Nice Day For A GREEN Wedding!
Romilde had an eco-friendly big day
‘
Let’s do it!’ I smiled.
Back in January, my partner Seigo and I decided this was the year we’d tie the knot.
When it came to planning the wedding, we both agreed that our big day should be unique and reflect us as a couple. Then Seigo had an idea. ‘Why don’t we have an eco-friendly wedding?’ he suggested.
It made perfect sense. Seigo and I have always been passionate about protecting the environment and reducing unnecessary waste.
But weddings can so easily balloon into these huge, costly extravaganzas. We didn’t want that. So we agreed we’d use local resources, cut right back on extravagances and reuse whatever we could.
Why fork out thousands when we could do something much more personal and meaningful?
Seigo and I had both volunteered with the charity Foodcycle Cambridge, which prepares free meals for the community using foods supermarkets have to scrap after the sell-by date has passed but are safe to use.
We asked them to cater our wedding, and they agreed.
Next, we sourced all of our drinks from local suppliers.
Rather than splash out on a pricey dress that I’d only ever wear once, I asked my sister if I could borrow her wedding dress and she was delighted.
‘It’ll make it more special,’ I told her.
My shoes came from a local charity shop, and I told my bridesmaids to pick their fave frocks from previous weddings so that we’d have a mix of colours and styles.
At a local antique shop, Seigo and I found a pair of 4th/5thCentury, bronze Roman rings to exchange as we made our vows.
‘They must have so much history,’ I said.
‘And we’re just the latest chapter in that story,’ replied Seigo.
Instead of gifts, we asked our guests to make donations to the cancer charity Sarcoma UK.
We didn’t even send out invitations, as they’d only end up in the bin.
Instead, Seigo set up a website with the date and venue, and e-mailed the invites.
Our families and friends loved our ideas.
My mum and mates also helped me craft handmade bunting and decs with which to adorn our venue.
When the big day arrived on 10 June this year, both of us were so excited.
Seigo and I tied the knot in an intimate ceremony at Cambridge register office before heading to a reception at The Orchard in Grantchester.
There, Foodcycle unveiled their dazzling dishes.
Gathering unused items from supermarkets, they’d whipped up scones, salads, mushroom goulash, macaroni, apple pie, curry and canapes.
Delicious!
We then danced the night away at a silent disco, with each reveller bopping around to their own music.
As for the happy couple, we had our first dance while both listening to Nina Simone.
It was a perfect day, and our guests had such a great time. Plus it all cost around a third of the average British wedding.
But, for us, it was priceless...
Gifts? Our guests gave donations to a cancer charity