According to Climate Care, which seeks to offset carbon emissions, the average UK wedding is said to create around 14.5 tonnes of CO2. That’s 2.5 tonnes more than the average person is said to emit in a whole year and enough to fly someone back and forth to Thailand around ten times. So how can you make your white wedding a bit greener?

THE INVITES

Save paper by using Paperless Post, which lets you send high quality stationery by email and collate who has accepted and declined in a centralised place online.

Paperlesspost.com

THE DRESS

Make sure your dress is made in the UK using sustainable materials. Blushless uses only the finest sustainable fabrics. Meanwhile, Julie Dutton uses Fairtrade organic cottons and vintage textiles and Wholly Jo specialises in environmentally-friendly, made-to-measure wedding dresses. Failing that, consider buying a pre-loved dress from Oxfam’s or Worn Once with Love’s Bridal Departments.

Blushless.com; Juliedutton.co.uk; Wholly-jo.co.uk; Oxfam.co.uk; Wornoncewithlove.co.uk

THE RING

Buy your wedding ring from an ethical & Fairtrade jewellery designer, such as April Doubleday or Cred Jewellery. Otherwise a specialist in recycled precious materials and ethically sourced gemstones such as Chocolate Couture or Leblas are worth considering.

Aprildoubleday.com; Credjewellery.com; Chocolate-couture.com; Leblas.com

THE WEDDING LIST

Forgo the toaster, pots, pans and bedlinen that feature on conventional wedding lists – you know you don’t need them. Instead ask your guests to donate to a charity of your choice, or give to those in third world countries, who don’t have water or shoes or education. Good Gifts, Oxfam Unwrapped and UNICEF Inspired Gifts are all good sites for this.

Goodgifts.org; Oxfam.com; Unicef.org.uk

THE VENUE

Go for a bamboo tent from Bamboo Tents, the largest eco-friendly, sustainable marquee supplier in the UK. Or, if you’re choosing a hotel or venue, consider its eco credentials. Crasken Farm in Cornwall runs eco weddings with organically grown food, beer, cider and wine, a completely solar and wind powered complex, a recycling policy for all waste and rubbish, and water supplied by its very own spring.

Bambootents.com; Craskenfarm.com

THE HONEYMOON

If you must fly, take only one long-haul flight as opposed to changing numerous times. Otherwise, why not holiday at home, or, if that’s too much to bear, take the train. The Man in Seat 61 features detailed information on rail travel across the world and is committed to the more romantic, environmentally-conscious style of travel. Treyn Holidays and Great Rail Journeys are worth bearing in mind too. You could also spend your honeymoon volunteering for a charitable organisation or project.

Seat61.com; Railholidays.com; Greatrail.com

MORE THINGS TO CONSIDER.

* If you're setting off Chinese lanterns, make sure to use the environmentally-friendly metal-free ones, such as those from Skylanterns.co.uk. Farmers have complained that the ones with wire are a risk to livestock.

* Throw biodegradable confetti or real flowers, such as those available at Shropshire Petals (Shropshirepetals.co.uk), which specialises in natural petal confetti, wheat sheaves and lavender bundles.

* Donate the flowers to a hospital or care centre at the end of the day, or consider giving any leftover food to a homeless shelter.

26 January 2010