September 27, 2007

How do you choose an eco friendly wedding photographer?

By its very nature, modern photography is really quite eco friendly. Most wedding photographers use state of the art digital photographic equipment which does away with chemical printing techniques and masses of photographic papers. While this means they're already halfway there, there are other things you could ask a photographer to satisfy yourselves that he or she meets the overall ethos of your wedding day.

A lot of photographers offer fixed packages which include a set number of images printed and mounted into hand bound books, which are gorgeous, but most of these books come all the way from Australia and are usually air freighted. Instead, ask them if they could find an alternative closer to home. Now, whilst we've got nothing against Australia, and the books will definitely have been made by people who are paid a fair wage, there are skilled hand made paper makers and book binders in every country worldwide, so asking your photographer to go that extra mile will open their horizons and keep skills in your own country.

Make sure your photographer can supply you with a preview CD, instead of printed preview pages, or better still, choose a wedding photographer who has a password protected website where you, and your family and friends, can view all the images and order them online.

If you want them to go that extra mile, then check out your photographer's personal eco credentials. For instance Jonathan Ryan at MyWeddingStory, who we've just welcomed as a new partner, offsets his own carbon emissions and supports the protection of woodland near where his lives.

All our photographers do their own bit for the planet. See if we have one near you by checking out the Photographers' partner pages.

Posted in Green Wedding Photographers

September 25, 2007

RSA wedding showcase - 7th October

Throwing a green wedding or civil partnership celebration doesn't necessarily mean traipsing out to the country. On the contrary, eco savvy couples who opt for city chic will find there are many advantages to getting married in the capital. There's a growing list of venues, many set in wonderful buildings steeped in heritage and tradition, like The RSA, that take their ethical responsibilities very seriously and can boast published environmental best practice policies. The RSA proudly ranks 8/10 on our green gauge, as high as many of our rural venues. They're keen to support British food producers and cook seasonal menus.

The RSA is holding a wedding showcase next Sunday 7th October between 11.00 am and 2.00 pm when the team will be on hand to guide you around the house and answer any questions you might have.

There'll be complementary refreshments on the day and there's a prize draw for one lucky couple to win an intimate lunch for two in the Vaults Restaurant.

So if you're planning an eco chic wedding in the city, get along to the RSA next Sunday 7th October 2007 to see what how green your celebration could be in Central London.

Posted in Green Wedding News , Venues

September 19, 2007

Ditch the car this Saturday

This Saturday, 22nd September 2007, is World Car Free Day so if you're getting married in London, Birmingham or Edinburgh this Saturday and still haven't decided how to get from the church to your reception then its the perfect day to do it on foot.

Not sure how to work out the route? Walkit.com has all the answers with their award-winning online walking route planner. So there's no excuse for the eco savvy bride to be late for her wedding - even if it is expected!

Just go online and enter the name of the church where you're to be married, and then your reception venue and walkit.com will do the rest - generating a walking route map with the journey time between them.

Nothing could be simpler.

Posted in Green Wedding Transport

September 18, 2007

Oxfam online: Create your unique eco chic wedding style without leaving home

Oxfam has just launched the first online charity shop, allowing shoppers to browse donated items without leaving their home.

If you'd love to support the charity but can't get to a shop or face the usual fusty shelves you encounter in charity shops then here's the perfect solution. A team of volunteers will be hand picking the best donated items like quality vintage finds, vinyl music, designer jeans, books, knick-knacks, fairtrade jewels and chocolate to place online. New items will be uploaded daily.

So if you're the sort of person who wants to create your own style for your green wedding, then you can collect some wonderful things here. Put together a truly unique theme from their collection of vintage and cool finds. You can purchase one-off donated garments for your wedding or honeymoon outfits, find some musical and literary classics to give away as gifts and purchase fairtrade chocolate and jewellery for favours.

Oxfam director Barbara Stocking said: "This is the one website where customers will know that all their purchases will directly support Oxfam working with people in poverty across the world." And the charity's hoping to have listed 120,000 items on its new site by next spring.

You can even create a wedding list!

Posted in Green Wedding Charities

September 14, 2007

Now here's a story to warm the heart

This weekend a couple from Cornwall in the West Country of England are planning to have as green a wedding as possible and it certainly isn't going to cost the earth. Russell and Alexia met at a series of Climate Change events so when they decided to marry it was only natural that they would throw an eco friendly wedding.

They say its a simpler way of doing it and keeps sight of the real meaning of marriage, which is love and the promise of your new future as husband and wife.

Invitations were sent online, any printing they've had done is by a local printer with vegetable dyes on recycled paper. Their rings are made locally of wood from a salvaged tree, the food has all be sourced within the area, the toast will be in Cornish sparkling wine, their outfits have been sourced from charity shops and adapted to their own styles by a talented seamstress, the guests are encouraged to car share and the reception is only a five minute walk from the church. Lexi's Mum has made some intriguing flowers out of saved plastic bags and collected spring blossom has been dried for the confetti. They have even decided to give their guests low energy light bulbs as wedding favours!

And best of all, the whole celebration will come in way below the average cost of getting married in the UK which is now estimated to be around £18,000.

Read the whole story by Louise Walter over on the BBC website.

