Delivering an environmentally-friendly wedding can be a bit tricky. But fear not, we will be featuring a series of blogs in the coming months that look at ways to love the earth while you celebrate your love for each other.
One of the things most associated with weddings are of course flowers, lots and lots of flowers! As many of you will already know, imported flowers have a huge environmental impact not just because they travel vast distances and generate hefty C02 emissions in the process but also because they are often grown in countries like Kenya where water scarcity is a real issue that affects the lives of millions. Each cultivated bloom can use up to 5 litres of water and in countries where water is scarce farmers often find themselves competing with the flower industry for water access, creating greater economic and food instability in already economically fragile countries.
It’s not all bad news though, there are a series of organisations and companies that are producing cut flowers in a responsible way, using drip water technology that greatly reduces the use of water per bloom as well as organic farming practices to counter heavy pesticide use and cooperative or fair trade principles to protect and support local workers. But these more responsibly produced blooms can be too expensive for a big event such as a wedding and can leave you wondering how to affordably and responsibly celebrate your big day. Help is at hand and we can suggest four great options that we have seen to fabulous effect this year at the Longhouse!
Grow your own!
Jasper & Lucy had an early April wedding and in order to keep the environmental impact low Lucy planted dozens of tulip bulbs in pots. These colourful displays were placed around the Longhouse to bring a dash of colour to their big day and looked fresh and beautiful throughout the weekend.
Use local wild flowers
Andy & Catherine live locally and decided to use freshly cut cow parsley which was growing in abundance on their family’s farmland. These simple white flowers were cut by the bucket load and placed in jar vases for a rustic yet elegant look.
Buy local from British growers
There are a growing number of florists that work with British grown blooms and we are lucky to have some great suppliers in our area such as Common Farm Flowers and from slightly further afield, Floribunda Rose. Both florists not only arrange beautiful bouquets, they also grow their own supply of flowers so the mileage for these bouquets and arrangements really are minimal!
Knit your own with left over yarn from charity shops
Jane, one of our brides, recently decided to dispense with grown flowers altogether and with the help of her friends and family knitted and crotched all of her wedding arrangements. Leftover yarn from the bottom of craft baskets and charity shops was used up and given a new lease of life in this quirky take on an old tradition.
Planning a wedding can feel overwhelming especially if you are concerned about incorporating your ethics and values into your big day. However, at the Longhouse we have seen time and again that it is possible to be conscientious and stylish on any budget and we are forever inspired and amazed by the creativity, ingenuity and fun that our couples bring to their wedding days with us.