Though luscious greenery and natural views often form the backdrop of many weddings, the event itself may not always be the kindest to the environment. Choosing to consider your carbon footprint on your special day is an incredible way to celebrate your new beginnings. The extent to which you choose to do so is also entirely up to you; you can make small but meaningful commitments with some of your event-planning decisions, or you could even choose to put eco-friendly considerations at the forefront of the entire wedding.
A simple way to ensure your chosen wedding location is eco-friendly is determining whether or not it is easily accessible by public transport. Malta is fairly well-connected in terms of its transport routes around the island, though there are bound to be certain venues that are slightly more off-grid. If many of your guests are staying in the same hotel, or around the same area, another solution would be to arrange transport for them. Sharing a ride to the venue rather than everyone making the journey in their own vehicles means that all of your guests will be able to restrict their carbon footprint on the way to your celebration.
Another way to keep an eye on your guests’ eco-contributions, is to simply make the guest list a little more intimate. Reducing the number on your guest list may sound like a challenge, but in our previous article we go through the benefits and creative opportunities a micro-wedding can offer.
Now, let’s talk food. Try sourcing local delicacies and treating your guests to a traditional spread of Maltese catering cuisine. To help fully immerse them into the culture, we’re sure they’d also be grateful for your selection of local Maltese wine.
From bottled vintages, to vintage dresses, sustainable fashion is yet another way to keep your wedding eco-friendly. Consider giving a pre-loved wedding dress or suit another feature in the spotlight, or you can also opt for brands that feature sustainable materials in their designs.
For those of you really wanting to ensure your wedding day is carbon neutral, both you and your guests can pledge to offset the footprint of your day by planting trees. Companies like Carbon Footprint are able to set up a dedicated landing page for your wedding free of charge, for your guests to log on and donate to. You may also wish to focus on the island hosting you and your guests – the Maltese Government’s Tree 4 U Campaign enables you to improve the tree cover all over the Maltese Islands.
Choosing to make some of these decisions, or using these ideas as inspiration for other socially responsible choices to incorporate into your wedding day is a beautiful way to start your lives together.