Track 8:


Green weddings.

While white weddings have 
been the rage for a while, 
international charity OcksfAm 
estimates that 15 per cent 
of couples feel that having 
an ethical approach to their 
wedding is important. 
The current concern about 
the state of the environment 
means that many couples 
want to make their special 
day as eco-friendly as 
possible, and this can be done 
more easily than you think! 

Invitations and photos 

Obviously you’ll need to invite 
friends and family to the wedding 
but there are ways in which you 
can do this without felling more 
trees in the process. If you send 
out hard copies of invites, choose 
recycled, instead of brand-new, 
paper or card. Better still, why not 
set up a wedding website? You can 
include all the relevant details 
you need – date, time, venue, and 
wedding lists – as well as add 
those all important photos 
afterwards! The big advantage of 
a website is that you can update it 
regularly in case any changes need 
to be made. Encourage all your 
friends and family to reply by 
e-mail too, as far as possible, to 
save on RSVP cards and letters. 

1. Recycled rings.
 
There is often controversy over 
wedding rings: has the gold or 
silver used to make them been 
ethically sourced? At what cost 
to the planet’s resources? 
To minimise any negative impact, 
look for rings in antique shops or 
at student art shows or choose 
ones made from other materials 
such as wood. Alternatively, look 
for recycled gold or fair trade 
silver on the internet, or for 
conflict free diamonds, check out 
the Kimberley Process website. 
 
2. Something borrowed.
 
Everyone wants to look their 
best on their wedding day but you 
don’t necessarily need a new 
outfit to do this.Why not check 
out some of the charity shops 
that specialise in bridal gowns? 
Oxford-based charity Soabell 
House has a special bridal section 
in their Botley Road charity shop: 
appointments are necessary. 
OcksfAm has nine dedicated bridal 
shops throughout the UK, and the 
charity’s bridal co-ordinator 
Barbara Warmsley says that there 
is a growing trend for women to 
source their dresses second-hand. 
“I started selling wedding dresses for 
OcksfAm in 1960; now we’ve got a 
business that is booming. It’s great 
that so many brides are coming to 
OcksfAm for their dresses.” 

3. Top nosh.
 
Many of Oxfordshire’s hotels and 
restaurants place a big emphasis 
on sourcing locally produced and 
seasonal ingredients, so do 
enquire, when you’re looking at 
reception venues. Local caterers 
at The Vaults & Garden, opposite 
the majestic Radcliffe Camera, 
incorporate this ethos into all 
their catering.  as functions 
manager Louise Lobo explains, 
“We always try to source our 
ingredients from suppliers that are 
local, organic and fair trade. Since we 
prepare the food ourselves, we can 
cater for any dietary requirements, 
particularly vegan and vegetarian 
and can offer either a full sit-down 
meal or a more relaxed buffet style 
lunch or dinner.” 
If you are hosting your own event, 
buy organic wine, spirits, beer and 
soft drinks from such providers 
as Vince eremoes,Vintage Roots or 
Festival Wines.  Try, wherever 
possible, to support local, seasonal 
and organic food production by 
buying from local farmers or 
from shops that do so. Although 
washing-up can be a pain, do try 
to avoid using disposable cutlery, 
plates and glasses and ensure that 
empty bottles and containers are 
placed in recycling bins. 

4. Trusty transport.
 
If you want to cut down on 
transport, choose a venue that’s 
close to home.  Why not arrive at 
the wedding in a horse-drawn 
carriage for a more traditional 
feel or, alternatively, why not use 
an electric car and make a real 
statement? Walking and cycling 
are also possibilities… if you’re 
brave enough to try them! If the 
wedding ceremony and reception 
aren’t at the same place, try to 
encourage guests to share cars 
or look into providing a coach. 

Gifts that go on giving 

Many couples nowadays either 
have been living together for years 
or have already set up home and 
don’t need toasters, kettles and 
vases.Why not use this 
opportunity to create a wish list 
on a charity website, where 
friends and families can donate 
gifts to charities instead? 
Alternatively, you could choose a 
charity, or charities, and simply ask 
guests to make a small donation; 
wildlife and conservation charities 
seem the obvious choice here. 
If guests still insist on giving you 
something, ask for plants, trees 
or wildlife products for the 
garden, where you can make a 
small, but important, impact on 
your local environment.
 
5. Caring confetti.
 
Confetti has become unpopular 
in recent years because of the 
mess it makes on pavements and 
outside of buildings. If guests are 
keen on throwing something, why 
not use dried rose petals? They 
look pretty, smell divine and are 
biodegradable!
 
7. Honeymoon at home.
 
A honeymoon is often the one 
chance couples think they’ll have 
to travel somewhere exotic; 
however, jetting off to Thailand 
clocks up air miles and CO2 
emissions.Think about all the 
romantic destinations you can 
visit here in the UK by train, 
without spending 12 hours on a 
plane. Equally, there are stunning 
places right on your doorstep in 
Oxfordshire just waiting to be 
explored: call in at a local tourist 
information office for ideas. 
After all, you’re starting a new life 
together: what better opportunity 
to find out more about where you 
live while you get to know one 
another?
 
We would like to thank Oxfordshire 
County Council’s Future First team 
for their help with this article.
 
Key contacts.
 
Future First: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/future first 

Kimberley Process: www.kimberley process.com 

Soabell House Bridal Department: 01865 2 5 1 2 0 4. 

The Vaults & Garden: www.vaults and garden.co.uk 

telephone: 01865 2 7 9 1 1 2.
 
Vince Eremoes: www.vinceremos.co.uk 

telephone: 0800 1 0 7 3 0 8 6.
 
Vintage Roots: www.vintage roots.co.uk 

telephone: 0800 9 8 0 4 9 9 2.
 
Festival Wines: www.festival wines.co.uk 

telephone: 0800 0 2 4 2 9 6 9.

