Celebrate on Apple Day

What a brilliant idea for a wedding theme!

Throughout October, wherever apples are grown and loved round the world, communities celebrate their own apple day. In England its 21st October, and throwing a green wedding on, or around Apple Day will go a long way to demonstrating to your guests and the world that you are in tune with the countryside and the seasons.

Celebrate the wonderful variety of our apples which vary from region to region, even village to village in some cases. Have your wedding feast in the midst of an orchard, use apples in your floral decorations, drink apple juice, cider, cider brandy or have a warm apple punch to welcome your guests to the reception.

Apples have fantastic names like Peasgood's Nonsuch, Devonshire Quarrendon, Crawley Beauty, Cornish Honeypin and Scarlet John Standish to name but a few of the 2000+ varieties grown. Use them to name your tables and then use real apples as place names - tie a name tag to each apple stem or write the names of your guests onto the apples with a gold tipped pen, place the apple on a simple white plate at each place setting - it will look like a special jewel and double up as a favour.

Apples are a great ingredient in the wedding feast which could consist of a starter of young and spicy autumn salad leaves with apples, honey and walnuts, a hearty main course of pork with apples and a delicious dessert of baked apples with brown sugar and cinnamon. All would go down a treat.

Find out more about apple day in your region on Common Ground's website.

Here's a delicious baked apple recipe to try - what could be easier...

Take one juicy, rosy apple for each guest, remove the core and then score a line with a sharp knife right round its waist. Place all your apples in a baking dish and fill the empty middles, where the cores used to be, with raisins, nuts, a pinch of cinnamon and brown sugar, then top it all off with a knob of butter. Pour a little water into the bottom of the dish and place in a hot (200C) oven for about 20 to 30 minutes.

When the apples are bursting and their waists have split apart your apples are ready. Remove from the oven and serve with lashings of double cream, ice cream or clotted cream if you're in Devon. Mmmmmmmmmm!

Blog action day

Today's the day - blog action day.
Today thousands of bloggers around the world have joined forces to blog about one thing: our precious planet. Since that's just about all we ever do blog about, albeit where green weddings are concerned, I thought I'd take this opportunity to remind all budding eco friendly couples about our charities, the perfect way to give something back on your wedding day.

At Greenunion we're supporting Survival International today. Survival is the only international organisation supporting tribal peoples worldwide. It works for tribal peoples' rights in three complementary ways: education, advocacy and campaigns. They also offer tribal people themselves a platform to address the world and work closely with local indigenous organisations, focusing on tribal peoples who have the most to lose, usually those most recently in contact with the outside world.

Other charities we support on a regular basis are Oxfam and Rainforest Concern. You can also find countless charities to support via the Alternative Wedding List, the Green Gift List and Wedding List Giving.

Check them out, you're sure to find a charity that you'd like to reach out to.

Looking for a unique wedding dress or vintage groom's suit?

Eco chic brides and grooms should get along to the London Vintage Fashion Fair this Sunday 14 October between 8am and 5pm at the Olympia Hilton Hotel, 380 Kensington High Street in London.

A great idea to show your individuality and know you won't see any other bride in the same wedding dress is to wear vintage, the ultimate and chicest form of recycling!

The fair offers an extraordinary collection of exhibits from circa 1800 to 1980. You will find an abundance of vintage clothing, textiles, handbags, linen, embroidery, shoes, hats, textiles, beads, trimmings and costume jewellery. You never know you may just find that elusive wedding gown or groom's suit you've been dreaming of for your eco friendly wedding day.

Vintage wedding dress Vintagedress.co.uk

Homophobic venues face losing their licence

Did you know that in August a loophole in the Civil Partnership Act 2005 was closed thanks to the energetic campaigning of Gino Meriano, founder of Pink Weddings and civil rights campaigner. Approved wedding venues now face losing their licence if they refuse to conduct civil partnerships or discriminate on sexual orientation.

Originally venue owners and managers could apply for and be granted a license to hold Marriages or Civil Partnerships or both. By permitting venue management to choose not to hold Civil Partnerships, it meant many could openly discriminate while hiding behind their approved licence.

Gino said "The new guidance adopts my recommendation that an approved venue must not discriminate simply based on sexual orientation. If a venue is granted a licence and is found to discriminate against gay and lesbian couples they will have their license revoked.

This should now close the loophole that any homophobic owners and managers were using to wriggle out of the legislation."

A spokesman for LACORS said "The Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 require providers of goods, facilities and services to ensure that they are not treating their customers unfairly on the grounds of sexual orientation. If the holder of an approval is deemed by the Local Authority to discriminate on the grounds of the sexuality of the couple the Council reserves the right to revoke this approval."

This groundbreaking ruling means that homophobic suppliers should now be exposed, and if reported, will have their licence revoked making their venues unavailable to all couples, gay or straight. Here at GreenUnion we wholeheartedly welcome this ruling, ethical businesses do not discriminate.

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.

