Think an eco-wedding means you need to compromise on the creativity or vision for your big day? Oh girl (or boy), do we have some heartening news for you.

It’s simply not the case, as we discovered from chatting to the team at Less Stuff – More Meaning. These clever women are the brains behind Mindfully Wed – a wedding fair for conscious couples that are keen to have a stylish big day that doesn’t cost the earth (literally).

We’ll hand over to Sandra Henri, Founder of Less Stuff – More Meaning, to share some seriously achievable eco wedding trends.

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It all starts with getting a Keep Cup. From there on in it’s a slippery slope. You become a label reader. You know, those people that linger in the supermarket aisles checking if it’s palm oil free and fair trade. Then you’ll start separating your plastics and making special trips to Coles just to use their overflowing recycling bin. Before you know it, you’ll be picking up rubbish at the beach and ranting about how many fish could have choked on that. Or is that just me?

Jokes aside, thankfully for our earth, we’re all becoming a little more eco-conscious these days. We’ve seen enough social media memes and watched enough episodes of War on Waste to know that we’re using way more resources than our planet can provide us with.

So what does all of this mean for the world of weddings?

A wedding is the celebration of the love we share with our favourite human, and our nearest and dearest. It’s one of the few rites of passage and meaningful rituals that remain in our modern culture and it’s often the only time that an entire community will gather from all over the globe. It’s also a heap of fun!

Yet we’d like to deepen the meaning of a wedding a little further.

A wedding can be a vibrant way to express your values as a couple, making a statement about what is most important to you. It’s also an opportunity to gather support and give a voice to a cause you feel passionate about.

Being mindful of the impact your wedding has on our earth and the makers, is a great start.

With this in mind, welcome to the concept of the eco-ethical wedding: a celebration of your love for each other and all humans.

So how can we reduce the footprint of our wedding, and ensure we have sourced ethically and consciously? It’s easier than you think. As our awareness around these issues arise, the solutions emerge quite organically. In fact, there is a growing community of sustainably and ethically focussed wedding suppliers who are doing some innovative things around reducing waste, and sourcing clean, fair and cruelty free.

1. Flowers – grown not flown

This was one that came as quite a surprise to use when we first heard about it. A huge proportion of flowers available at the market have been imported, grown in developing countries. How on earth do they last the distance? Through quite prolific use of chemicals, and even genetic engineering to reduce the smell of flowers as this preserves their shelf life.

What’s really exciting is the number of farmer-florists popping up locally, as well as florists who specialise in foraged florals. This a is a great way to make a connection directly with the grower and maker, significantly reducing your footprint as well as waste.

We recommend letting your florist know the style and colour palette you are looking for, and then give them the freedom to create around this using only locally sourced and sustainable flowers (also, an insider’s tip… foliage will generally be Australian-grown as it’s just too heavy to import).

Or for a zero waste option, source living plant hire for your floral decor.

2. The dress – sustainable fabrics

If we’re going to take from the earth for something we’re likely to only wear once, it makes sense that we do so as kindly as possible. Enter organic cotton and linen into the wedding space. Sounds dreamy right? We’ve seen these gowns and yes, they are as comfy as they sound.

Traditional fabrics can be incredibly polluting and also cause issues for the agricultural workers involved, so having more natural options available for a wedding dress is a big tick from us (hint…come along to Mindfully Wed to meet the only designer currently using these fabrics).

3. Hair and make up – no nasties

If you’re on the journey to more clean and sustainable living, you’ll likely also have started hunting for more natural beauty products along the way. Thankfully, there are increasingly more options when looking for hair and makeup artists that share your values.

A natural beauty specialist will have cleaned out their entire kit of products that were tested on animals (sadly many brands still do) and started again with products they’ve trialled themselves. H&MUA’s who specialise in natural, cruelty-free, organic or vegan beauty are in high demand so we recommend booking early for your wedding.

Consumers have been sending a strong message that we won’t support animal testing and the industry is responding. Go you!

4. Rings – ethical and fair trade

Rings are a symbol of love and so it’s worth doing some extra research when it comes to selecting your engagement and weddings rings. As the saying goes “There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness” – Mahatma Gandhi.

The production of jewellery is multi layered, as each stage of the process has an impact on the environment and the workers involved. Even gems sourced from Australia will likely have travelled overseas to be cut and sent back here. So finding a jeweller who has spent the time to research the many stages of their supply chain is particularly important.

Here are some questions to get you started when finding a jeweller:

• Has this gem come from a conflict free zone?
• Has the gold been sourced from Australia or another country where the process is controlled and mechanised? If no, is that local community being supported by fair-trade?
• Are we able to re-purpose existing jewellery into a new bespoke piece?

5. Catering – zero waste

It’s no secret that there is typically a lot left over at the end of a wedding, such as food from people’s plates, leftover food, alcohol bottles and disposables. How your venue approaches these issues will vary so don’t be afraid to ask. Does the venue compost their leftovers? Are they open to donating leftovers to OzHarvest ? When enough couples ask, businesses will listen.

For more information on Mindfully Wed (dates, location, the usual), head to lessstuffmoremeaning.org/mindfully-wed-events. We’ll see you there.

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Credits: Gown Lenka Couture // Rings RUUSK // Photography Sandra Henri // Decor Rell & Co // Florals Dancing Blossom Studio //  Catering Dan The Man // Makeup Liv Lundelius // Hair Blown Away Hair Spa // Plant styling Pop Up Gardens