One of the first decisions you will make is where your wedding will be held. It is important to try and find alternative means to get your guests to your wedding. You could encourage your guests to car pool or hire a bus that will transport a large quantity of guests at a time to your venue of choice. Remember that travel, whether by air or road, has a huge impact on the environment and so good transport planning is extremely important. If you have guests that are travelling by air, encourage them to offset their flights.
The venue should also be eco friendly and take your environmental concern seriously. At the end of this blog, I have included registered eco friendly venues in the different locations of Africa . Be aware, that these venues have undergone a stringent and painstaking process to ensure that they are legitimately eco friendly and not green washing their advertising or sales of their premises. Some of these organizations can also help you organize a low emission wedding. It is a good idea to hold your ceremony and your reception in one location. It helps with costs and the goal of your wedding, saving the environment. The other factors to consider in your assessment of venue choice, is size of the venue, power required to illuminate your wedding, power required to cook and the serving of drinks. If you are having an eco wedding, an outdoor location is always a good idea. Serve organic salads and vegetables with warm foods created by fire or gas. Lighting plays a major role in an evening wedding. Lots of candles create a romantic and beautiful effect and can really illuminate the area without causing too much damage to the environment. A wonderful new product called a sky lantern can be set free into the air above your guests and small flickering lights will float, weightlessly in the air above. They are bio degradable and are magnificent to behold.
· They recycled everything they can
· They use organic ingredients in their catered food
· They donate leftover food
· The venue is cleaned with environmentally friendly cleaning products
· Only real linens are used (no plastic tablecloths)
· The staff encourages couples to give guests edible or recyclable favors to minimize waste
· They use organic ingredients in their catered food
· They donate leftover food
· The venue is cleaned with environmentally friendly cleaning products
· Only real linens are used (no plastic tablecloths)
· The staff encourages couples to give guests edible or recyclable favors to minimize waste
· Plastic use is minimized as much as possible
· They serve food and drinks in glassware, which is reusable or bio degradable
· They use environmentally friendly light bulbs.
· Low-water irrigation systems are used
· They serve food and drinks in glassware, which is reusable or bio degradable
· They use environmentally friendly light bulbs.
· Low-water irrigation systems are used
Some Eco Friendly wedding venue sites in Africa
www.sa-venues.com/limpopo/weddings/belabela.php
www.saweddingvenues.com/beach-wedding-venues.aspx
www.stay-mozambique.co.za/nampula-accommodation-nuarro.php
blog.sa-venues.com/provinces/ecofriendly-accommodations/
www.randomharvestfarm.co.za (also supply seed gifts and can only provide accomdation.)
www.saweddingvenues.com
www.cape-winelands.co.za
Remembering that the outdoors is the best place to have your wedding, you can also contact your local botanical gardens or a picnic spot. Beach or Bush an outdoors wedding is in my opinion, beautiful. You will have to get a permit to have your wedding on the beach or in a botanical garden. If you have decided to have a bush wedding the venue itself will arrange your wedding.
If you have a large garden or a member of your family does, then have a garden wedding. These are personal and intimate and can be gorgeous. Think long tables with benches, borrow vases from friends and family and place seasonal, cut flowers into them. Hire a tent, with draping and led lights. Cover the tables with linen tablecloths and use lemons as name place holders. Keep everything simple and serve salads in large serving dishes, with fresh breads. You could also serve organic tapanade and other pates. Get a caterer to grill fish on the braai and serve. Organic champagne can be held in ice buckets on the tables. These are just a few suggestions, but remember an intimate garden wedding is stunning and it will leave you with enough money to enjoy an eco honeymoon somewhere special. Just remember to offset your flight.
Thanks for stopping by.
If you have a large garden or a member of your family does, then have a garden wedding. These are personal and intimate and can be gorgeous. Think long tables with benches, borrow vases from friends and family and place seasonal, cut flowers into them. Hire a tent, with draping and led lights. Cover the tables with linen tablecloths and use lemons as name place holders. Keep everything simple and serve salads in large serving dishes, with fresh breads. You could also serve organic tapanade and other pates. Get a caterer to grill fish on the braai and serve. Organic champagne can be held in ice buckets on the tables. These are just a few suggestions, but remember an intimate garden wedding is stunning and it will leave you with enough money to enjoy an eco honeymoon somewhere special. Just remember to offset your flight.
Thanks for stopping by.
Faye
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