Environmentally Conscious Weddings: Sustainable Wedding Alliance

We've teamed up with the Sustainable Wedding Alliance (SWA) to find out how many couples consider sustainability when planning their wedding. Read this article by the SWA to learn about what they do, and complete a short survey to help us gain accurate info about sustainable wedding planning.

The Sustainable Wedding Alliance was formed in 2020, with an aim to help environmentally conscious couples understand what they can do to make sure their wedding is memorable, without leaving a lasting impact on the planet. There is an increasing demand from couples looking for sustainable wedding venues and suppliers in the UK, and that demand is only set to rise further as more couples become aware of the environmental impact their wedding can have.

Couple statistics

In 2021 as part of the SWA couple survey, 95% of couples said that sustainability was a factor when planning their wedding, with 66% saying it was important or very important.

These figures, alongside our experience of working with couples, means that we know that you wish you had a greater choice when it comes to sustainable, and ethical, venues and suppliers. As responsible business owners, the members of the Sustainable Wedding Alliance are focussed on making both their business and the weddings they are part of, more sustainable.

What is the environmental impact of a wedding and how can you reduce it?

Did you know that the average carbon footprint of a wedding in the UK is 14,500 kgCO2eq (or 14.5 tons CO2e), at least half of which could be reduced by making sensible, considered choices?

Part of our mission is to help couples understand the sustainable swaps they can make and how much of an impact they can have. We’re in the process of creating the Ultimate Guide to Sustainable Weddings, and a sustainable swap calculator, both of which we hope to be available later this year. In the meantime, you can check out some of the articles in our conscious couples planning blog. 

How do I know if a venue or supplier is working sustainably? 

Asking a company for their sustainability policy is a really good start. If they have one in place it will tell you what they are doing, and when they’ll do it by. But if they don’t have one or aren’t able to tell you what their plans are, then it’s likely that they aren’t working sustainably, and don’t have plans to either. 

All the members of the SWA are committed to making your wedding as environmentally friendly as it can be. They all adhere to our strict code of conduct and are assessed annually on their sustainable practices. 

We have also developed the Sustainable Wedding Alliance Accreditation, which is an independently verified assessment of a business, where we look at what they do and how they do it in detail, to ensure they are working as sustainably as they can be. By choosing an accredited member of the Sustainable Wedding Alliance, couples can be confident that they are working with an environmentally conscious company.

If you’d like to find out more about how the Sustainable Wedding Alliance can help you, please feel free to contact us at: hello@sustainableweddingalliance.com