Advice

Are you looking to plan a Sustainable Wedding?

Are you looking to plan a sustainable wedding? 

This beautiful background is beautifully and artistically painted by my one year old daughter

I bet you googled ‘sustainable wedding’ and got a plethora of advice- some good and some not. There is really no right or wrong answer or advice to creating your very own sustainable wedding. It is rather cliche, but the answer lies in you and your partner’s values.

In the academia world, one of the ways sustainability is defined is through the three-legged balance approach. The three pillars are environment, economic and social. The Environmental leg refers to environmental initiatives that address problems of pollution and waste, looking at efficient ways of conserving our resources. The Social leg addresses social justice issues. In the fashion world, this means issues such as addressing working conditions in the manufacturing of products.  The economic log really refers to providing fair wage and good working conditions to clothing workers. Here, there is a movement towards slow fashion and fair trade, that really addresses at providing a fair wage to all aspects of the fashion supply chain.

The background is beautifully painted by my two year old (look at those artistic brush strokes!)

It is important to note that the three pillars need to be equally cared for, one pillar can’t be longer or shorter than the other two. This balance reminds me of the yin-yang approach practiced in the East. Now, do you understand how true sustainability can be so difficult to achieve? Imagine everything in balance. I am a woman of extremes, so achieving balance for me is very very difficult. I am here to tell you, that you don’t really need to do everything to have a sustainable wedding.

So let us start with defining what it is you’d like to create a positive impact for? 

Do you value the sea? The whales and the beautiful animals that are negatively impacted by the unbelievable amount of plastic we throw to the sea? Do you see yourself reaching for beauty products that are free of those bead exfoliates since you think about the dying fishes and the impact microbeads have on them? 

Your biggest impact is to create a ‘plastic free wedding’. Emily Bienek from Elusive Photography has created this comprehensive guide to a plastic free wedding. From simple actions to more in-depth wedding planning decisions, she has it beautifully presented in this guide 

Do you value ethical manufacturing and see yourself supporting brands that tell a story of how their products are made ensuring that the people that make your purchased goods are well taken care of?

Your biggest impact is to source from ethical brands, here are some of our favourites:

Rings: Eco Wood Rings (https://www.ecowoodrings.co.uk)

Wood rings lovingly crafted from salvaged and sustainably sourced materials.

Men’s wear: David Wood (http://www.davidwood.com/about-dw)

Men’s wear items made with natural products 

Men and women suits: Kipper Clothiers (https://www.kipperclothiers.biz)

Custom made men and women suits and shirts, made with the highest quality of fabrics. 

Do you want to support businesses that have the same ethical and sustainable values as you? We love working with people like that too, here are some of our favorite people! This ensures that your buck is going towards a company that has embedded sustainability in their business model.

Macrame Elegance (https://www.etsy.com/market/macrame_elegance) 

If you are in the Bay Area (she does travel quite far), Lucy installs beautiful macrame backdrops. Instead of wasting flowers, you can achieve a similar grand and elegant look with her beautiful custom macrame. Rent it for the day and you do not have to worry about installing or uninstalling (she takes care of all that for you!)

Elusive Photography (https://www.elusive.photography/) 

Well-known for her minimalistic, crisp and clean photography, we absolutely love Emily for her love for the environment. She even takes back all your non-recyclable items in her studio to help you out for after your wedding!

Kim Baker-Gomez (https://kimbakerbeauty.com)

She is a Bay Area make-up artist that cares more than just your look for your big day. Known for her grand ability to flaunt your natural beauty, she also provides skin care advice for your pre-and after- skin wedding needs. She loves all things natural too, which a bonus!

Cascadia Wedding Show (https://www.cascadiaweddingshow.com)

Natasha Thom is a real trooper to be planning the first ever Sustainable Wedding Show in Vancouver! The show is this November, 2019, connect with her and get to see for self first hand what the industry has to offer when it comes to planning a sustainable wedding!

Let us know if these are helpful, and any questions you might have to planning for your perfect sustainable wedding and we can loop in with some awesome folks to try to find answers to your questions 🙂

Happy #sustainablewedding planning, you beautiful soul!