Mrs2Be

Top Tips for a more Environmentally Friendly Wedding

 

1. Purchasing Diamond Jewellery

Ask your jewellery retailer for their Kimberley Process Certificate. This is a process launched in 2003 designed to certify that the origin of rough diamonds are from sources free from conflict in a bid to prevent rebel groups from using diamond sales to finance their war aims.

2. Purchasing Wedding Bands

Fair trade is very important within the gold industry as it is full of extremely poorly paid workers. Try to source your wedding bands from an ethical jewellery company such as Cred Jewellery www.credjewellery.com . This company says it knows where the gold for any given ring has come from and how it was mined.

3. The Dress

Track down a wedding dress designer who will make you a dress from organic and fair trade fabrics. Once such designer based in London is www.wholly-jo.co.uk . Alternatively contact someone like ShelaghM and ask them to produce your dream wedding dress from sustainable fabric which has been fairly traded. (see www.shelagm.co.uk for examples of her work).

Or purchase a second-hand wedding dress from somewhere like Oxfam who have dedicated wedding dress outlets or for a vintage look try www.vintagedress.co.uk.

4. Wedding Invitations

In this digital age, why not save paper and email your invites instead. We appreciate that this is not always possible as old Aunt Edna may not be terribly techno-savvy but it would certainly cut down greatly on the amount of paper. Try http://www.sendomatic.com/ or if you are able to do a little more yourself www.constantcontact.com . Where an invitation is essential be sure to use one made from recycled paper. See http://www.thenaturalweddingcompany.co.uk/stationery.htm for a list of companies able to offer such a service. And don't forget to use your Mrs2Be Online RSVP tool to cut out any unnecessary paper RSVPs too.

5. Food & Drink

Wherever possible ask your caterers to use Fair Trade food and drink products. You can even get organic fairtrade Champagne these days! Check out your local Co-op for a good source of fairtrade champagnes and wines or go to a specialist provider such as www.organic-champagne.co.uk .

6.   The Cake

There are many friends and relatives who would love to be involved in your big day and if one of them is a budding Nigella Lawson - pounce on them now and get them baking your Wedding Cake from fairtrade ingredients. If no such Nigella-type relative or friend exists in your life, then try asking your preferred baker to use fairtrade ingredients.

7. The flowers

Look for fairtrade flowers that are either from the UK or have been imported by sea or by land and that are in season. Your local florists may be able to provide such flowers, or you may need to look further a field for a company such. Try http://www.greenunion.co.uk/weddings/8070florists_flowers/index.html for a list of companies.

8. Arrive in Style

Have a bit of fun with your mode of transport to your wedding venue. Rather than chose a gas guzzling car opt instead for a romantic and enivornmentally friendly horse & carriage, or a Tuk-Tuk (see www.tukshop.biz )

9. The favours

This should not be too difficult as there are many wedding favours that are specifically for the evironmentally conscious bride and groom. Such as wedding tree favours seen here: www.wedding-tree-favours.com or wild seed plantable wedding favours (see www.englishplants.co.uk/wedding.html ).

10. Confetti

Again, have some fun with your confetti. Opt for real biodegradable organically farmed petals such as that at www.confettidirect.co.uk this company have a number of different types of real petal confetti including lavendar. Or - how about going back in time and using rice! Fair trade of course. Whatever you choose be sure to check with your wedding venue on their rules and regulations regarding the throwing of confetti .

Additional useful websites:

Good Gifts (www.goodgifts.org)

Oxfam Unwrapped (www.oxfamunwrapped.com)

Barnardos Alternative Gift List (www.barnardos.org.uk/shop/gift_list.htm)

Fairtrade (www.fairtrade.org.uk)

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