Zero Waste Eco Wedding

When Rich and I decided to make good on our engagement and tie the knot, we knew it absolutely must be a day that reflected our most authentic selves. We have a shared passion for the environment and it only seemed right to start our marriage on a day of planet friendly celebration.

Over the course of a year, we went through each part of a traditional British wedding, as well as modern elements, and systematically chose if and how to include each element while maintaining our goal. Hopefully in the future, more wedding venues will be offering green weddings, but for us we couldn’t go for a venue with a built in plan. Instead we opted for a ‘blank canvas’ bio-organic farm with camping available. We worked very carefully with the farm to iron out all the recycling stations and composting that could be used on the land, as well as reusing and recycling as much as we could. On our first visit I spotted an old bath; the farm saved it for us for ten months before the day when we filled it with cans of vegan sparkling wine from The Uncommon.

Ultimately we had the perfect blend of down to earth (literally!) and elevated elements. Glamorous notes include treating bridesmaids, grooms maids and celebrant (our dear friend) to make-up by our vegan make-up artist in the morning, glorious wheels of cashew cheese made in Borough Market for our wedding breakfast, and organic seasonal locally grown flowers for bouquets and buttonholes. We also served homemade hand picked sloe berry gin, replaced a guest book with squares of Ramie (a material similar to linen made from nettle fibres) that will later be quilted, and gave each of the fourteen children their own bubble wand I made from sticks and wire.

Far above all the things that featured throughout the day, are the people who came together to quite literally turn our dreams into a reality. Each of our vendors was carefully chosen based on shared values and vision. Our tipi provider (Wild at Heart Tipis) ultimately provided us with all of our rentals for our self catered picnic, lots of bell tents, and a newly renovated and completely plastic-free horsebox bar. Our photographer (David Rucker Photography) instantly understood the brief and supported us so completely, swapping eco-warrior stories along the way. Everyone needs David at their wedding. And last but most certainly not least, Sanyukta Shrestha designed and created my wedding outfit (separates to be reworn for years to come) out of recycled fibres and hand spun bamboo. Sanyukta embodies ethical business and we were incredibly privileged to have her and her daughter join us on our wedding day.

Having a zero waste wedding was a lot more work than it could have been without such a stringent specification, but the entire process was truly so heartening. I got to know so many people who are working tirelessly to do the right thing, and we have been inspired by all of them. Now, looking back, we are utterly delighted at how incredibly we feel the day represented our very best selves, and how perfectly it set us off on our path as a married couple.

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