Today we are very proud to be sharing lots of insights from our fabulous Irish businesses on their sustainability practices and how they run their businesses with eco credentials.
Weddings are known to be wasteful events but over the past few years we’ve watched as eco-conscious couples are eager to make their wedding day greener and less wasteful – if looking after the planet is close to your heart, you’re in the right place!
7th Raven Cocktails
In 2021 we joined up with Bord Bia’s Sustainability Programme. The overall objective of the Programme is to make sustainability central to how Irish Companies operate & integrate within their environment.
Two main areas where significant improvements in our usage of electricity and water were identified. Both concerned the production of our espresso martini. Our production philosophy is to maximise the amount of natural, local and in-house ingredients we can use in our cocktail formulations.
In the case of espresso martini, the coffee is roasted fresh onsite. After roasting, our original process included a hot brew extraction process (similar to drip coffee). The hot brew process requires energy to heat the water to around 85C to brew the coffee. Once brewed, we would then use a plate chiller to reduce the temperature of the brew down to around 12C.
Once cooled, the coffee is mixed with the other ingredients which make up our espresso martini. A nitrogen blend gas is slowly infused into the espresso martini over a few days making for a silky smooth, full-bodied espresso martini with a creamy golden head.
This process uses a considerable amount of energy to firstly heat the water for the brewing. It also requires plenty of water to run through the plates that chill the coffee. There is an alternative process which can be used which is known as a cold brew process. With this process no energy is required to heat the water nor is water required to reduce the coffee temperature before infusion.
The Bord Biá Sustainability Programme gave us the drive and focus to look at scaling the cold brew process into meeting our production process requirements.
View 7th Raven Cocktails Profile
Bebono Weddings Provence & Europe
View Bebono Weddings Provence & Europe Profile
AnamcharaCords
At AnamcharaCords, our handfasting cords are thoughtfully handcrafted using sustainable, organic cotton. Each cord is made with care for the earth and respect for nature, ensuring that your special day is both meaningful and environmentally friendly. Celebrate your love with a commitment to a greener future.
Andrew Goti Caricatures
I’d like to talk about veganism as the most sustainable lifestyle choice any individual or business can make to help our shared environment. I’ve been vegan for over 10 years myself now and use my art to help advocate for animal rights and I’m passionate about using my caricature skills to add a personal touch to weddings! You can view my vegan album here.
For more information and advice on hosting a vegan wedding check out this piece, Vegan Wedding Ideas Even Non-Vegans Will Love, which Andrew kindly shared his experiences of.
View Andrew Goti Caricatures Profile
Instanza
“I am all about being sustainable, and as a small business, I do my bit to keep our lovely planet as green as we can.
As part of my commitment to sustainability, I deliver all of my wedding speeches by email, and I encourage my clients to only print out what’s necessary for the big day. Not only does this reduce waste, but it also guarantees an eco-friendly experience, while having those meaningful words in your hand when it matters most…. After all, your speech is meant to last in your memories, not on paper!
The Instaframes that I create, are perfect for capturing and preserving your most cherished engagement and wedding memories. I have chosen to use high quality frames and materials, which eliminates the need for regular replacement. The Instaframes are sturdy, reliable, and designed to last.
My preferred suppliers are like a marriage made in heaven as far as shipping is concerned. I have chosen a provider who only uses electric vehicles, as their goal is to achieve net zero carbon emissions. I can confidently say, that my Instaframes are being delivered sustainably. I only use packaging, that uses 100% recyclable materials.
I am constantly working to improve on sustainability because like any strong marriage, it’s all about growth, care and commitment!”
Image: Silke Loves Light
Lena Freitag Weddings
At Lena Freitag Weddings, we are committed to combining luxury and sustainability in wedding planning. While planning high-end weddings often seems at odds with eco-friendly practices, we’ve integrated several initiatives to reduce our environmental impact without compromising on style and quality. Here are some of our key sustainable practices:
1. Virtual Client and Vendor Meetings: To reduce unnecessary travel, we prioritize video calls with clients and vendors. This allows us to minimize the carbon footprint associated with transportation while ensuring smooth communication.
2. Remote Work Practices: Our team operates remotely, which eliminates the environmental impact of daily commutes. This allows us to work efficiently from anywhere, while still offering personalized, high-touch services to our clients.
3. Paperless Processes: We’ve adopted a nearly paperless operation, managing contracts, invoices, client files, and accounting digitally. By reducing paper waste, we streamline our workflow and contribute to a more sustainable future.
4. Online Venue Inspections: We offer virtual venue tours via 360° walkthroughs or live video calls, enabling us and our clients to evaluate venues without the need for multiple site visits, reducing travel-related emissions.
Image: Silke Loves Light
5. Consolidated Travel for Destination Weddings: When travel is necessary for destination weddings, we consolidate trips by combining venue tours, tastings, and final walkthroughs into a single visit. This significantly reduces the number of flights and overall travel emissions.
