In this blog post series eco-friendly York based wedding photographer Alice Lodge will help you plan your awesome sustainable Yorkshire wedding.

For some more eco-friendly wedding planning advice, check out the blog on sustainable wedding flowers and eco-friendly wedding outfit choices.

First of all I want to give you full permission to guilt free planning! I think one reason why people shy away from thinking about the environment in the first place is that it can feel overwhelming. You feel you need to get everything right to make a difference. But here is the thing: Even if you just implement one of the things we will talk about, you will have already made a difference! In this blog post series I will cover all the big topics such as venues, flowers and clothes but also the small things such as wedding favours and stationary. Let’s do this!

How to choose an eco- friendly Yorkshrie wedding venue

1. Choose a location close to your guests

One of the biggest impacts on the environment when planning a wedding will be from travel. As a result one of the key factors is to take into account where the majority of guest come from. Choose a location close to them to avoid a big travel carbon footprint. Even if you don’t live round there. You get to stay in a lovely hotel overnight and your guests can sleep at home and save a penny. Furthermore you could include detailed information on public transport to and from the venue with every invitation to make the choice of “Should we take the car?” or “Who is driving?” an easy one.

2. Avoid travel in between venues or arrange a shuttle

Often you will have the choice of holding your ceremony and reception at the same place. This will reduce carbon emissions. As a result it saves people from getting lost or stuck in traffic on the way to your reception venue. If you are getting married in a church for example and then traveling on to the reception venue you could arrange for a shuttle bus to take everyone there. This would mean rather than twenty cars making their way across, one happy (maybe even electric) bus will bring your guests from venue to venue. Go with them! This can make for great pictures too!

3. Limit the number of guests

The more the merrier can be true, sadly this also means the more, the more waist. Modern humans by nature are not very eco-friendly, weird hey? 🙂 I know this is a tough one especially if you have big families but inviting less people can mean a really intimate more personal experience. I know of a lot of people where the guest list has exploded after they agreed on a small intimate wedding. Maybe your eco consciousness will help you to avoid that and bring it back to what it is all about. You and your loved one!

4. Use an existing venue

Finally, as romantic and wonderful it can feel to be in a field in the middle of nowhere for your wedding, this also means getting all that equipment there, set up and transported back. As a result a lot of waste and emissions are produced and furthermore wildlife can be disturbed. There is so many great venues out there already set up and ready to go with recycling facilities, water supply and electricity. Or why not support your local community garden or  wildlife conservation centre and spread the word about their amazing work through it? I have researched and found some brilliant venues within Yorkshire which make an extra effort to work as closely with our environment as possible:

For woodland wonders – Swinton Bivouac in the Yorkshire Dales

If you’ve ever dreamt of having your special day in the beauty of the great outdoors, and want something that is magical, memorable and creative, a woodland DIY wedding at Bivouac is for you. We have an experienced team who pull together a range of options to make each event unique and personalized, whilst remaining sensitive to the environment and celebrating the surroundings. You can find out more about this really eco conscious and dedicated venue here.

For marine live lovers – The Deep in Hull

The Deep is an international player in marine conservation, working on pioneering research schemes to protect the future of our oceans. Conservation is at the heart of everything they do, consequently without the support of their loyal customers, much of this vital work could not happen. Find out more about holding your wedding at The Deep here.

For Camping and outdoor magic – Camp Kátur in Bedale

Camp Kátur is the perfect alternative wedding venue that will give you and your guests an unforgettable experience in a magical setting. Set within the natural beauty of a 250 acre English Country Estate amidst woodland, greenland and meadowland you will find an all in one Glamping & Camping village with unique accommodation options and pop up venue hire options of your choice. Find more about it here.

It’s all about trees – The Great Yorkshire Forest at Dalby

Dalby is set in stunning woodland in the heart of the North York Moors and a wedding at Dalby means a unique and informal venue in the beautiful setting of The Great Yorkshire Forest. Make the most of the forest surroundings by holding your ceremony on our outside terrace overlooking the treeline. They also have a dedicated room inside with beautiful floor to ceiling views across the forest landscape. Find out more about weddings at Dalby here.

For wildlife treasurers – Yorkshire Wildlife park 

Yorkshire Wildlife Park is a unique location for a truly wild, but totally wonderful wedding day. Their mission is to create a dynamic, interactive experience and regional centre of excellence for the conservation of biodiversity globally and locally that is sustainable both for the environment and the business. To promote a wider understanding of the natural world and inspire generations to support and protect the world around them. Here you can find out more about planning your wedding day at the park.

Celebrate plant diversity – Yorkshire Arboretum

The Yorkshire Arboretum forms an island of relatively undisturbed habitat in a sea of intensively farmed agricultural land. As such it functions as a refuge for a wide diversity of wildlife, plants and other organisms that are no longer common in the countryside. The Yorkshire Arboretum offers a romantic and unique venue for your woodland wedding. If you dream of celebrating your wedding outdoors and close to nature our rustic and romantic Cruck House, sheltering beneath a massive English Oak, offers an intimate and unique woodland setting for your ceremony then find out more here.

And last but not least I want to hear from you!

Are you an eco-friendly, ethical, sustainable, green (or whatever you want to call it) wedding supplier? Please get in touch so I can feature you. I am ideally looking to have it Yorkshire based to avoid shipping, travelling etc. but I am happy to hear from you in any case to reflect shared thoughts and ideas and to learn from each other. Email me on info@alicelodgephotography.com or leave a comment below.

Eco friendly wedding photography? To find out more about my own eco-policy and background within my business please have a look here.

Alice x

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