An environmentally sustainable wedding at first sounds like a big undertaking that will further complicate the entire wedding planning process.
However, since we hear about environmental sustainability in all other aspects of life, it is not surprising that there is a lot of discussion on the topic of weddings about what are the ways to make your big day as environmentally friendly as possible.
I know, it sounds scary and like extra stress. Any major change in life does not seem pleasant at first, but we are all increasingly aware of how certain changes in life should be brought in view of the current state of the world.
Environmentally sustainable wedding in the world is becoming a standard wedding style such as boho, rustic, classic..
You probably haven't thought about this, but floriculture, depending on the approach, is actually quite environmentally unacceptable.
Imported flowers come from huge farms from other parts of the world, where it is about large-scale production and plants. The very fact that flowers have to fly halfway around the world to reach us is environmentally discouraging.
Nevertheless, we all rely quite a bit on imports, because although the domestic rose has a smell unlike the imported one, you will not get about 100 perfect flowers in an identical shade that you saw on Pinterest, also without importing peonies would have only the lucky ones who marry at the right time of year, exotic leaves would not come in countless varieties, etc, etc.
But importing is only part of the problem. Arrangements in a sponge are also quite environmentally unacceptable. The sponge itself is made of hard-to-degrade, unnatural materials. Although, the most famous brand of florist sponges sells a series that breaks down somewhat faster, according to many it is not enough.
As we are in contact with colleagues from all over the world, it becomes apparent that in countries like the U.S., the entire industry is beginning to seriously change towards greater sustainability. For this reason, from 2020 in all major florist competitions it is forbidden to use a sponge in arranging. All for the purpose of promoting the idea of environmentally sustainable floriculture.
But what are the alternatives and what decisions can you make to organize an environmentally sustainable wedding?
- Flowers from domestic cultivation
It is insane to expect to pay for decoration in a style that you do not want, just to use exclusively flowers from domestic cultivation.
But even if you use part of the flowers from domestic cultivation, greens from domestic cultivation with the addition of flowers from imported, you have already done a lot in terms of sustainability.
Domestic breeders are small family farms that grow flowers in a much more natural and acceptable way than large farms. By choosing seasonal flowers, you are on the right path to an ecological wedding, while supporting local producers.
It should be noted that in the past few years our family farms have been planting new varieties of flowers, and from season to season the choice is increasing.
2. Choose types of arrangements that do not require a sponge.
These types of arrangements are all those where flowers directly enter the water and there is no need for a sponge. There is the biggest problem with high arrangements that in many cases require precisely the use of a sponge.
There are alternatives in which a saucer and a special wire are used instead of a sponge in which flowers are stacked. However, this technique is quite demanding and requires a longer production time and prices can be higher.
In the long run, on this technique that was actually normal some 30 years ago in floriculture, we rely on everyone who strives for a more environmentally friendly industry.
3. Flower installations
When creating a certain type of floral installations, especially flower walls, materials that are not the best are used.
This year, fewer and fewer such installations and more and more installations are noticed in wedding trends for which these materials are not required.
We will see that instead of flower walls, vcut installations enter into fashion, installations that are done using special techniques without a sponge, installations that are done with a base of moss or wire.
4. Dried flowers
This is another trend for 2020 that fits into the theme of sustainability.
Dried flowers can be used several times in some cases and are in many ways more environmentally friendly.
5.Plants in jars instead of arrangements
Plants in jars instead of classic arrangements have been popular for some time.
We had the opportunity to do a wedding with a combination of homemade flowers and rosemary in jars, and I must admit that the results were wonderful.
With plants in jars, the most popular is rosemary, then lavender, various cacti, olive, lemon tree, etc.
6.Natural confetti
Everyone loves confetti, but there is more and more talk about sustainable natural confetti.
These can be confetti from dried flowers, confetti from leaves, from seeds that are nutritious for birds...
7. Sustainable gifts for guests
I know we're all being lured by cheap but cool gifts from Aliexpress, but if we talk about sustainability, it's not the best decision.
Gifts for guests such as: plants in jars, seeds for planting, various products of small family farms and small craftsmen (which do not contain plastic) are a more environmentally friendly choice.
Also, newlyweds often opt for gifts for guests of various humanitarian organizations that also help those who need it most.
8.Invitations and printed materials made of recycled paper.
The title itself says it all, already recycled paper or easily recycled paper are the best choice for printed materials. For those who want something different there are also various options from wood, recycled glass, environmentally friendly textiles.
Also, interesting options are where manually print e.g. table numbers or menus on various plants, leaves, etc.
9th Fruit cake in season
By choosing such a cake, you not only get the healthiest variant, but also the most environmentally friendly one. Anything local and seasonal is welcome, and the cake is a good start in that direction. In other countries, newlyweds increasingly insist that absolutely all food at the wedding be made from local and seasonal ingredients, but this is already quite an extreme step only for those who are really 100% in this type of wedding.
In the end, it should be noted that balloons and lanterns that are released into the air are the two things that are perhaps the most harmful, and if you want this type of wedding it would be advisable to avoid them.
Before you decide on something like this, think about whether these choices could still realize your perfect wedding vision. After all, this is your most important day and all these tips only make sense if they don't incommodate you too much.
How does Bloom Croatia work on environmental sustainability?
We try to adopt the above-mentioned techniques that do not involve a sponge. In order to completely eliminate such materials from use, we need time for exercise and additional education, which we have been working on intensively for a year. We hope that in the near future we will be able to work with as little florist material as possible that is not sustainable.
During operation, we separate all waste (plastic, bio waste and paper), and generally try to produce as little waste as possible.
In our inventory we try to have as many pieces of glass, wood and other materials as possible and as few plastic pieces as possible. Unfortunately, at the end of the day it all depends on the wishes of our clients. All the plastic pieces we own from sponges saucers onwards, we try to use as many times as possible so that they do not get thrown away.
Environmentally sustainable wedding is a topic that we read and learn a lot about in order to offer our clients the service of complete organization and decoration of the same over time. We hope in as many numbers as possible over the years.