Holding a handmade gift wrapped in brown paper and string and decorated with dried flowers

Are wedding favours still a thing?

There’s no compulsion to provide favours at all. More and more couples are opting to ditch them entirely, with some opting to donate to a charity instead.  However, if you’d like to offer favours, try to make them something that…

Are wedding favours still a thing?
Biodegradable invitation with biodegradable envelope and sustainable decorations

Biodegradable stationery

Nowadays, it’s easier than ever to find stationery that’s printed on recycled paper or uses alternative materials, such as vegetable inks. Seed paper is a biodegradable material that sprouts into flowers when planted in a pot of soil.  You could…

Biodegradable stationery
Outdoor setting set up for wedding ceremony with white chairs for guests creating an aisle

Choosing a more eco-friendly venue

Perhaps the easiest way to make your special occasion more eco-friendly is to choose your venue wisely, particularly giving consideration to the location. For example, minimising travel there and back, ensuring it is accessible by public transport, or putting on…

Choosing a more eco-friendly venue
Outdoor barn style venue decorated with reclaimed barrels and lights

DIY decor

No matter how beautiful your venue is, you might want to decorate it to set the backdrop for your ceremony and reception. The most commonly used elements (besides flowers) are signs, centrepieces, mirrors, picture frames, and candles. Some venues might…

DIY decor
Fresh local produce including potatoes and tomatoes in a brown recyclable paper bag

Fair food and drink

Ask your venue or your outside catering company to consider seasonal, local, organic and fairtrade ingredients. Also source any wine, beer and other drinks from suppliers that are as local to your venue as possible. The more local, the smaller…

Fair food and drink
Colourful wild flowers

How to buy sustainable flowers

Commercial flowers are less sustainable than you might first think. They are often airlifted in from around the world, contributing to air pollution, and vast amounts of pesticides are used in their cultivation. So why not consider getting back to…

How to buy sustainable flowers
Eco-friendly symbols

Sustainable ceremonies

Thinking about how you can make your ceremony and celebration more sustainable and eco-friendly?  As humanists, we believe that we have just this one life. We have a responsibility not only to our fellow human beings but also to other…

Sustainable ceremonies
A digital camera capturing a wedding couple

Sustainable photography

Most photographers nowadays use digital technology to capture your special day, so you will avoid the damaging chemicals used in the development of conventional photographs. Ask yourself whether you need all or any of your photographs in a physical album….

Sustainable photography
Two brides standing outside in a field surrounded by flowers and laughing

Wedding outfits – buy, hire or reuse

You could of course wear something you already have in your wardrobe. Or you could wear a family heirloom, borrow something or rework a vintage creation. There’s also a wide choice of men’s and women’s formal wear hire shops which…

Wedding outfits – buy, hire or reuse
A wooden chest with numerous drawers and a selection of jewellery spilling out

Wedding rings and other jewellery

When it comes to wedding jewellery, could you use something old? or borrowed? – a family heirloom perhaps, or a second hand piece from an antique or second hand shop? Nowadays they call it ‘retro’ or ‘vintage’. You could get…

Wedding rings and other jewellery