Easter Eco Weddings at Granny Mouse
Easter and autumn is upon us – a season for contemplation and exquisite golden beauty and the perfect time to have a dream wedding at Granny Mouse.
The change of season and the colours of nature go a long way in making for that picture perfect memorable day. We’ll have a kaleidoscope of autumn leaves and golden grasslands to act as the perfect backdrop to capture those unforgettable memories.
Autumn is also an important time to contemplate the circle of life and perhaps even to include mother earth in your celebration by ensuring that you have an eco-friendly wedding to remember!
Granny Mouse has some tips on having that memorable “green” wedding:
The Reception Venue – When choosing your venue, let our Granny Mouse team help set the stage and theme. One of the biggest ways to cut down on energy usage is to get married outdoors or in our new conservatory where the sun provides all of your lighting.
We know outdoor ceremony and receptions don’t work for everyone. If you want to be indoors, there are several ways you can make it green. First, by holding your ceremony and reception in one place – no one will have to travel to get from one event to the next which cuts back on fuel emissions. Or choose a venue that gets plenty of sunlight and host a daytime wedding so you can leave the lights off.
The Stationery – Why not use recycled paper? Or, better still, some paper makers and printers even use vegetable based inks or produce papers that are plantable! Believe it or not, you can even get handmade seed paper sheets. These paper sheets are embedded with seeds that will grow into flowers or herbs once you have planted them when you get home! We found a company that supplies three different seed paper options – basil and wild rocket, alyssum and poppy or African daisy and buck bay veggie seeds!
The Confetti – Yes, we know that the paper stuff hasn’t been popular for quite some time. Offer guests some potpourri or dried rose petals in a basket (rather than individual net or plastic wrappers) or even supply guests with little boxes of colourful (live) butterflies that they can set free as the bridal couple exits the church.
The Flowers – Few of us realise that not all flowers are organic. Some farms use toxic chemicals to keep insects at bay which can end up affecting organic matter in soil and impact on insects such as bees and butterflies as they go about their business of pollinating. So, ask your florist about in-season and local flowers to insure the freshest, best quality stems at the best price. Another eco-friendly choice is to choose potted blooms, plants or topiaries as centerpieces. This way, you can take them home and replant them after the wedding.
Not a flower person? Walk down the aisle with a brooch bouquet, an arrangement of silk stems or a bundle of farmer’s market fruits and veggies (kale, for example, has a sturdy stalk and beautiful green foliage) and decorate reception tables with things you can reuse in your home after the wedding.
The food – Food is the centre of any celebration and going green doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice taste! The farm-to-table movement is in full swing in the Midlands which makes it easy for our culinary artists to source healthy, earth-friendly food. When you’re budgeting, keep in mind that organic foods may cost more as do free range eggs, poultry or meats. Nevertheless, at Granny Mouse, we always prefer to source from in-season, locally-grown products which will help keep the cost down and guarantee the freshest finds. Most importantly, since this food is coming from local farms, it covers a far shorter distance, meaning less fuel is needed for transport.
Another good idea is to decorate tables with herb plants in terra cotta pots, like basil, dhania or parsley, which guests can add straight to their dishes as seasoning.
The Wedding Dress – The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about eco-friendly dress shopping is re-wearing a gown, maybe even your mother’s. If you love the idea of wearing her dress but aren’t totally in love with the dress itself, work with a designer or dress maker to make it more your style.
If you prefer to wear a brand-new dress, look at local designers that use sustainable fabrics (like organic cotton, silk or hemp) or choose a design that can be altered and worn again later. After your big day, you can even pay it forward by passing on your dress to someone else who may never be able to afford a wedding gown.
Table gifts for guests – For an eco-friendly wedding, some really lovely ideas could be a bag of biodegradable seeds, coffee beans, jams or honey in glass jars. For a totally different option, go for a charity donation. Display a sign letting guests know you’ve made a donation to a meaningful cause in lieu of wedding gifts or pick a few of your favourites and let guests choose. Set out information on each charity, designate it to a colour, and allow guests to read up on them all and decide which organization they’d like you to donate to on their behalf.
The Registry – There’s now an eco-friendly option for just about everything you might normally think to register for. Pay close attention to where items are made and what materials are sourced.
Consider items like organic bedding, cloth shopping bags, reusable bamboo plates and natural kitchen and bath products. If you’d rather forego a traditional registry altogether, consider asking guests to donate towards a green organisation in lieu of traditional gifts.