Deck the halls

Following on from last week's post about the bridal bouquet, I'd say one of the fun bits about arranging your wedding is the task of making your chosen venue look pretty.

Let your imagination run riot when it comes to centrepieces, place names, table plans and the like; it’s a great opportunity to incorporate some of those eco-friendly and fair trade touches.

Go for vases filled with pebbles and water, or colourful fruit as centrepieces, let shells, pebbles or leaves serve as place names.

Save on the cut flowers and have big, chunky soy-based candles in their place, or pot plants with a ribbon around them, a present for guests to take home with them at the end of the day.

If you’re offering favours, fair trade, organic chocolate is always a popular option, or give seed favours for guests to plant when they get home and remember the occasion by.

When you do use cut flowers, try where possible to find local, organic, seasonal blooms. Not always easy but the more people ask for them, the more florists will have to try to meet the demand. It’s happening in the US and it should be happening here.

Where you use card or paper, make sure it’s recycled and choose real petal confetti, organic hops, or linseed (not rice as it swells up in birds’ tummies!) over the paper stuff that clogs drains and churchyards.

Or you could get everyone to blow bubbles from eco-friendly washing up liquid (put an usher in charge of collecting up the bottles afterwards).

Check out some of the suppliers who could help you out at Ethical Weddings

Happy planning!

Katie
www.ethicalweddings.com