English Wedding Ideas

that are kind on the purse

Green, Ehtical, Eco – these words are on the tip of many tongues at the moment and something that might be in the back of your mind when organising your special day. You don’t have to be a full on tree hugger to incorporate some of these stylish and chic ‘recycled’ ideas into your wedding – whether its using recycled invites, second hand dresses, getting people to RSVP by email or choosing local and organic suppliers there are many small changes that can be made (which I guarantee will be kinder on the purse too)

Flowers and Foliage
A good idea for flowers is to use flowers that are  in season and are grown and sourced locally (maybe even in your or your neighbours back garden) – I got my dad to cut down holly and Ivy for our Christmas wedding from the fields nearby and not only did it save a lot of money, but it was local and seasonal foliage.  My mum and my bridesmaids made all our bouquets on the morning of the wedding – which kept us occupied, was great fun and a bit of bonding for us all in the run up to that special time .  Make sure you use the bouquets afterwards on the tables, or place them somewhere they can be enjoyed by everyone.  The 2 large arrangements in the church were then taken (by friends) to the evening venue – it seemed ridiculous to waste the amazing flowers.  We decided against flowers on the tables too – the venue looked fantastic with fairy lights and candelabra it would have just been overdoing it. I’ll be talking a lot more about flowers, foliage and decor later on – one of my best mates is a whizz in that dept and she has many fab ideas and top tips that I’ll be sharing.

Invites and Stationery
I think its nice to send out invites as people like to receive them and I most certainly wanted a reminder of my special day, but get people to RSVP via email, its so much easier to keep track of (and great to send reminder emails etc) and saves on postage too.  There are lots of companies out there that do recycled invites if that is what you are looking for and I suggest that you check out the directory at The Natural Wedding Company (its a great site actually with a good directory offering ethical and organic suppliers – what a great idea!). Its easy and fun to make your own name places, wedding services and invites and I’ll be sharing mine (and other brides top tips on this too)

Dress and Accessories
I definitely wanted a new dress for my wedding day, one that was specially made and fitted to me. This had to be one of the best bits of planning the wedding. However there are lots of designers and dress makers out there that use organic fabrics and run their companies in an ethical manner check out some of the alternative designers. Its also a great idea to check out charity shops, Ebay and specialist online suppliers for second hand wedding dresses and accessories, or even better borrow from friends and family, you know where its come from and it probably means a bit more. I will certainly be loaning out my tiara, jewellery, shrug and ideas to my friends.