How should a wedding be celebrated? Part 2

If you didn't manage to find the programme on the BBC World Service that we mentioned yesterday, here's the link.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p008w7kl on iplayer. You'll find it 14 minutes into the programme.

Congratulations to Kate Smallwood for talking such sense!

Happy listening!

Posted in Green Wedding News , Press , Wedding Planning

How should a wedding be celebrated?

That's what the BBC is asking after the Reverend Giles Fraser, Canon Chancellor of St. Paul's gave his Thought for the Day on weddings during yesterday's Radio 4 Today programme. And what a furore it's created!

Sparked off by the excessive spend of the recent Clinton wedding, his comments that we've lost sight of the true meaning of marriage, have caused quite some discussion on the airwaves - see BBC Today.

Well here at GU HQ we think you should celebrate your wedding the way that's right for you and don't loose track of why you are getting married. After all this is one of the the most special days of your life where you are making a committment to one another to cherish each other for life. And no matter what pressures you have from family and friends, if you want to go away and tie the knot alone, then do it. Alternatively if you want to splash out and entertain everyone, and have the budget to do so (a crucial detail), then why not?

All we ask is that you consider how you do it - spend your money wisely, support local producers and businesses, encourage people to participate and consider your impact on the environment too.

The BBC World Service is going to discuss the ins and outs of weddings at 9pm tonight - might be worth a listen.

Posted in Green Wedding News , Press , Wedding Planning

Had an alternative wedding ceremony?

A journalist who is writing for glossy magazine LOOK, published in the UK, is doing an article exploring the alternatives to traditional marriage ceremonies.

She would love to talk to a couple who decided not to legally marry but to have an alternative wedding blessing, instead, to celebrate their commitment to each other.

The couple would need to be aged 18 to 35, and be happy to give a short phone interview and send in some photos of their wedding.

You'll even earn £150 when the article is published! Perfect budget for a romantic night out ...

If you fancy chatting to Viki Wilson about how you 'did it' then email her at viki.wilson@btinternet.com and mention GreenUnion.

Posted in Green Wedding Celebrants & Blessings , Civil Partnerships , Natural Nuptials , Press

Gorgeous engaged couple?

Very short notice!

Condé Nast BRIDES magazine is looking for a gorgeous engaged couple for a fun, cool fashion shoot in a central London studio this Friday 20th.

Only needed for 4 hours and I guarantee it will be a really fun day with great pictures for you to keep.

Please email fiona.kerr@condenast.co.uk, or phone her on 0207 152 3327 for more information.

Plese let them know that you came through GreenUnion.

Posted in Green Wedding Natural Nuptials , News , Press

Getting married soon?

Are you getting married within the next 4 weeks?

If so, Laura would like to talk to you about a magazine feature in the Sunday Telegraph Stella magazine about British weddings. They are looking for a couple who are planning an eco wedding and would be happy to have a Sunday Telegraph photographer capture an image of their day.

Please get in touch with laura@talktothepress.com and please tell her that you heard about this from us here at GreenUnion.

You will need to be willing to have photos of your big day published in the Sunday Telegraph magazine and be available for a quick phone interview too.

Posted in Green Wedding Natural Nuptials , Press

Are you throwing a Scottish green wedding?

Scottish Television's programme The Hour is looking for couples planning an eco wedding in Scotland this year.

The programme is a week nightly lifestyle magazine show presented by Stephen Jardine which transmits between 5 and 6 pm. They cover all aspects of modern living from Fashion, Health and Music to Cooking, Money and Films.

If you're interested in being filmed for an item about ethical weddings in the show and telling them all about your own green wedding plans, then get in touch with Abi Judge, the producer of the programme, at alison.kay@stv.tv or call her on 0141 300 3207.

Do tell her you heard about the programme from GreenUnion.

Posted in Green Wedding Natural Nuptials , News , Press

Your votes count for Pai

Pai Camellia & Rose Cleanser (featured in our Boutique) has been shortlisted for a UK Beauty Award. We're certainly not surprised - it's the best!

The winner is chosen by public vote which isn't always great for a small brand up against the biggest names in the beauty industry.

So...please, please, please vote for them, this beautiful little company with a big heart needs all the support they can get. It only takes two secs. And get all your colleagues, friends and family voting too!

If you're not sure what Pai Camellia & Rose Cleanser is like why not try it - you can buy it in our Boutique.

Posted in Green Wedding Beauty, Hair & Makeup , Press

ITV Four Weddings

ITV Living are currently looking for fun-loving couples planning a wedding or a civil partnership between March and June 2009 to take part in the show.

Each episode of Four Weddings is an entertaining romp through four extremely different weddings – the couples will be attending each others’ weddings and judging them according to a set of criteria. The couple with the highest score at the end of show will win a five-star luxury honeymoon.

They want to include a variety of weddings from simple and traditional to high-end and cultural, so why not an ethical wedding?

If you fancy taking part please contact Adeel Amini on 0207 157 4605 or email adeel.amini@itv.com quoting GreenUnion.

Posted in Green Wedding Press

Got a brilliant Eco-Tip?