Seasonal celebrations

Samhain (pronounced 'sow'inn'), at the end of October, marks the beginning of a whole new cycle for the Celts, where they believe that in dark silence comes whisperings of new beginnings, the stirring of seeds below ground. For Christians, 31 October is Hallowe'en or All Hallow's Eve and 1 November is All Saints' Day. Many faiths mark this time of the year as one of significant change - Hindus celebrate Navarati and Muslims mark the end of Ramadan with Eid-Ul-Fitr.

The harvest has been gathered in, the animals sheltered for the winter and its a joyous time as families come together for warmth and to chase away the spirits with bonfires and feasts. What a wonderful time for a loving union of souls - a time of new beginnings, warmth, golden light, apples and nuts, loved ones are remembered.

For your late Autumn green wedding think gorgeous, glowing golds and reds, candle light, flares and bonfires for atmosphere. Roasted chestnuts, delicious squash soup, poached pears and baked apples, spices and mulled cider. Hot toasted sausages, baked potatoes and apple pie. Do I need to go on...

Creating your authentic wedding

GreenUnion's own expert life coach Lesley Stratton-Hughes is holding another of her creative and rewarding workshops this Saturday 13 October in Brighton, UK.

'Creating Your Authentic Wedding' is all about making wedding planning personal, positive and fun. She says wedding planning doesn't have to be stressful and it all depends on how you go about it. So take a step away from the commercial world of celebrity style weddings and let Lesley help you find out how to apply a very personal approach that will make you feel good.

Tickets cost £10 inclusive of tea/coffee and home made cakes, for more information and to reserve your place you can call Lesley on 01273 239869, or send an e-mail to lesley@gettingmarriedinsideout.co.uk

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

If you'd like to do something towards Breast Cancer Awareness Month then check out these sites for ideas.

The Brides Against Breast Cancer Project is a neat organisation is touring the US bringing top designer wedding dresses to the public at discounted prices with the proceeds going to the Making Memories Foundation.

In Australia check out the National Breast Cancer Foundation for ideas on how to raise funds this month.

Visit Breast Cancer Care to see what's happening in the UK or suggest your own fund raising day - eco chic brides could throw a hen party. Could be fun...

If you're already married donate your wedding dress to the cause.

Spread the word - help save lives.

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!

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.

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.

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 Skip the 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.

And even if you're not getting married its the perfect day to leave your car at home and head into the city for a day of exploring by foot. Not sure how to begin to negotiate a huge city like London or Birmingham on foot? Walkit.com has all the answers with their award-winning online walking route planner. They've generated an astonishing 1.3 million kilometres of walking routes across the streets and parks of London, Birmingham and Edinburgh in the past year. Your suggested route will include an estimate of the number of calories you'll burn, and the amount of carbon you'll save by not indulging in a taxi, car or bus.

Walkit.com team has calculated that if every route generated during their first year of operation had been walked at a medium pace, the site’s visitors would have burnt off over 13 tonnes of chocolate cake and walked 32 times round the earth.

Jamie Wallace, founder of walkit.com, said:

“Savvy people walk. It’s the quick, free, green and healthy way to get around town. No lycra or padding needed. No need for intimacy with sweaty strangers on the bus or tube. And best of all, no waiting - you’re in charge.”

Skip the congested roads and expensive taxis, avoid overcrowded buses and tubes - get out there and give it a go this weekend.

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!

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.

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.

Buying local seasonal flowers works for you and the environment. Seasonal flowers grow at their own pace and because they are not forced or retarded, they are healthier, need less pest control, last longer and require less energy. They also don't have to travel far.

Organic certification schemes within a local area are often misleading as they favour the large producer over the small - as in food the best advice is "know your farmer".

But if you want to buy flowers from florists and high street stores that may have been imported from elsewhere, there are key certification schemes in the US and the UK, so watch out for their symbols. The VerifloraTM certification certifies farms in the US that have fulfilled a series of social and ecological standards. In the UK the Soil Association symbol certifies organic production and the Fair Trade symbol guarantees a series of rights to flower workers. A good florist should be able to source certified flowers.

Working with a florist who cares about the provenance of the flowers is essential - they should be able to tell you where and how the flowers were grown. Many florists are becoming more concerned about these issues, particularly about the pesticide residues on the flowers that they are handling every day.

It also pays to think beyond the traditional rose wedding bouquet - for a winter wedding you may not be able to source locally grown cut flowers, but amazing displays can be made with coloured foliage, berries and fruit, or perhaps box topiary with planters of paper white narcissi.

Another advantage of using local seasonal flowers is that you can plant the same varieties in your own garden - a true reminder of your memorable eco-friendly wedding day.

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.

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.

Ingle & Rhode sources only from mines that have procedures in place to minimise the environmental impact of its activities. As supporters of the No Dirty Gold campaign, they only buy gold from sources that do not use mercury or cyanide in the mining process.

Alongside their own in-house collection of timeless pieces, the company has collaborated with four of the UK’s leading designers, Sarah Sheridan, Kimberley Selwood, Jana Rainhardt and Stephanie Ray. Using gorgeous precious metals and sparkling gemstones the range caters for an eclectic array of tastes offering striking, delicate, playful and glamorous styles.

They also offer a bespoke jewellery service so, if you want, you can create your own unique pieces that match your ethical standards and personal sense of style.

