The outfits:
Sarah commissioned Tiverton-based dress designer Wendy Kauffman to design her dress from hemp silk fabric sourced from local company Hemp Fabric UK in Barnstaple. “Wendy knew exactly what I was looking for, a dress that is simple and natural which reflects our values, beliefs and of course the stunning setting! Her brief was to design something that can be dyed and worn again.” Paul wore a relaxed organic cotton and hemp suit which he can also wear again again.

The rings:
The couple’s wedding rings were made from recycled silver and rosewood by
Justin Duance while Sarah’s engagement ring was made by April Doubleday – “she is passionate about using recycled metals, melting them down to give them a new lease of life.”

Flowers:
Taking their cue from the woodland flowers nearby, the wedding party picked local flowers on the day (taking care not to collect too much from any one area) while some additional flowers were sourced from local flower growers. Getting married in May, of course, meant they could enjoy the tail end of seasonal and perfumed spring flowers, which were simply arranged by the group in collected jam jars, to decorate the barn and tents giving everything an eclectic and beautifully relaxed English country feel.

Sarah and her little bridesmaid carried simply tied bunches of late spring and hedgerow flowers beautifully put together by a capable friend on the day.

The food:
Sarah and Paul, who don't eat meat, decided on a delicious vegetarian spread using West Country caterers who source their food locally and serve it in their own bespoke tent decorated with ivy and flowers. Sarah said: “We came across Manic Organic whilst at a local music festival, where their catering was fantastic. They focus on organic, fair trade products and it’s great to be using them as they are part of the south west eco community.”
The wedding cake, created by the Organic Chocolate Cake Company in Bristol, was transported to the wedding by guests helping to cancel out food miles. The wine came from just down the road along the river Exe at Yearlstone Vineyard, and the beer came from Otter Breweries a few miles away.

Additional touches:
Most of the invitations for the wedding were sent by email, and to those guests who are not online, the couple considerately sent invitations printed on paper made from sheep droppings! The same paper was also used for the orders of service.

The Honeymoon:
Sarah and Paul are now honeymooning at the
Hoopoe Yurt Hotel in Spain. Set in Andalusia the luxury camp runs on solar power and the private bathrooms also have composting loos. Although Sarah and Paul flew from Exeter airport to save time as they are limited to a 5 day honeymoon, they have offset their carbon emissions to make up for it.

When I was asked by the couple to help and advise them on planning the wedding day Sarah said: “We wanted to have an ethical wedding because that’s generally the way we live our lives anyway. We like to avoid excess, we’re not big consumers and we want to minimise our impact on the environment. Our green wedding is just one small thing, but think of the impact and the number of people we could influence by setting an example.”

Which is exactly what they did! And it was one of the loveliest weddings I've had the pleasure to work on. We wish them both a long and happy union.