“I love thee – I love thee,
‘Tis all that I can say
It is my vision in the night,
My dreaming in the day”
~Thomas Hood

I wanted to share with you a few examples of the simple sustainable touches I incorporated into my own wedding ceremony and reception. These additions really helped, not only to save money, but to create a very special and personalised atmosphere. I’m very biased but I think it all turned out stunningly beautiful 😉

Firstly, Ryan and I wanted to keep cut flowers to a minimum, selecting native and locally-sourced species. Our florist was amazing, producing vibrant bouquets and button-holes showcasing Australia’s eye-catching flora!

One of our decorative themes were stars, so you can imagine how excited I was when I came across star-shaped eco-confetti!

Each star is made from 100% biodegradable rice paper. We poured the stars into reusable cardboard cones and placed them on the chairs for people to use at the end of the ceremony. I also put some aside for my flower girl to throw as she walked down the aisle – to her utter delight!

It might sound crazy but I actually found my dress in the first 3 hours of wedding dress shopping in the first store I visited! I fell head over heels for my 1950s vintage beauty by renowned designer William Cahill with its exquisite hand-stitched flowers.

Of course our shoes were both vegan, as was Ryan’s belt!

Two of my astoundingly talented bridesmaids hand-crafted dresses for themselves and my two other bridesmaids, using locally-sourced materials. To fit in with my vintage dress, they worked from a 1950s pattern.

For my insanely adorable pageboy who is currently obsessed with all things Iron Man, I ordered a special handmade bow-tie from Look For Me Bowties.

To decorate the reception tables I alternated succulents potted in sweet little silver buckets with tea light candles on top of a hessian runner. The succulents, created by the amazing 2Petals Floral Design, doubled as my bonbonniere for each guest to take home and enjoy.

Also throughout the room we’d strewn wheat-grass planted in repurposed glass jars and upcycled pianola scrolls with LED lights inside (prepared by my friends and classmates from the Centre for Sustainability Leadership).

After the best evening of our lives – family and friends were taken home in a bus we’d hired to get them all home safely 🙂 x