It’s not up to you to solve the climate crisis single-handedly, but making eco-conscious choices with your wedding can make all the difference.
So, you want to have an eco-friendly wedding? How about plastic-free too? Carbon neutral is a must, surely? Or better still, why not simply have a wedding that’s carbon-negative, plastic-free, produce so local you grew it yourself, outfits made of the contents of your recycling bin, flowers fresh from the graves of newly dead people and a venue you built with your bare hands from timber rescued from trees that died peacefully in their sleep?
Why not, in-friggin-deed.
I get it, you care about our planet. You care so deeply, so why would you ever throw a wedding that wasn’t simply a perfect reflection of an eco-conscious sustainability orgy that Greta Thunberg would sail across the seven seas (or part thereof) to attend?
For reasons, that’s why. And those reasons are:
1. It’s too much pressure
2. It’s not achievable
3. Fixing the climate crisis isn’t actually up to you. There, I said it.
But let me first tell you a tale. A tale of two wonderful people/clients who came to me to design and furnish their wedding. They wanted it to be a heartfelt reflection of them, including making it plastic and waste-free.
Awesome, I replied! I’m thrilled to do this with you. It’ll be our first totally waste-free wedding and I cannot wait.
One of the best things you can do to ensure your wedding is as sustainable as possible is to work with local small suppliers who model genuine sustainability in their own businesses.
More couples than EVER are showing how much they care about the planet by putting sustainability at the heart of their wedding planning. This is GREAT NEWS because if we all don’t take a long look at how we’ve been living and make some changes, we’ll allllll be effected.
It’s no wonder that a 2021 study from The University of Bath found that 75% of their respondents said they felt the ‘future was frightening’. It is scary to hear what the scientists are saying and think about how climate change will impact our lives if humanity can’t change the course it’s on.
It is daunting, but taking action is the number one way to counter any eco-anxiety you might be feeling and there are HUNDREDS of ways to make your wedding so super sustainable that you’ll have some serious bragging rights. This issue of the magazine is a great place to start collecting lots of ideas!
One of the key things you can do is support businesses that care about their workers and how they produce the products and services they sell. The key to finding suppliers with the right ethical credentials is to do your research and ask a LOT of questions. Where are my flowers grown? Where is my dress material sourced from? How are the workers treated? Where’s my food grown? How is food waste dealt with?
It can feel overwhelming and sadly there’s a LOT of sustainability ‘greenwashing’ going on out in the world (meaning lots of right words being said with not enough action to back it up). However, here are four fabulous suppliers who have sustainability at the forefront of their businesses. Hopefully their stories will inspire you to find the right people local to you:
All relationships, even the happiest ones, experience conflict. Psychotherapist and relationship coachGloria Zhang says the goal should not be to eliminate it entirely (because that’s totally unrealistic!) but instead to work through any disagreements, niggles and stressful times together.
Do you know one of those blissfully happy couples who seem to have it all figured out? You probably roll your eyes at them. That perfect, fawning pair who have been together longer than the Internet has existed. They hold hands everywhere. Their Instagram feed is full of romantic getaways to countries you’ve never heard of. Sometimes you secretly wish they would adopt you.
“How nice,” you might think, “They probably never fight!”
Right? Wrong!
Surprisingly, therapists have discovered that people in happy marriages often never solve a lot of their issues!By default, that means the goal isn’t to eliminate all conflict entirely.
So, how do those ‘perfect’ couples (although you know no one’s relationship is actually perfect right?) deal with their problems? The answer is actually more philosophical than anything.
Happy couples accept that problems are just a fact of life. They focus on handling conflict in a productive way.
The good news is that you can also learn how to fight fair. By conquering your fear of conflict, you’ll have a happier marriage and actually grow stronger after an argument. In my opinion, that sounds way better than the slow, painful death of years of resentment.
But first… we need to talk about how NOT to fight.
After you pick your wedding date and location, one of the first things you’re going to want to do is put together a wedding website. Traditional paper invites are awesome (we’re huge fans of print at Rock n Roll Bride!) but having something online will make it SUPER easy for your guests to get all the vital info they might need before your big day.
In the whirlwind that is wedding planning, it is so easy to forget some really important things, but fret not, today we are here to help! Here are some vital, but often forgotten, pieces of information which we think you should definitely include.
Your ceremony arrival and start time
It’s a good idea to include a start time for your ceremony but also a recommended arrival time too. If your ceremony starts at 1pm, advise people to start arriving from 12:30 for example, to avoid any confusion or stragglers showing up at 1 on the dot!
If your reception is being held somewhere else, how to get between locations and how long the journey is
Everyone has Google Maps on their phones of course, but an idea how long and how easy the journey is between venues will certainly be appreciated by a lot of people. Also advise if there is public transport or they have to drive/ carpool.
Gift info… even if you’re not having a gift list!
It’s frightfully British to feel like a gift registry or asking for cash is very grabby. That’s not the case at all and actually, it makes your guests’ lives way easier if they know what to buy you. Most people will want to give you a gift so a suggestion that, if they’d like to, you’d love XYZ actually helps people out a lot!
Dress code… even if it’s come as you are
Figuring out what to wear to a wedding can be stressful for guests, so to make it easier on them, be specific but not demanding. Avoid telling people exactly what to wear but if you’re having a theme, or you have any guidelines, let them know!
For example, if you’re having a festival wedding and most of the day is being held outside, make them aware that they need to wear field-appropriate footwear and bring a jacket for the evening.