6. Carbon Offset for Travel: In cases where international travel is unavoidable, we partner with carbon offset programs to compensate for the CO2 emissions produced during travel. This helps to reduce the environmental impact of our destination weddings.
7. Promoting Digital Invitations and Stationery: We encourage our clients to opt for digital save-the-dates, invitations, and thank-you cards.
At Lena Freitag Weddings, sustainability is a core value. We believe every detail of a wedding can be crafted with consideration for the environment, while still creating a luxurious and unique experience for our clients.
View Lena Freitag Weddings Profile
Caricatures by Niall O Loughlin
All my drawings are done recycled paper, I also offer digital caricatures which are completely eco friendly.
View Caricatures by Niall O Loughlin Profile
Now and Forever Wedding Stationery
At Now & Forever, our paper, card and envelopes are made from recycled materials or FSC certified (From responsibly managed forests). All are easily recyclable at home.
We are also underway with research into printing onto plantable seed paper to help turn old invitations into new plants.
We have started a range of digital wedding invitations & save the dates which will allow eco conscious couples to go paperless and invite guests via e-vites and apps. We also try and recycle as much of our packaging as possible so when we receive orders we try use as much of that packaging as we can to in turn package our products.
View Now and Forever Wedding Stationery Profile
SIÓG Botanicals
SIÓG Botanicals is a pressed flower art studio founded in 2021 by friends, Lorna Frawley and Joanna Brien-Sammons.
They specialise in flower pressing, preserving, design and framing. Their goal is to transform your wedding flowers into a piece of art you truly love and that you can cherish forever. Each piece of art once finished is professionally framed in a solid wood frame, that has been custom made in Ireland.
Sustainability is at the heart of their business. Materials used in SIÓG packaging are sustainably sourced and environmentally friendly. They minimise packaging to that which is absolutely necessary and ensure every material they purchase to package products is 1) made from recycled materials or 2) is biodegradable or suitable to be recycled again (card, paper-based). If bubble wrap is used as protection when shipping large frames, please note that this has been recycled from goods received inwards – we collect this, save it and re-use. We do not purchase single-use plastic for packaging purposes but will re-use that already in circulation.
The Wedding Illustrator
In a world increasingly dominated by modern technology, The Wedding Illustrator, artist Linda, offers a refreshing and sustainable alternative. Embracing a slower, more mindful approach to life and art, Linda creates hand-drawn, analog illustrations using traditional methods. Her beautiful, personalised artwork is crafted on high-quality recycled artist-grade paper, ensuring minimal environmental impact.
Each piece is then elegantly presented to guests in a fully recyclable presentation booklet, adding a meaningful and eco-friendly touch to your special day. With Linda, sustainability and timeless craftsmanship come together to create lasting memories.
View The Wedding Illustrator Profile
With Love and Dreams
At With Love and Dreams, sustainability is central to everything I do. My business focuses on preserving flowers and memories through resin art, turning what could be waste—such as wedding bouquets—into lasting, meaningful keepsakes. While some view resin as unsustainable, it’s an art form that, when used mindfully, can have minimal impact on the environment. That’s why I use an eco-friendly, non-toxic resin, allowing me to continue my craft in a way that respects the planet.
Resin art offers the opportunity to freeze a moment in time, creating something beautiful and permanent. Each piece I create preserves not only the physical elements of memory but also its emotional significance. By using eco-friendly materials, I am able to offer my clients a way to keep their special moments alive in a way that aligns with environmentally responsible values. I believe art and sustainability can coexist, and this philosophy drives my practice.
Beyond the materials I use, I ensure that my business’s packaging is equally sustainable. I’ve committed to using recycled and recyclable materials for shipping, ensuring that from the creation of the keepsake to its delivery, every step is as environmentally conscious as possible. Whether it’s preserving wedding flowers or crafting memorial jewellery, my goal is to make sustainability an integral part of With Love and Dreams—creating beautiful, lasting pieces while caring for the world around us.
View With Love and Dreams Profile
Sweet Petals Floristry
At Sweet Petals Floristry,we design wedding flowers that perfectly capture your unique style and vision. The service that we offer is not only in flower preservation, but wedding flowers, flower preservation and flowers for all occasions.
Recognizing that every wedding is one of a kind, we offer tailored pricing based on your specific needs to ensure a truly personalized experience. I am certified and qualified professional florist designer.
My fresh flowers are all from Irish local suppliers, I have been trained for almost two decades from worldwide professional florist designers, and worked for very successful company. My shop is based in Athy, Co.Kildare. We invite you to book a consultation with us.
Beyond your special day, we also offer a sophisticated flower preservation service, transforming your wedding flowers into a cherished keepsake to treasure for a lifetime.
View Sweet Petals Floristry Profile