We're looking for one amazingly original eco tip to beat the 'credit crunch' which will be published on Allaboutyou.com, the online home of Good Housekeeping, Prima, SHE, Country Living, House Beautiful and Coast magazine 9th February.

If you have a fab tip you'd like us to consider then send it in to us info@greenunion.co.uk before 8th February.

The author of the tip chosen will receive a surprise gift from us.

Posted in Green Wedding Giveaways , Inspiration , Press

Don't Tell the Bride

Are you dreaming of the perfect day?
Is ‘the green wedding’ your favourite topic of conversation?
Do you have hundreds of ideas but not hundreds of pounds?
Do you think your man can pull off the ultimate wedding of your dreams?
If so then Don't Tell the Bride is looking for a unique couple and has £12k to make your big day.
EMAIL: weddings@renegadepictures.co.uk
Or call: 020 7479 4210

DEADLINE IS FEBRUARY 2009

Posted in Green Wedding Events , News , Press

In the news again!

Lyndsay Dolan on Country Mix 106.8FM talked to us here today at GreenUnion HQ. On her programme Dublin's Talking she wanted to find out more about why people who choose to throw a green wedding and what sort of weddings they turn out to be. Naked on the beach wasn't one of them! We had a lovely chat and the music by Lisa Hannigan was magical.

Posted in Green Wedding News , Press

French leave 2

GreenUnion is back in France again having just featured in a short film with French public TV company France 5. The programme is part of a series called 'Les Report-Terre' (Report Earth) where ten young reporters have travelled throughout Europe to discover and bring to light environmental issues and initiatives for sustainable development. In each European country, they've investigated a diverse range of environmental and ecological initiatives.

Of course they came to GreenUnion to find out more about our pioneering work in sustainable weddings and celebrations. They loved what they saw and say that the programme, Les Noces Vertes was been rated as one of the best they did. If you understand French, then enjoy - if you don't its still fun to watch.

Thank you to all our partners who gave up valuable time to assist in the filming. Tim & Angela Malyon of Coombe Farm, April Doubleday, Wendy Kauffman, Lynne Salvage of Maddy Sinclair, David Ames, Alison Court - Celebrant, Sally Humpries of Manic Organic, Jackie Brown - Celebrant and Georgie Faulkner-Bryant of Big Beautiful Bunting Co.

You can read about the September day we did the filming in French Leave.

Posted in Green Wedding News , Press

French leave

We've had a busy few days here at GreenUnion HQ. It seems the French are really curious about the growing trend for green and naturalistic weddings so we've been entertaining a TV crew from France 5 public TV! They have sent a group of young couples all over Europe to see what is happening out there and the programme Les Report-Terre will begin broadcasting in October.

Devon and Cornwall has a huge number of sustainable businesses offering their services to couples who want to throw a natural celebration, so we gathered together a group of brilliant people to tell Pauline and Guillaume of Les Report-Terre how it works.

We had Rosie at GreenUnion, of course, to give an overview and then we took them to Coombe Farm Woodlands to look at an eco friendly, organically run venue. They talked to Sally of Manic Organic about her own green wedding and her vegetarian catering business. We had two celebrants for them to interview - Alison Orchard from Crediton in Devon who is a member of the British Humanist Association, and Jackie Brown from Truro in Cornwall who conducts spiritual ceremonies for anyone whether you are just an agnostic or a full fledged pagan. Jackie is getting married soon too and wanted to tell Les Report-Terre why she will be thowing an eco friendly wedding.

We decorated the barn at Coombe Farm with gorgeous silk heart pendant bunting made out of vintage sari fabrics by the Big Beautiful Bunting Co. We also used seasonal flowers and foliage - hydrangeas, fennel heads, blackberries and apple boughs to show how it can be done with style and colour.

Sadly all the wonderful caterers such as Dartmoor Kitchen, in Devon that we could have talked to were so busy we couldn't have any time with them, so instead we suggested they film a herd of Red Devon beef cows at Coombe Farm to prove that the food can be locally sourced right on the doorstep - it went down a treat!

We talked about jewellery and April Doubleday's ethical wedding rings were a fantastic example of how you can source your gold and diamonds without conflict or harm. We showed them the beautifully hand screen printed wedding stationary from Seed.. which you will soon be able to purchase from our Eco Chic Boutique launching next week.

And finally they talked to a furniture maker, David Ames about how to commission a piece of furniture that all the guests can contribute to, making a meaningful, sustainable and lasting gift to mark your wedding day. A bed that David made for a couple last year was the hit of the show!

You can contact Manic Organic by emailing Sally.
Alison can be reached by email too.
If you want to contact Jackie please contact us and we will give you her details.

Posted in Green Wedding Natural Nuptials , Press

Passionate about food?

BBC3 is looking for people to take part in a returning series of the ground-breaking programme Kill it, Cook it, Eat it.

This new series will explore our attitudes to killing and eating wild game. The programme will cover every aspect of the process from hunting and shooting animals to preparing the carcass for the kitchen They will be killing, cooking and eating deer, rabbit, grouse and duck.