A weather check
While, of course, we can’t guarantee the weather, letting people know to pack things like sunscreen, insect repellent or an umbrella just in case will certainly be appreciated.
Accessibility
This one is easy to forget, especially if you don’t have to think of it for yourself, but it’s a super helpful thing to include for your guests. Add any details you have about ramps and wheelchair accessibility, accessible bathrooms and hearing loop information at your venue(s) can be added. Also, if you have any neurodivergent guests, include details about the measures you are putting in place for them too. Weddings can be a big stressor for Autistic people, for example, so this extra attention and thoughtfulness will be approached.
When it comes to choosing a colour palette for your wedding, we say more is more! Wanting to banish neutrals and snooze-worthy samey colour schemes from your day but not sure how? Well, read on colour lover because we got you…
If you type ‘wedding colour palette’ into Pinterest, your head will explode and you will die. Cause of death: Brain Overload of Blurgness (or BOOB). It’s all burgundy and navy and (*clutches pearls*) neutrals. Side note: ‘neutrals’ is not a colour and should thus be banished from colour palettes until the end of time, or even later. Be gone neutrals, we do not miss you, because you barely exist.
Beyond the blurgness, there’s a whole lotta copy and paste going on. Couples picking up a palette without question and rehashing it. Boring! It’s simply multiplying the blurgery. Plus, there’s nary a merry fuchsia, poppin’ lime green, incandescent fluro yellow or an eye gouging 70s orange to be seen. A modern-day Pin-tragedy (*lies on sofa for 11 hours to recover from serious case of BOOB*).
But do not fret, here’s how to create a kickass bright and bold colour palette that will cause zero BOOB deaths, is not a rehash of a rehash of a copy, and suits your rock ‘n’ roll wedding perfectly (*chef’s kiss*).
Get your wedding styling ball rollin’
Like starting an essay by writing an outline, mapping out your colour palette is the key to nailing your wedding styling, with max fun and min stress.
Start at the start. Go about your wedding planning pretending to not even know a single thing about colour schemes, combos or palettes. As you start to read wedding magazines (oh hello there, dear reader!), dabble in Pinterest and follow ace wedding blogs and vendors on Instagram and TikTok, make note of what attracts you. I betcha there’s a bit of a pattern in terms of colours and styles that have you positively jazzed.
Wedding vibe = your colours
When you think about the wedding you want, what vibes and feels does it give you? Raging party = neon hues. Wintery and romantic = deep, moody colours that feel warm and cosy. Relaxed garden wedding = pastels and all the greens. Desert elopement = a mix of dusty and stark colours.
There! You’ve snuck up on a colour scheme without it even realising! Use it to help you narrow your searches and decisions. For example, when thinking about a florist, which ones do kick arse work in colours (and styles) already aligned with yours?! Get in touch with them and don’t worry about anyone else. You don’t need to talk to every florist in your 500km radius, and thus you’ve made your life heappppppps easier (nor will you waste the time of eleventy billion florists, and they thank you for that in advance).
We’re experiencing unparalleled times; pandemics, wars, prices rises and increasing environmental issues. It’s easy to feel a bit gloomy, but – in the immortal words of D:Ream – things can only get better (she says, with fingers firmly crossed!)
Over the last few years, we’ve had time to rethink everything – including engagements and weddings – with couples having to postpone, or scale back plans, many are reassessing what’s really important. And with many wanting to make more sustainable choices, there’s a real shift away from some wedding traditions, which frankly, feel a little out-dated.
According to the Independent Newspaper, millennials are turning their backs on unethical and expensive gems – but it’s not just millennials. Spending a huge amount on a diamond engagement ring just isn’t a priority for so many couples these days with many putting their hard-earned cash into buying a home, a honeymoon-to-remember or the wedding itself instead.
Changing times
Before COVID, excess was king. Influencers seemed to have everything, and we were urged to chase that dream too. But now many are asking – do we want to get into debt for a diamond ring we can’t afford? Do we want to risk contributing to conflict or blood-diamonds?
The good news is, there’s a way which will not only save you money, but is 100% guaranteed conflict free and you won’t have to compromise on style! Simply switch the diamond for a sparkling moissanite.
What is a moissanite?
Moissanites are a brilliantly sparkly, colourless stone, with a similar appearance to diamonds. They were discovered in fragments of a meteorite in 1893 by the scientist Dr. Henri Moissan, when they landed from space – yes, SPACE – and initially mistaken for diamonds.
As meteorites containing the gems are rare, scientists developed a thermal growing process to create the crystals in a lab, simulating natural conditions to replicate the silicon carbide gems.
The process takes two to three months to create a single stone, which is then cut in specific angles and proportions to enhance its brilliance. Moissanites are available in all of the same shapes as diamonds. Flawless Moissanite sells amazing flawless stones available in various shapes and sizes, from a classic 0.50ct (6.0 x 4.5mm), right up to a whopping 5.00ct (12 x 10.0mm)!
Moissanite durability
Natural diamonds are made from carbon and are the hardest known mineral, however moissanites come a very close second.Moh’s hardness scale measures a gem’s ability to withstand surface scratching and diamonds rank at the top at 10, with moissanite only just below, rated between 9.25 and 9.5. For perspective, glass ranks at 5.5, so a moissanite is a very robust choice for every-day wear.
As they’re a natural mineral, like a diamond, your moissanite will never lose its sparkle, get cloudy or become dull, if you keep it clean. These brilliant gems are highly scratch resistant and will never tarnish.