Posted in Green Wedding Natural Nuptials , News

September 13, 2007

Organic Fortnight - Flowers

Making this gorgeous and unusual arrangement at the weekend from flowers in my own cutting garden got me thinking about the world of eco flowers which can be a confusing one. Should you buy local, organic or fair trade, or can they be all three? How do you decipher all the different certification schemes? So I asked Jane Lindsay at Snapdragon Garden to write a little bit about it all for us and here is what she has to say:

We would suggest that you take this route in your search for eco flowers:

The first thing to do is find out what grows in gardens near to you in the month that you are planning to be married - is it Sweet Pea or Hydrangea season or is the Lily of the Valley in flower? Seek out gardeners and ask what their peak flowers are in that particular season. If you chose most of your flowers from this list, even if you can't find someone locally to grow them for you, you will be able to source them from relatively nearby. Try local growers at farmer's markets, friends or relatives with gardens and green fingers and persuade them to pop a few seeds in the ground so you can harvest your rewards next year.

Posted in Green Wedding Flowers

September 10, 2007

Green wedding photography offer

Wedding photographer, Beth Beljon is looking for an environmentally conscious couple planning to throw and eco-friendly wedding. “We are looking for the most creative, authentic, green and organic wedding. It's simply beautiful to see more couples not only making a commitment of love to each but to the earth." says Beth who wants an opportunity to record such a happy occasion.

Beth will waive her shooting fee and donate six hours of photography time to the couple chosen from anywhere in the US or elsewhere (she has a secret hankering to shoot an English eco wedding!)

She stipulates that eco chic couples should be environmentally mindful in all aspects and details of their wedding including invitations, attire, location, flowers and food - no problems for all you GreenUnion regulars.

Beth Beljon is an established and published photographer who has covered weddings around the globe for nearly a decade. She provides stunning photography for modern and mindful couples and her photo journalistic style is elegant and graceful, capturing each event in a visually organic documentary.

The deadline for entries is 15 December 2007. The couple chosen will be announced through her website on 1 January 2008.

Contact Beth at beth@bethbeljon.com for more information.

Posted in Green Wedding News , Photographers

September 07, 2007

Brand new ethical jeweller launches

We've teamed up with brand new ethical jeweller Ingle & Rhode and we give them our wholehearted support as they launch their range of beautiful, design-led eco jewellery, with its socially and environmentally responsible sourcing and production policies.

The launch of Ingle & Rhode is another step in the right direction for an industry fraught with exploitation and controversy and we welcome their efforts to reduce the three main problems facing the jewellery industry: human exploitation, conflict diamonds, and environmental damage. Through painstaking research, Ingle & Rhode have put together a supply chain that guarantees clients can trace the provenance of all metals and gemstones used.

Posted in Green Wedding Jewellery , News

September 06, 2007

Organic Fortnight - Wedding Dresses

There's been a lot of talk lately about organic clothing on the high street and, while quite a few of the big names are paying lip service to the idea by stocking mini ranges of organic cotton, mostly at the casual end, there are some dedicated top designers producing fabulous ranges using organic fabrics.

So what's available to the eco chic bride wanting to use organic fabrics for her wedding attire? Not a lot to be honest, if you want to go the conventional dress route. This is, in part, due to the lack of certified organic fabrics which will give the style, cut and drape expected of a wedding dress.

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns

September 03, 2007

Organic Fortnight - Food

Yesterday we went to the Organic Food Festival in Bristol. What a great day! We took the train to Bristol and then a boat from Temple Meads Station ferried us right to the heart of the Festival at the Harbourside - such a civilised way to travel and so stress free.

There was much to see and do. We tasted our way round the whole site, sampled heaps of pampering products, listened to some great music and enjoyed a fashion show of organic clothing.

The Soil Association, which hosted the Organic Food Festival says that "Choosing organic is one simple way to help curb climate change, because organic farming typically uses 30% less energy than non-organic agriculture. Rather than using climate-change boosting artificial fertilisers, organic farmers build fertility naturally using plants like clover.

Posted in Green Wedding Caterers, Food & Drink

September 02, 2007

Organic Fortnight - Skincare

Take this Organic Fortnight opportunity and begin to radiate flawless beauty from the inside, out. As well as eating a healthy balanced diet of locally grown organic food, drinking plenty of water and get heaps of sleep and exercise, give your skin and hair a real treat. Its never too early to get your skin, body and hair into great condition for your wedding day.

Today we suggest some dedicated and committed skincare specialists to help you on your way.

Posted in Green Wedding Beauty, Hair & Makeup , Health & Wellbeing

September 01, 2007

Organic Fortnight - Cakes

We thought we'd celebrate Organic Fortnight by highlighting some of the wonderful organic products availabe to couples planning an eco-chic wedding celebration starting off today with cakes:

Cupcakes, 'crottins' cakes or pavlovas piled high with strawberries and cream. Organic carrot cake, fruit cake, chocolate or hazelnut. Filled with cream, buttercream, fruit puree or lemon curd. Covered with buttercream, royal icing, marzipan or fondant. Tiered local organic cheeses or even an organic pork pie, the choice of wedding cakes today is endless. Where to start?

Well, start by finding someone who will make a cake with organic, natural and fair trade ingredients and if you're not going down the road of making it yourself or getting your long suffering Mum to do it for you here are a couple of creative cake makers using fine ingredients and organic where possible.

Janine Rose provides a completely bespoke wedding cake service, supplying beautiful and exceptional cakes baked to order using only the finest ingredients. We will design your wedding cake to compliment the colours and style of your special day, while Amanda Baird at The Utterley Sexy Cafe expresses her creativity and individual design, making fabulously exquisite cakes in her own inimitable way. The cakes come in a variety of flavours and are made from the finest ingredients, including local free range eggs. Using her painterly skills straight onto the cakes, they become truly edible art.

Posted in Green Wedding Cakes