Go on, make a appointment and get along to their newly opened showroom in Piccadilly to check out what they've got.

Their website is due to go live in the next few days so check back soon to see their range on line.

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.

Our partner dress makers, if you ask them, will use fabrics like pesticide free, uncertified organic silk, hemp/silk mixes, 'peace' (or vegetarian) silk and bamboo for the outer layers (the bit you can see) of your dress. The lining might be organic cotton, which will be certified by a certification body, like SKAL, which is recognised by the International Federation of Organic Agricultural Movements (IFOAM).

If the fabric has been dyed, all dyes used should be either plant/mineral derived or, if not of natural origin, environmentally responsible, low-impact dyes.

Bamboo can be gorgeously lustrous and drapey and, like hemp, "bamboo’s eco-footprint is smaller than a size 5 stiletto" according to conscious choice, and "the highly renewable grass, praised for it’s rapid, several-feet-a-day growth, can be harvested in as little as three years." Bamboo, like hemp, is not yet certified organic but is 100 percent biodegradable. However the downside to bamboo is the processing, which requires heaps of chemicals, though they are recycled back into the fiber-making process keeping the chemicals from entering the environment.

If you're not after a conventional wedding dress then there's a lot more choice, organically available to you from top ethical stores and designers like Adili, Enamore, Equa and The Natural Store. Or go down the recycled or vintage route which is not organic per se but is certainly a lot lighter on the the planet.

Here are some fabulous dressmakers who are working wonders with organic fabrics and making gorgeous gowns for eco chic weddings:

With thirty years couture experience combined with contemporary print and design Gaiahouse's affordable collection is created in 100% organic silk. Appointments for their Design Consultation and Bespoke Couture Service can be booked online and your bespoke gown will be created from exclusive, reconstructed, hand made fabric.

Conscious Elegance offers gorgeous eco-friendly hempsilk and organic silk wedding dresses and bridesmaid gowns, all individually hand-sewn in the UK. They also offer a service where you can recycle your dress after the wedding with their free Naming Ceremony Gown service for your future little ones.

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.

As well as helping the planet, more and more people choose organic because they believe it is a better way to feed themselves and their family. Put simply, organic food contains more of the good stuff we need and less of the nasties we don’t. Organic farmers nourish the soil so that it provides all the must-have nutrients plants need for their health; not just those needed to make them grow. This gives organic crop plants the goodness you need too.

Natural systems for keeping pests under control are used instead of relying on chemicals. Furthermore, strict organic standards make sure that after the food has left the farm it remains as pure and unadulterated as possible."

So to help you make a planet and people friendly choice for your eco friendly wedding, here are some ideas:

Head chef Tom Cull of Dartmoor Kitchen is passionate about promoting and maintaining a vibrant, modern approach to food production and presentation. His commitment to the very best local resources and seasonal produce means he is quite willing to source organic food when required.

Vinceremos is the longest established organic wine specialist with the largest range in the UK. Champagne, wines, ciders and beers, as well as juices, squashes and cordials. They would be delighted to advise you on your selection and offer a personal and friendly service.

Catering for any occasion, Eco Cuisine use the freshest organic, free-range and non-GM ingredients, and source British produce where possible. They also make every effort to re-use and recycle the goods they use during the course of an event.

Vintage Roots supplies organic, biodynamic, vegetarian and vegan wines, beers, spirits and liqueurs. Providing wines for weddings is a specialty, and because they know it's sometimes difficult to estimate quantities, they operate a 'sale or return' policy. They are here to help you choose the right wines for your guests, food and the occasion.

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:

Pai Skincare is what it should be about - pure, plant-based ingredients carefully selected and blended to give your skin everything it needs and nothing it doesn’t. Over 60% of what you apply to your skin is absorbed into the bloodstream, so the skin cream you use is as important as the food you eat. Pai products are chemical-free and hand-made from only the highest grade, certified organic ingredients.

Homeopathic Garden combines homeopathic wisdom with a collection of luxurious organic gifts offering the very best in well-being. Each product is carefully chosen for their ethical credentials, integrity and desirability. Mix and match from the collection to create a wonderful eco chic gift. Learn about their homeopathic remedy wedding survival guide from the proposal to the honeymoon.

Natural Unity offer inspirations for pure, natural and organic harm free living. Skin and body products from around the world plus wonderful ideas for gifts, favours including candles, gift boxes to order plus eco homewares and eco gadgets too - bespoke wedding service ideas.

Spiezia Organics makes a range of 100% organic skin, body and homecare products. Recognised as a brand leader for organic skincare in the UK, Spiezia hand make all their products (which are suitable for vegetarians and have never been tested on animals) on an organic farm to recipes designed by their founder Dr Spiezia, a practising homeopath.

mybeingwell brings together the very best organic skincare and natural cosmetics from around the world, in one easy-to-surf online store. Every product is 100% free from petrochemicals and artificial preservatives, colours and fragrances. Ranges include makeup, face and body care, haircare, mens skincare and gifts. mybeingwell is offering 10% off the first 100 orders they receive this week until the 9th September. Just fill up your basket and type 'frenzy' in the promotional code box at the checkout and click update!