What we love at We Do…
This month’s trend focus has to be eco-influenced. Environmentally-considered weddings are fast becoming one of the most popular themes for 2019. This does not mean you have to drop chic, or elegant, and become a naked bohemian flower child with wild hair, it just means that you are making earth-conscious choices when it comes to your wedding plans.
There are some quite literally brilliant ideas sweeping the wedding planning world when it comes to sustainably sourced materials, ethically-minded venues, and low impact products which will keep your carbon footprint in check. Here are a few of our favourite ways to go green at your wedding:
Confetti: gone are the days of sparkly colourful bits of plastic being thrown all over the place (please tell me this is true). However confetti is still part of a traditional wedding day. Throwing rice is not particularly bad for the environment at all however it just isn’t the most convenient item to have stuck in your hair and left all over any surface. Natural confetti is becoming standard, utilising materials from mother nature herself such as leaves, herbs, petals, flower buds, recycled paper pieces, lavender buds, feathers, bubbles, and even bird seed are among the latest confetti trends. 
Lavender pockets by bridesmagazine.co.uk Olive leaf cups by easyweddings.com.
Paper Use: Weddings tend to incorporate a lot of paper waste; the wedding table stationery, invitations and save the dates, as well as the gifts and cards from those that attend on the day. If you do send out invites and save the dates, then make sure they are printed on recycled paper, or go tech-modern and paperless by sending the save the dates digitally; there are some really incredible sites that are affordable and have a huge range of styles to suit everyone. Paperlesspost or Greenenvelope area couple
Gift List: Keep your gift list as eco as possible by contemplating a little and being mindful as to what you really need in your life. Don’t add to the clutter just because you can; perhaps a contribution to the honeymoon rather than a second blender or set of bath towels?
The Rings: You may not have considered this one but there are some amazing ethically designed rings out there. Don’t add to the environmental price of diamond mining but instead opt for alternative stones, secondhand and vintage stones, or find a fair trade company when sourcing your rings. There are also companies that craft rings from alternative materials such as wood, such as these pictured here by emmalinebride.com
The dress:Yes these too can be ethically sourced; you can select fantastic vintage dresses or even go for the ‘worn-once’versions as many of my friends have and check out the plethora of online resources offering secondhand dresses.
There are other options such Covet and Girl Meets Dress who will lease you your dream dress, or at least cover the bridesmaids who generally don’t reuse their dresses, nor do they hold as special a connection as they do for the bride. Saves on expense and environmental costs too.
If you are finished with your dress, you can donate it to an organisation that will sell it secondhand, resell it on eBay or one of the pre-worn sites we mentioned earlier, and keep it in circulation not loitering in a cupboard feeling abandoned.
Rent it: If you rent as much as possible on your wedding day, it gets returned and reused. Simple as that. You are not creating masses of waste just for one day of splurging. Linen, silverware, lighting, the dress, the tux, the cufflinks, the cake, ok maybe not the cake, but plenty of the materials needed to make a wedding special can be hired for the occasion. Ask your wedding planner to help source the most ethically sound options.
Catering: Try to seek out a caterer that will adhere to your eco-theme and supply the guests with a eco-minded menu considering minimum waste, reliably sourced ingredients, etc. meat-free or as little as possible will reduce your contribution to C02 emissions and world waste.
DIY: Make some things yourself, or have come clever friends and family join in and get crafty. Dreamcatchers, bunting, signage, wedding favours, stationery, ceremony backdrops…. all can be sourced for minimum cost to you and the environment when you make them yourself. Think wild flower bunches in mason jars, sprigs of rosemary and lemons adorning the tables, greenery left right and centre making a beautiful statement and reflecting your enviro-efforts.
Place names by @mrstobe.club
Beautiful homemade dreamcatchers are easy to make, love this styling by rockmywedding.co.uk
NO plastic:Try to maintain a plastic free environment for the wedding, no straws, no plastic plates or cutlery, there are mountains of alternatives that won´t hurt the world, such as compostable knives and forks, and bamboo straws.
Green wedding set up by rockmywedding.co.uk
The flowers: Go for local wildflowers but be sure not to pillage an entire field as they’re there for everyone’s pleasure, we want them to grow back! Utilise indigenous greenery to add a natural and elegant touch to your decor. As a centrepiece eucalyptus or olive looks stunning, or a spruce which has a scent; lavender, rosemary, thyme, are all perfect aromas and look the part in cute pots
And one more little final request – PLEASE no balloon releases!!! They’re so harmful to the environment and to be honest there are far more beautiful and effective ways to make a venue look stunning
Lots of love for now,
Lots of love for now,
Tara – We Do Unique Weddings, Spain.
Photos courtesy of Agata Jensen from one of our weddings.
We do Unique Weddings are situated in Southern Spain, providing an all-encompassing, bespoke wedding planning service in Marbella, the Costa Del Sol, Tarifa and Andalucia. Services include providing the wedding venue, wedding styling, wedding dress and attire, wedding decoration, wedding catering, wedding ceremony, and any other necessities and preparation required for your special event.
We Do Unique Weddings 