Sustainability - we know that we all need to do our bit to help improve the environment.
Unfortunately, weddings create a lot of waste, so what can you do to help improve the eco-credentials on what is probably the most important day of your life?
Here are 5 areas for you to consider how to minimise the environmental impact of your wedding ceremony…
1. The Dress
The wedding dress is a big deal – it is the one thing that brides and their nearest and dearest get more than a little obsessed with – this is your BIG DAY after all. However, the eco-credentials for a wedding dress are dire – the typical fabrics used are resource consumption heavy – all for something that is worn for one day. So maybe consider one of these options…
Something old – buy a pre-loved gown – locally Evergreen Bridal Studio and the Health Connections Guernsey shops often have vintage and second-hand wedding and bridesmaids dresses available.
Something new – make your own, or have a dress made for you by a local designer like Sewphie, using eco-friendly fabrics such as Hemp, Organic Cotton/Linen/Silk or Bamboo or sustainably sourced material such as re-cycled synthetics. Best Sustainable & Eco-Friendly Wedding Dress Materials - Wayfaring Weddings
Something borrowed – hire a dress – the choice locally is limited, but there are UK websites such as Girl Meets Dress | Dress Hire | Rent a Dress UK that have some great options.
Something blue - pimp-up a high street dress – who says you have to wear white anyway? The beauty of doing this is that you can wear the dress over and over again afterwards, altering it (shorten it, add/remove sleeves, dye it) to ring the changes.
2. The Groom and Groomsmen’s Suits
Depending on the profession of the men in the wedding party, wearing a suit may be a busman’s holiday, or it may be the outfit that they then go on only to ever wear at future weddings and funerals for the next decade or more. Pay a little extra and choose a wool yarn suit that will last a little bit longer and be more eco-friendly, though you may find that most are then lined with synthetic materials which aren’t.
Either way, consider buying something that can be worn again in the future. If you want to buy sustainable suits, the availability is slim and expensive, but there are a few suppliers around such as Cock and Bull Menswear.
If you’re going for full-on top hat and tails, then suit hire really is the most ecological way to go. See Tux & Tails, Guernsey.
If the suit is going to be a bit ‘out there’ in terms of colour/pattern/design, try to buy something that will work is individual pieces – so the jacket can be worn with jeans, the waistcoat with other suits and the trousers with a plain jumper or shirt, to maximise the re-use.
“If you’re going for full-on top hat and tails, then suit hire really is the most ecological way to go.”
3. The Rings
The least you should ensure is that your wedding jewellery is made from ethically and sustainably sourced materials – nobody really wants to own a ‘blood diamond’, do they?
To keep up your ethical credentials ensure that any new jewellery that you purchase is Fairtrade. Ask at the jewellers whether the materials are ethically sourced.
Alternatively, buy pre-loved vintage pieces from the many local antique shops that stock genuine jewels.
Or, if you have been fortunate to inherit family heirloom items, we are lucky to have several extremely talented local jewellers who can work with you to re-design these into unique, bespoke, modern pieces fit for a 21st century couple.
4. Flowers
Undoubtedly fresh flowers are beautiful to behold, but did you know that many are flown halfway around the world, which isn’t great for the carbon footprint of your big day. So, if you’re going to have fresh flowers, ask your florist to only use locally grown. These days there are several alternatives to cut flowers:
Potted plants – great as they can double-up as wedding favours for your green-fingered guests. Succulents and cacti are very popular but equally lavender, rosemary and rose bushes could line your aisle and decorate your reception perfectly and will happily live on long after your wedding day. 61 Cutest Potted Plants Ideas For Your Wedding | HappyWedd.com
Climbing flowers - plants to decorate arches which as a bonus can be taken home and plant them in your garden as a permanent reminder of your wedding. There’s no better source for these locally than Guernsey Clematis
Hire plants – larger shrubs and topiary look amazing in a more formal setting. Plant Hire - Guernsey Gardens
Silk flowers – forget the dusty old things your granny used to have in the hallway, silk flowers these days look fantastic and indistinguishable from the real thing. Ideal for any hay fever sufferers and they score highly for sustainability as they can be re-used over and over, plus you don’t have to consider the air miles or seasonality if you want to have exotic blooms Silken Garden
Paper flowers – nothing like the ones you’ll see on the floats at the Battle of Flowers! Truly stunning creations and a plethora of choice, these will surprise and amaze your guests for the level of detail and realism. Available locally from Cherise Occasions
Dried flowers – fantastic for an autumn/winter wedding, dried flowers give an ethereal, stunning visual effect. Local florists such as Tiger Lily Guernsey source much of their materials locally, keeping that carbon footprint low.
5. Confetti
If you want traditional, it’s only right that to be nature-friendly most local venues now insist on natural petal confetti being used in their grounds, and you should really do the same if you are having a ceremony at home in the garden. Whitedove stocks natural petal confetti in a variety of colours.
However, if you are having your ceremony in other venues or on public land where even natural petal confetti is not allowed, there are other options you could consider:
Paper planes – buy some complementarily coloured A5 paper and get the boys to make these over a few beers! But don’t forget that after they’ve been thrown, they will all need to be picked up again.
Ribbon wands – make them yourself, maybe with the help of your bridesmaids – make narrow strips of ribbon or flags from old clothes that aren’t fit for donating to charity in complementary wedding colours, tying them to chopsticks. Alternatively, you could use strips of coloured paper or lace. Attach a little bell to the stick as well, for added sound effects.
Bird seed – the bits that don’t get stuck down your dress will get eaten up by the birds afterwards. Please check that this choice is OK with the land-owner
Feathers – collect feathers in the garden or park while you’re on walks, over the months prior – or use the filling from an old feather pillow and use those, though you may first want to consider the sensibilities of any vegans in attendance, or the possibility of someone having an allergic reaction!
Dried or fresh leaves – pick up autumn leaves, dry them and store them for your summer wedding. Or gather up small strips of hedge or herb cuttings nearer to the wedding day. Rosemary, lavender, mint or olive have the added bonus of being fragrant. You could also use a hole-punch on larger leaves to get smaller confetti-like pieces, though that might take a long time and you may get RSI! Please check that this choice is OK with the land-owner - if animals are likely to graze in the area afterwards you may not be able to do this as some plant leaves may be poisonous to the animals.
Bubbles – loved by adults and children alike, bubbles provide great photo opportunities at the end of a ceremony trough to the reception. Kits are available Dr Zigs Wedding Bubble Kit
Bells – little hand-held bells – which can also double-up as a keepsake for your guests.
For more information and ideas see 15 Beautiful Sustainable Wedding Dresses for 2020 (hitched.co.uk), Indiebride London, The best places to rent designer wedding dresses online | Marie Claire, Sustainable and Ethical Making in the UK Jewellery and Silversmithing Industry - The Goldsmiths' Centre (goldsmiths-centre.org),