Your green wedding

Photo: Lara Wiseman Daniel

MAKING ECO-CONSCIOUS CHOICES FOR YOUR WEDDING DOESN’T HAVE TO BE HARD. IN FACT, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT IT WILL SAVE YOU TIME AND MONEY. NICOLE BULL OF PENNY LANE STUDIO SHARES A FEW IDEAS TO HELP KEEP YOUR BLUE MOUNTAINS WEDDING GREEN.

INVITATIONS
Invitations set the tone of your wedding and using recycled paper stationery can be the first step to ensuring your big day will have little impact on the environment. Marigold Mountain hand makes recycled paper stationery locally using native plant-based dyes.

Alternatively, a digital invite with an email or phone RSVP is a cost-saving and eco-friendly choice. Email invitations are great for those who have lots of guests coming from overseas and also take care of the time-consuming task of collating postal addresses. Local designer Mount Vic and Me can provide a jpeg or email-format invitation, allowing you to avoid the use of paper, printing and envelopes.
This also makes RSVPs super easy, with guests responding by simply hitting the ‘reply’ button.

For tech-savvy couples, setting up a wedding website that provides additional information such as a location map, parking, accommodation suggestions and gift registry also means less paper consumption and no printing costs. Squarespace offers templates to get you started and Minted can supply a website that matches your paper invites.

HIRE OR BORROW
Renting reduces cost and supports the eco mantra: ‘reduce-reuse-recycle’. Hiring suits for all the boys is probably the obvious and most sensible eco-choice for dressing your wedding party. Ferrari Formal Wear in Penrith offers a suit-hire service for men of all shapes and sizes.

If you choose a mix-and-match theme for bridesmaids, you could consider renting their dresses. Super-cute vintage clothing company Dressed Up (located in Sydney’s CBD and available online) delivers a selection of unique designer cocktail gowns and dresses to ‘rent, dress up and return’, ensuring there is no expense wasted on a once-worn piece.

Hiring décor can save you loads of time and money sourcing, purchasing, cleaning, prepping and packing the props yourself. At Penny Lane Studio we offer a range of beautiful décor, vases, furniture, linens and other props in a variety of styles. You can pick up the props from the warehouse and DIY the setup yourself or engage our stylist to set up and pack down.

Blue Mountains Special Event Hire offers marquees, cutlery, crockery, chairs and tables for local weddings that require support with infrastructure and catering hire.

Start by checking with your venue to see what can be provided – many have a cupboard filled with signage, props, games and decorations left behind by previous couples or have their own supply of linen, glasses, plates and cutlery.
Remember, always choose reusable over disposable.

Image: Lara Wiseman Daniel

EMBRACE ECO FLOWER POWER
An increasing number of Blue Mountains floral designers are choosing to supply eco-friendly blooms. Local farmer florist, Floral by Nature, grows its own chemical-free flowers, reducing the environmental impact of non-organic and imported flowers.

Blue Mountains Floral Designs also shuns imported and artificially coloured flowers. The company chooses natural materials where possible to reduce the use of non-biodegradable products such as floral foam and cable ties, and can deliver wedding flowers, post event, to local nursing homes and hospitals, sharing the good vibes with those who could do with a little cheering up.

Re-using flowers from your ceremony at your reception saves waste and providing brown paper and twine for your
guests to bundle the flowers up at the end of the celebration makes for lovely mementoes.

Potted flowers such as orchids and succulents are on trend for table settings and make a stylish statement. You can keep
them afterwards or gift them to your guests.

GO FOR A NATURAL GLOW
If you’re super conscious about what goes on your skin or in your hair, Tania Bowers from Wild Botanik is the hair and make-up professional to book. A Blue Mountains artist of many talents with a genuine environmental conscience, Tania uses organic products to highlight your natural radiance.

Photo: Jennifer Leahy, Silversalt Weddings

CATER WITH A CONSCIENCE
Grazing tables are a popular alternative to a canapé service or plated entrée – they reduce the quantity of vessels required for food service and encourage your guests to mingle that little bit longer. Picnics by Hannah can style an impressive table of local fruits, nuts, cheeses, crackers and dips for your guests to graze on prior to being seated for the main course. You may also consider a dessert table – there’s less waste, less plate hire and less washing up!

Ask your caterer to include local, ethically produced food and wine in the menu to reduce food miles and promote sustainable farming, and consider how the company manages food waste and recycling, and whether eco-friendly cleaning products are used. Local wineries and cider producers include Dryridge Estate, Megalong Creek Estate and Hillbilly Cider.

Photo: Sarah Moore 

CATCH THE TRAVEL BUG
Encourage friends to carpool to your wedding destination or arrange a bus service to deliver guests from a central meeting point to the venue and back again. Transport options from Fantastic Aussie Tours include 12-seater coaches, a vintage 1947 Clipper bus and even an authentic London double-decker bus.

DO THE GLOBE A FAVOUR
Spoil your guests with delicious locally made favours. Choose from Fair Trade-certified delights by Josophan’s Fine Chocolates, individual servings of muesli by Whisk & Pin, mini jars of tea from the Blue Mountains Tea Company or pots of Malfroy’s Gold pure
Australian honey. Or have a go at making them yourself!