How to offset a wedding
A typical wedding generates 10–20 tonnes of CO₂e from travel, catering, and venue energy.
What drives the footprint
A wedding brings people together — and that travel is usually its biggest source of emissions. A typical 80-guest wedding generates 10–20 tonnes of CO₂e once you add guest travel, catering, the venue and accommodation.
Offsetting the day is a meaningful way to start a marriage, and a retired-credit certificate makes a memorable registry gift that guests can contribute to.
Three steps, start to certificate.
80 guests, one venue, mixed travel: about 14 tCO₂e. Use our calculator for your exact number.
We recommend Forest protection at $20/tonne for this use case — Verra VCS.
We buy the credits at wholesale, retire them on the public registry on your behalf, and email you a verifiable certificate.
Cut what you can before you offset.
Offsetting is for the emissions you can’t yet eliminate. A few practical ways to lower this footprint at source:
- →Choose a venue central to most of your guests to cut travel.
- →Offer a plant-forward menu with seasonal, local food.
- →Encourage car-sharing and group accommodation.
Can we add offsetting as a registry gift?
Yes — gift offsets are a popular, meaningful alternative to a traditional gift list.
How do we estimate our wedding’s footprint?
Add up guest travel (the biggest item), catering, venue energy and accommodation — our event guide and calculator give a directional figure.
Can the certificate show our names?
Yes — choose registry-named retirement to put the couple’s names on the public registry record.