Tips to creating an eco friendly wedding
Ok, I know, nowadays you hear the phrase 'eco-friendly' and it can make you run a mile as you expect to be guilt tripped into never eating meat again or ever stepping foot on a plane. Don't worry, there'll be none of that here, just a few friendly ideas to help make your wedding a day a little more sustainable and a little less wasteful.
1) Flowers - we all love flowers and foliage at a wedding, just try and put a bit of thought into it rather than asking a florist to recreate something you have seen on pinterest. Make sure that you use a florist or flower farmer who specialises in british grown flowers. What will be in season when you are getting married? Can you use large amounts of foliage or wildflowers to bulk out the displays. Could you use foliage and herbs as decorations in place of other more artificial props? And what will you do with the flowers afterwards? It breaks my heart seeing all those beautiful displays at a wedding knowing that other than the bouquets, they will most likely be thrown in the bin the following morning. Is there anywhere local that you could pass the flowers onto or could you ask members of your wedding party and family to take some home with them at the end of the night to brighten up their living room for a few days?
2) Confetti - its easy to buy biodegradable confetti now and dried rose petals. Have you ever thought of using bird seed instead so the birds get a nice feed afterwards? And it will still create lovely photos
3) Food - think local and no waste. Which suppliers are not only local to the venue but also use food sourced locally? Many venues are out in the countryside surrounded by farms so can you use food supplied by them? And think about what sort of food you can provide that will mean that fewer people waste and don't eat it. Bbq's,tapas and afternoon tea always go down well and provide enough variety that there is bound to be something there that people like rather than giving them food already served on a plate that they may not like.
4) Stationary
Use natural products where possible if you are making your own - hessian, twine, recycled kraft paper etc. You can buy a lot of these products from The green stationary company www.greenstat.co.uk
If you want to use a company to make them for you there are some great green stationary companies that you can use including www.wildflower-favours.co.uk/
You can also get plantable seed paper from here: www.platableseedpaper.co.uk
5) The Dress
Controversial I know, as the wedding dress is one of the biggest spends of your day. Don't worry, I'm not saying you have to go and buy a second hand dress from Oxfam. But, before you head straight out to that beautiful boutique in the Cotswolds just have a little think about any companies or designers that you can use with an ethical background. My favourite is Minna - www.minna.co.uk I LOVE this designer. Her work is described as eco-luxe - each piece is hand embellished and made from sustainable, organic, recycled and locally produced textiles. She uses environmentally friendly production techniques including local manufacturing and zero waste pattern cutting techniques are used for every garment. Oh and did I mention that her dresses are divine
