My top five organic wedding tips
Planning a wedding can be exhausting. But there are lots of simple things you can do to show your love for organic and share it with your guests. Take a look at these top tips from our newly-wed Business Development Manager, Alison Muirhead.
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It’s been 6 weeks since our wedding and I’ve finally managed to regain my powers of concentration - mostly due to a serious reduction of wedding blog browsing!
We had been planning the day for a year and a half, somehow managing to leap from the small-ish party in a hall I'd originally had in mind to a rather large-ish celebration in the heart of Edinburgh.
Decisions and priorities changed as we chatted to family and friends (and attended the odd hipster wedding show).
But one thing remained at the heart of many of our decisions: we wanted to source as many things as possible organically while keeping to a budget and satisfying many tastes.
If you're about to begin the process yourself, here are my top tips:
1. Pick your priorities
I’ve a lovely memory of being a bridesmaid at my friend’s wedding and having my nose firmly stuck in my bouquet for most of the day, so the flowers were a top organic priority for my own big day. Luckily, we managed to find a very talented florist who was able to source gorgeous organic flowers, and the range available was impressive. So my face was in my flowers throughout the day once again, and to top it off there was blossom on the trees as we wandered around the gardens in the sunshine for our photos.
2. Spread the love
Organic favours are a fantastic way to get your guests on board. We gave out organic seeds in cute little brown envelopes and they went down an absolute storm. We’ve had a small flood of photos since from guests who planted them and are showing off their progress. It was a great (and thrifty) gesture that chimed with our love for nature.
3. Cake!
Can I call cake a top tip? Our cakes were beautiful, home-made by a friend from some delicious organic ingredients and without huge amounts of icing and marzipan. We ended up having three different kinds, spread on the table looking bountiful and informal. Getting the right cake was surprisingly difficult; my advice would be to go simple and seek out talented friends. They were one of the highlights of the day for me, made just how I like them!
4. Be(e) creative
My wonderful and talented sister painted three bees to go on our invitations – they were one of the loveliest elements of the run-up to the day. Wildlife is an important part of what organic means to me, and the artwork was the perfect way to show it. It’s been wonderful (and already nostalgic for me, just six weeks on) to go by friends and family members’ houses and see our bees on their walls, fridges or mantelpieces.
5. Don't be afraid to ask
Despite feeling a bit sheepish about it to begin with, by the end of the wedding process I was a pro at asking what came from where - from beauty products to catering. On the food front in particular, it was really important to me to accommodate our different guests’ needs, while satisfying our love of interesting flavours and keeping good eye on all the ingredients. Our caterers were delighted that we took such an interest and were extremely passionate and helpful. So don't be shy - ask!
Well, to sum up, do what you can to make your wedding an expression of you and your values, as well as your tastes - so much, is possible. But most of all, don’t panic and enjoy the day. Take time to drink in all the lovely well wishes.
Best of luck if you’re planning your own wedding - or supporting a slightly frazzled person who is - I hope these tips give you some help and organic inspiration!
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Photos by Lauren McGlynn
