Let's get one thing straight: weddings can be grand, stylish, and exceptionally fun, whilst also being kind to the Earth.
Sustainable weddings are not a fleeting trend, they are a movement towards a greener future. Wedding planners have a responsibility to support the movement by encouraging clients to make sustainable choices and by evaluating the eco-friendly updates they can make to their own planning process.
A sustainable wedding business equals happy clients and a healthier planet—so what are you waiting for? We have gathered leading sustainability advocates in the wedding industry to give us an insight as to the environmental impact of the wedding industry and how planners can contribute to a more sustainable future for the wedding sector.
What you'll learn:
- The environmental impact of the wedding industry
- The definition of a sustainable wedding planning business
- How to tackle the difficulties of running a sustainable wedding planning
- How to make your wedding business more eco-friendly
A greener future for your wedding business awaits...
The environmental impact of the wedding industry
According to the Green Bride Guide, each wedding produces approximately 400-600 pounds of trash and emits around 60 tons of CO2. This is equivalent to the weight of a grand piano and the annual emissions of approximately ten regular cars—in other words, its a lot. And all for just one event. Now, take into consideration the millions of weddings that happen annually and you'll understand that if every wedding planner were to turn a blind eye to their environmental responsibility, the results would be devastating.
Sarah Klingman is the CEO of Gather—an award-winning wedding planning concierge team based in the US. According to Sarah, "The prevalence of waste in the events industry is massive." Sarah estimates that each wedding guest generates up to one pound of waste, with some of the biggest contributors to waste being single-use plastics used in decorations and catering. Sarah also duly notes the large carbon footprint being produced by transport to and from wedding venues, along with the huge amount of energy needed to power the big day. Sarah points out that in order to tackle these deep-rooted issues in the industry, the onus must be placed on the industry at large not the individual, "Addressing these issues is not just a matter of corporate responsibility but also of industry-wide sustainability."
These statistics might paint a pretty grim picture, but the continually growing awareness amongst wedding professionals of the need for more sustainable practices is something to celebrate. And so too is the attitude of the consumers. Sarah notes, "In recent years, there has certainly been a noticeable shift in client preferences towards more sustainable ceremonies and practices. Clients are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their events and are seeking options that align with their values." Weddings are no longer solely for show, couples want celebrations that reflect their beliefs. This growing demand is a clarion call for wedding planners to adapt their services to reinforce their commitment to sustainability and cater to the evolving demands of their clientele.
What is a sustainable wedding business?
The wedding industry needs to be more sustainable, on that we can all agree. But what exactly is a sustainable wedding business? The buzzword of the moment might change (green, sustainable, eco-friendly, etc.) but for JoAnn Moore, certified green wedding planner and founder of JoAnn Moore Weddings & Events, the definition of a green wedding remains the same: "When a couple and their wedding team make choices that decrease the negative impact on the environment, that is a Green wedding."
True sustainable planners are actively engaged in minimising their environmental impact at every step of their operations, which includes those they choose to collaborate with. Sustainable planner should seek out vendors and venues whose environmental values align with their own, JoAnn gives the example of photographers who work with digitals, or caterers who source their ingredients locally. When building a network of trusted wedding vendors and venues, JoAnn advises planners undertake thorough research in order to avoid falling victim to green washing.
Of course, planners must also take responsibility for their own practices. "Where and who a planner works with is essential, but there will be no credibility with such businesses if they don’t also make efforts to reduce the environmental impact of their own work." explains Gwenda Jeffs, editor and owner of The Green Union—a community and resource bank for eco-friendly wedding professionals.
Gwenda started her career in the wedding industry as a florist and recalls feeling like somewhat of a minority when it came to her concern for the negative environmental impact of floristry and the wedding industry at large. She spent the next few years refining her practice to be as eco-friendly as possible, and watching out for others who were doing the same. Thankfully, the commitment of Gwenda and other early-adopter sustainable wedding pros paid off. Gwenda recalls, "Slowly, a small but noticeable shift began to happen. What was seen once considered to be predominantly of interest to ‘unwashed hippies’, as I once heard it described, was being increasingly embraced in the mainstream and even luxury end of the industry."
The shifting attitude towards sustainability in the wedding industry mirrors the growing awareness of the general public. Gwenda notes, "Strides forward have been directly linked to events that have caused financial insecurity (namely Brexit and the dreaded Covid), as well as the more obvious media attention paid to the realities of the climate crisis." Gwenda explains that before the pandemic, couples would often only choose to dial down their guest list or extravagant decor due to budgetary constraints however in recent years, scaled-down sustainable weddings have become "a genuine choice for wedding professionals and couples alike."
Ever increasing awareness of the climate crisis has left wedding professionals keen to understand their role in making the industry more green. "The industry is thirsty for information and ways to improve how they do things", assures JoAnn. In fact, JoAnn has taken an active role in providing such education to her fellow wedding pros across the U.S. and Mexico—she even has the backing of the Mexican government who are keen to sustainably scale their destination wedding industry whilst decreasing the impact on the local environment.
