Although electronic wedding invitations were reported to have been sent to world leaders and royal families earlier in the year, it seems that Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding was not as eco-friendly as what was previously thought. Not all the modern wedding invitations were sent electronically as residents of Kate’s home town were only too happy to pose with their paper invitations for television crews.
The royal couple may be settling in to life as a happily married couple, however a report on Wales Online suggests that more couples could learn from the royal wedding and pick up tips on how to create a more environmentally friendly day.
William and Kate may have only sent electronic wedding invitations to a select number of guests, but the article suggests that more people should do this to keep postage costs and pollution levels involved in delivering the cards down. By sending out the cards over the internet, guests can then be encouraged to respond via email- keeping their costs down too. It will also help the couple get final guest numbers more quickly and efficiently.
The royal couple also asked guests such as the Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones and rugby player Gareth Thomas to plant trees and make donations to environmental charities such as Earthwatch rather than buying a wedding present. As a result, the Energy Saving Trust has said more couples could take inspiration from this and ask their guests to follow similar actions.
In the same way, couples could also ask their guests to wrap wedding presents in reusable cloth or recycled paper to keep energy emissions down. With guests such as the Beckhams flying from all parts of the world to attend the wedding, other couples could put on some kind of public transport or buses to collect their guests and take them to the wedding and reception venue.