chic wedding jewellery, to organic flourishes that can be enjoyed by guests throughout the wedding day itself. Eco-friendly decorations and party favours also give couples and their wedding planner the chance to get creative and guarantee an even more personalised celebration.

Here are some tips for tie-ing the knot while protecting the surrounding environment.

Environmentally friendly confetti

One way to lessen the environmental impact of your wedding is to replace shop bought paper heart confetti with fresh flower petals. Tropical islands like Koh Samui and Phuket are home to a good number of local florists who work in partnership with wedding planners to offer a choice of colourful natural confetti choices. Alternatively, why not add some bird seed to the confetti mix? This way, it is not just the wedding guests that will be having a good meal that day – it also saves anyone the job of cleaning up.

Guest book with a difference

Rather than having the traditional paper guest book, some couples are now ask their guests to write their wedding wishes on stones instead. Not only does this save on paper, but the wish stones can be arranged in a jar and displayed as a home ornament after the wedding day, while a book would be crammed on a bookcase and left to gather dust. To add a truly unique touch, the bride and groom could even ask guests to write on pebbles gathered from the local beach. That way, a small bit of Thailand would forever stay with the happily married couple.

Pretty party favours

Colourful and ever popular cupcakes can act as combined party favours, desserts, decorations and name cards and doubling up is a great way to reduce waste at your wedding.  It is also possible to personalise the colour of the icing to match your wedding theme, and once again, there will be very little to clean up afterwards.

Unveiled by Nature

Instead of forking out for an expensive veil that will never be worn again, increasing numbers of brides now opt for the bohemian chic of a flower crown. A selection of blooms in a variety of colours draped softly over lightly curled tresses can be lot more striking than a veil, as well as a lot more comfortable. Once the wedding celebrations are over, it is even possible to press the crown to dry out the flowers and keep them as a colourful souvenir of the day.

Flowery fun

Couples getting married in one of Thailand’s private villas are free to make the most of the decorations. Using flowers instead of paper decorations and banners is not only more eco-friendly, but a lot more colourful. Tropical blooms available from local florists on Koh Samui and Phuket often include lotus flowers, birds of paradise, Thai tulips and ginger flowers. A range of flowery decorations will also introduce a delightfully fresh aroma that guests can enjoy throughout the day.

 

 

by MAX VEE

 

"The Signature Weddings is a bespoke destination weddings service offering a wide range of options to couples. 

However, some of the products and services mentioned in the blog articles on this page may not be available as part of the Signature Weddings' service."