JoAnn is currently working on compiling her eco-philosophy into a book alongside Kate Harrison, author of The Green Bride Guide, and Helena Ricon, a certified green wedding planner and educator. The guide will focus on the responsibility of wedding professionals and venues in building a more sustainable future for the industry and is due for publication later this year (2024). Testament to her growing presence as an advocate for eco-conscious weddings, JoAnn was invited to speak at the latest Association of Bridal Consultants conference in Puerto Rico and the positive response to her talk was overwhelming. JoAnn beams, "I'm still receiving text messages, emails, and calls with questions." It is clear that wedding planners are keen to assume responsibility for their carbon footprints and take the first step in building more sustainable businesses.
Barriers to sustainability in the wedding industry
The response to JoAnn's work serves as evidence that the wedding industry is ready for a green revolution. And yet, progress remains slow. Whilst wedding industry professionals have good intentions, building sustainable practices does not happen overnight and going green poses significant challenges to planners and vendors alike.
A primary concern, as is always the case for wedding pros, is appeasing the client. "We are people pleasers, after all" explains JoAnn, "Professionals need guidance with making a stand between doing what is right for the environment and pleasing their clients." Sarah Klingman echoes these sentiments, "The most challenging aspect of our transition [to greener practices] was balancing sustainability with client expectations." Thankfully, wedding planners aren't often forced to choose between the two—"I have not encountered many couples who are anti-eco-friendly", JoAnn clarifies—but sometimes clients don't even realise the devastating environmental consequences of their dream wedding. JoAnn recalls a client who was besotted with the idea of launching Chinese Lanterns. The problem? The wedding was scheduled in the midst of a severe drought and federal fire restrictions had to be strictly observed. When it became clear the bride was not going to change her mind, JoAnn politely turned down the wedding. But she wonders how may professionals would be willing to do the same. If wedding planners are serious about improving their environmental impact, they must be prepared to turn down work that no longer aligns with their sustainable principles.
Additionally, the mounting pressure to run a sustainable wedding business can leave wedding planners fearful to take the first step. Many industry professionals grapple with the desire to be more eco-friendly but falling short of executing sustainable business practices perfectly. As a "recovering perfectionist" herself, Gwenda relates, "I totally get it! But to repurpose the tagline of a well-known supermarket chain, every little helps." Gwenda is quick to reassure fellow wedding pros that moving forward imperfectly, is preferable to not making progress at all. Gwenda references Anne-Marie Bonneau to drive home her point, "We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly. This rings just as true to me if you replace ‘zero waste’ with ‘sustainable weddings’. " The quest for a more sustainable wedding industry starts with a shift in mindset towards progress over perfection. Sustainability is not a competition. It doesn't matter if all you can do right now is minimise your single-use plastic consumption, what's important is that you are doing what you can. The only rule: be transparent. Gwenda advises, "Just stay clear of greenwashing. Simply communicate what you are doing right now, and what you strive to be doing in the future. You’ll find this will resonate with heaps of prospective clients who are doing their own imperfect best, too."
How to build a sustainable wedding business
When it comes to sustainability, there is no shame in starting small. JoAnn shares some quick-fix examples of where to start:
- Eliminating single-use plastics like straws and disposable cutlery
- Using recycled materials for decorations
- Cutting down guest lists to cut down carbon emissions
- Choosing green vendors and venues
Embracing digitalisation is another powerful step towards reducing the environmental footprint (and boosting the efficiency) of your wedding planning business. Gwenda explains, "The majority of a planner’s work is administrative so going fully paperless is an ideal place to start. Eco-friendly mobile phone plans, renewable energy tariffs for the home/office, green website hosting, and repairing over replacing fixable tech are other easy wins. If you are able, consideration should be given to restricting the area in which you will travel for work (and to carbon offsetting with one of the plethora of schemes out there for anything you are unable to avoid.)"
These little changes add up. However wedding planners should also be aware that building sustainable practices might take an initial investment of both time and money. Sarah recounts the transitional period at Gather, "It required a significant investment in training our staff to prioritise green practices—such as biodegradable materials, sourcing locally to reduce transportation emissions, and ensuring efficient energy use at our venues—without compromising on the quality of our services."
A financial commitment might not always be possible, and that is okay. Gwenda assures, "I am all too aware of the fine balance that needs to be drawn between one’s budget and one’s conscience." But she can also speak from experience when she says that a lot of the sustainable swaps mentioned should have minimal cost implications. In fact, some will likely save you money in the long run—bonus!
Building a truly sustainable wedding business requires long-term commitment and continual revisions, but every wedding planner can implement small changes to their process that together will make a huge difference to the environmental impact of the wedding industry. Take this as your sign to work towards a more sustainable future for your wedding business, You can start small, the most important thing is just to start. Because, as JoAnn encouragingly rallies, "We can do better."
