Did granny have a green wedding?
I was reading a little book about weddings the other day (yep, approaching our third wedding anniversary and I still can't tear myself away from them. Incidentally, in case you were wondering, year 3 is celebrated with leather - or leather equivalent!), and I came across this quote by Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774)
'I...chose my wife, as she did her wedding gown, not for a fine glossy surface, but such qualities as would wear well.'
It struck me as offering a really interesting insight into the norms of weddings in times gone by. Just as the relationship is not for 'one day' nor is the dress... it is designed to last for years of 'Sunday best'.
So when did weddings become such a big cause for... well, for want of a better word, 'fuss'?
If I think about my grandparents' weddings, these were war weddings, simple affairs, restricted by rationing they made the best of what they had.
Even just one generation ago, my parents got married, had a meal and then went off on their honeymoon - no big 'do' with more eating, drinking and dancing in the evening. And other friends have said their parents celebrated in the same way...
So what changed and why - and where are we now? Are we coming full circle? Maybe the ethical wedding, the green wedding signals a return to simpler less wasteful times? Or is this just the minority and in reality we are still a world away from this simplicity?
What do you think your grandparents would say about the modern wedding, or the green wedding? Please add your thoughts as comments below
Take care,
Katie
- Katie at Ethical Weddings's blog
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Comments
I think your article makes a great point Katie - in the preparations for my wedding, I am constantly torn between feeling anxiety at the thought of the expense and waste and excess and yet knowing that this is a once in a lifetime event and wanting the occasion to reflect the hugeness of the occasion and commitment. And you only get one chance to wear the white dress, even though you'll never use it again - that's a hard thing to give up in the name of greeness!! I am hoping that I can create a bit of a 'fuss' but perhaps without being too wasteful in the process - like by not buying favours that no-one will like or want just because it's 'traditional'. I've always like the idea of a pot-plant as a table decoration - and it can be taken away and enjoyed or planted after the wedding. And I'm hoping to find a photographer that will supply all the images digitally so I can enjoy them all on my computer but just print the ones I want as and when. I guess you just have to find the balance between having the day you want and doing it with an ethical conscience - I hope I manage it!