You may be thinking that getting married abroad means that you can’t have an ethical or “green” wedding, but you’d be surprised at the amount of things you can do to minimise your affect on the environment, even if you do choose to marry abroad!

Being environmentally responsible doesn't have to mean you can't have the wedding of your dreams, you may just have to change the way you arrange your ceremony or alter the suppliers you use.

As well as reducing your carbon footprint, many of the suggestions below will reduce your costs as well, therefore benefitting both you and the planet!

• Buy an ethical (non conflict) diamond if you can
• Buy a vintage ring or use a family heirloom if you have one
• Buy recycled jewellery or take a look on ebay!

• Send e-invites – either design your own or use one from an e-invite website

• Use recycled paper and make your own cards

• Set up a wedding website which your guests can access to reply to your invitation, keep up to date with progress, register for your gift list, get directions to your wedding and much more!

• Give to charity instead of receiving gifts
• Plant a tree/buy a goat – use an alternative gift list to fun projects in the developing world
• Don’t register for gifts you don’t need
• Offset your wedding’s carbon footprint through your wedding list (your guests can contribute to offsetting the wedding)

• Buy your wedding dress from a charity (and then donate it back again when you’re married). There are plenty of charities which offer a wide choice of wedding dress these days

• Make your dress yourself, or have it made by a design student/your mum/someone you know

• Adapt/wear a dress you already own

• Buy a non wedding dress from the high street

• Borrow a dress (something borrowed, something blue etc.)

• Copy the groom and hire a dress

   

• Exchange your vows in the same place you hold your reception (if you are having a reception abroad)

• Travel by train – make a holiday out of getting to the destination as well as afterwards

• Suggest to your guests that they all hire a minibus and share the costs of getting to your wedding. Turn it into a roadtrip!

• Offset your carbon footprint regardless of the way you travel to your wedding destination

• Stay in local hotels not chain ones so you contribute to the local economy

• If you feel sociable, hire a villa and share it with your guests (have a houseparty!)

• Source local food for your reception whether you have it abroad or when you get home (or both)

• Buy local drink

• Have a fair trade wedding cake or ask a friend to make the cake

• For your ceremony abroad take silk or dried flowers

• Use a local florist who uses local flowers

• Pick some flowers from the side of the road

• Ask your friends and family to do the flower arrangements

• Only order digital prints, not an album, and only print out what you need

• Put pictures online so guests can download the ones they want

• Volunteer on a project

• Fundraise for a charity by joining a trek/cycle programme

• Relax in an eco resort/lodge