They aim to challenge and probe your views on this issue: where do you draw the line with the meat you’re prepared to eat – and why? Whether you’re a vegetarian or a meat connoisseur, or simply want to see for yourself the processes involved in getting meat to your plate, then get in touch.

They’re looking for a handful of people with vocal opinions about meat and where it comes from to join them. Kate told me that "Obviously this is a fantastic series in terms of generating discussion and we welcome viewpoints from a variety of people, from vegan to pro-hunt. We would love to discuss the series with people whose views of the killing and cooking of animals is influenced by their lifestyle choices, (such as sustainable living)."

If you would like to be considered, simply give them a call on 0207 033 2300 or send them an email with your NAME and NUMBER and they will be in touch with application details. Filming is in Scotland and you will be needed for one or possibly two days (with an overnight stay) in late September.

For further information contact Kate on 020 7033 2271 or email kate.nixon@fireflyproductions.tv

Posted in Green Wedding Caterers, Food & Drink , Press

Honeymoon prize!

ITV is looking for couples who are getting married in the UK in September or October and would be happy to share their day - there's a chance to win a honeymoon.

They’re looking for couples to appear in a brand new programme for Living TV called ‘Four Weddings’ and they'd love one of the weddings to be 'green'.

The four brides need to be getting married in the UK in September or October of this year and they would have to be happy to share their big day with a film crew and 3 other brides to be. The 3 other brides to be will also be getting married in either September or October of this year and if selected they would be invited to attend their weddings. The four brides will then have to decide which couple deserves to win a dream honeymoon!

If this sort of thing takes your fancy then contact weddings@granadamedia.com or call Tara on 020 7157 3581 quoting GreenUnion.

Posted in Green Wedding Giveaways , Press

Are you planning an unusual green wedding?

Are you planning an unusual green or eco friendly wedding?

The BBC It's Not Easy Being Green are looking for a couple who would like to tell them all about their ethical wedding plans and feature in their new series to be aired early next year. We will be working with them so you will also benefit from all of GreenUnion's expertise and knowhow too.

If you are interested please get in touch with Rosie@GreenUnion.co.uk for more details.

Posted in Green Wedding Natural Nuptials , News , Press

Did you pay for your wedding day on a shoestring?

We've just had a challenging request from The Press Association who're looking for anyone who's wed on an extremely tight budget.

They're looking for women aged between 20 to 50 who celebrated their big day in style despite being restricted by a tight budget of £500 or less. If you managed this I think everyone in the world will want to know how!

If this sounds like you and you'd like to share your story with a national newspaper or women's magazine, do get in touch with Tanya, giving her a brief idea of how you threw your stylish wedding on a budget. She'd also like your telephone number and a recent photo. Don't forget to mention GreenUnion.

By the way, if you're chosen you will receive a fee for your time.

Contact:

Tanya Russell
Features writer
The Press Association
Email: tanya.russell@pa-entertainment.co.uk
Tel: 020 7963 7293

Want to know more about managing your wedding budget? Check out how to Get Started.

Posted in Green Wedding News , Press , Wedding Planning

Did you throw a green wedding?

If you threw and green wedding last year and you've got some gorgeous photos of the day then please get in touch with us. We have a writer for Red Magazine looking for a truly eco chic wedding with earth friendly details to use in her article championing the rise of green celebrations. Email us on info@greenunion.co.uk and we will call you back.

Posted in Green Wedding Natural Nuptials , Press

BBC Yorkshire & Lincolnshire call for green weddings

The Cornish green wedding of a few weeks back has created quite a stir and the BBC's Inside Out for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire is searching for a couple planning to throw an eco chic wedding. There's a lot of interest in Yorkshire for all things green, in fact Yorkshire Brides is writing a feature on eco honeymoons next month, so Laura at Inside Out is searching for a couple who would be willing to divulge their green wedding plans for their marriage and follow their journey through to their ethical wedding day.

If you're getting married in Yorkshire or Lincolnshire and feel strongly about treading lightly on this planet here's your chance to show others how one of the most important days of you life can reflect your ethos. Contact Rosie at GreenUnion for more information.

Posted in Green Wedding News , Press

Tell everyone about it!

Martin Vogle of German Public Radio is still patiently looking for an eco chic couple to interview about their plans to throw a green wedding. Don't be shy, he says he's a nice guy and only wants to have a very informal chat about your green wedding ideas, so do get in touch with martin.vogl@email.de and help him spread the word to Europe!

Posted in Green Wedding Press

A bicycle made for two

Mandy and Jonathan, who kept us up to date here at GreenUnion HQ about their wedding preparations, were married in May and here's an extract from an original article about their wedding by Julie Lastarade for French Elle on 4 June 2007 and translated for us by our partner Diane who runs covert cabin in the Perigord Vert region of France - the ultimate in honeymoon hideaways.

The greenest day of their lives

Dress made of fairtrade cotton, guests discouraged to come by car. In England, the eco-chic are getting married in the same way they live their lives, by respecting the planet. And from these good principles real businesses are emerging.

Posted in Green Wedding Natural Nuptials , Press