Eco Friendly Weddings in Cornwall
Welcome to our Guide about your Minimalist Eco Friendly Wedding in Cornwall. Minimalism is not about getting rid of things, instead it is about shifting our focus to what really matters, not only in your life, but in your wedding too. By eliminating all the unimportant things and by being intentional about what you choose to be part of your big day you will only include the most meaningful. For most couples it is all about celebrating just with the people who matter, surrounded by what brings you the most joy.
By choosing to have a minimalist eco friendly wedding you will be avoiding the stress associated with planning a big wedding and having a small wedding is usually a huge budget saver too. Minimalist weddings can also have a big impact, not only for you, but for our planet too if you plan it right.
Did you know, an average wedding produces 400 lbs of garbage and over 60 tons of CO2. Multiply that number by the millions of weddings that take place per year, and we’re looking at billions, yes, billions of pounds of trash, all for one single day in a person’s life. This amount of CO2 produced in just one day is the equivalent of burning over 65,000 pounds of coal. Those statistics are scary, I know, but we do have the power to change them.
If you’re choosing an elopement for two or are having only a handful of guests, that means that you won’t have one hundred or more people needing to travel to and from your wedding by car or by air, which causes huge amounts of carbon emissions. And, if you’re choosing to have your small wedding closer to home, that means you’re reducing your carbon footprint even more! If you do decide to travel, consider travelling by train, bus or car over an aeroplane, as flying produces more CO2 than one person produces in an entire year.
Keep it Low Key - Trim your party tribe
We advise our couples to make a list of their key priorities for the day and rate the must-haves against the things that you could do without. This will help you see where you can save or spend a bit more. By prioritising your wants, needs and must-haves, you can make wise choices. By thinking about your values as a couple, you can create a day that really reflects you both. Many weddings just end up being an extravagant show and are not about actually celebrating your love in front of the people who matter to you. Many couples find the pressure overwhelming and don’t enjoy being engaged. A minimalist wedding gives you a better chance of making the most of what you have and enjoying every moment without worrying too much. Keeping it simple will allow you to designate money to the more important aspects of your wedding and not worry about impressing guests or how they will judge you, it will also allow you to keep your carbon footprint small, saving the planet too. More and more engaged couples are favouring a simpler wedding, so here are our top tips to help you plan your own eco-friendly minimalist small wedding or elopement. Keep your minimalist eco friendly wedding party to a minimum. One or two people is all you need for moral support. If you are having an outdoor ‘just us- no fuss’ elopement you may decide to forgo your wedding tribe altogether.
Intentional Elopement Photography
The key to a successful minimalist wedding is Intentionality. It’s really important when choosing the different suppliers you are using, including your photographers to share your vision with them. Every couple is different and has different needs so when working with a more minimal couple, as photographers, we need to be more intentional and careful with how we capture them and their wedding day to stay true to their vision. Fortunately, this is what we do for all our couples, minimalist or not. And we do it well! Our favourite Elopement Photographer are Jo and Patrick
Have your ceremony and your reception in the same place!
To minimise cost choose a venue that can host your entire event. That way, you avoid the worry and stress of having to move guests from one place to another. To tie the knot, you just need your fiancé and a Celebrant. You can use a Humanist Wedding Celebrant in Cornwall if you plan on having a non-religious ceremony or an independent Celebrant if you would like to incorporate any spiritual symbolism and references into your wedding script. Your marriage can be legalised anytime with a quick signing appointment at your local registry office. Everything else is extra! Our favourite Wedding Celebrants Jacky & Mike
Choose sustainable fabric and sources for your outfits
When it comes to shopping for your wedding dress or suit, look for styles with clean, structured, simple lines, solid colours and soft, muted motifs. Neutral, natural colour palettes like black, navy, cream, white, or taupe work beautifully too. To keep your wedding sustainable, you can hire or rent your wedding dress, buy it on sale or second-hand shops or source it online. Oxfam, Etsy and Asos are good places to look. Remember to start your search early. You can make the most of treasured family jewels, brooches, pendants by using these items to create and build your outfit around. You can also wear a wedding dress with an illusion neckline or longer sleeves to minimise the need for any jewellery to maintain a minimalist look. Take advantage of the mix-and-match trend by choosing the colour palette and let your attendants have the freedom to pick their own outfits. Your bridal party will feel better about spending money on an outfit they can wear again.
Flowers, florals, foliage and fancy bouquets
The bride’s bouquet, the groom’s boutonniere, flower arches or aisle arrangements at the wedding ceremony, and centrepieces for the receptions can amount to thousands of flowers that, at the end of the night, can just get tossed in the trash. By choosing to elope, or have a minimalist elopement wedding you’re taking that number from thousands to merely dozens so if flowers and foliage is on your list of your must-haves, we recommend choosing just one type of flower to showcase. Big blooms like peonies, orchids, roses in a similar shade arranged singularly or displayed in large groups look amazing. Silk and dried flowers can look surprisingly good with the minimalist aesthetic! For those who love the organic trend, replace your flowers with lush foliage, ferns, bamboo and graceful trailing greenery. Frame your ceremony with delicate strands of ivy or lay lush, leafy runners across the tables for a simple-yet-sophisticated look. Beautiful bouquets don’t have to be made from exotic expensive blooms. Simple, yet stunning bouquets can be created with wild flowers like daisies. fragrant herbs like rosemary and lavender for a unique looking bouquet. If you are flexible, work with what you find on the day before the wedding, and design your bouquet around it. Another option is to use silk flowers or faux flowers to create a beautiful and different bouquet which includes a mixture of wild and fresh flowers in a loose and wild kind of arrangement instead. This style works well for everything from the bride’s bouquet to corsages/boutonnieres to all the floral decorations around the venue. Our favourite wedding florist
Sustainable Ethical extras, Beautiful Rings
Remember there are eco-friendly options for just about everything including Confetti, Wedding Favours and Gifts. Request that your guests donate to a favourite charity instead of buying you gifts that you may not need. Choose green wedding favours like plants, flower seeds or pretty sachets of locally sourced tea or coffee that will be useful and usable for your guests.
Beautiful Rings
Ethically sourced, beautiful gemstones and diamonds are available for you to choose from too. Our favourite Contemporary jewellery manufacturer, Justin and his team create stunning pieces that are part of Cornwall, literally. The pieces are inspired and created by their love of the ocean and the rugged landscape.Visit Justins Website
Think about the parts of a wedding that you’ll be most likely to remember like sharing a toast with your closest loved ones, dancing together as newly-weds, and the moment you both say “I do!” and share your first kiss. If you can focus on how you want your day to feel and not on what the day will look like, it will help you avoid the pressure to overspend in areas that are all about appearances. By taking the necessary steps, anyone can reduce their carbon footprint. Remember that no matter how small the gesture is, the impact can be astronomical, especially if we all do our part.
When you remove all the excess from your wedding, you’re able to focus on what actually matters and what’s truly important for you. And that is each other!!
Reasons to have an Eco Friendly Minimalist Wedding in Cornwall
For Couples who want a no-frills minimalist eco friendly outdoor wedding in Cornwall with a truly minimal backdrop, a “blank canvas” wedding venue is the way to go, making Industrial spaces a popular choice. Minimalist Eco Friendly Wedding, Minimalist Eco Friendly Wedding, Minimalist Eco Friendly Wedding
Keep your guest list minimal
Fewer guests means less food and drinks, less tables and chairs, less centrepieces, less wedding favours and less plastics and waste too! This is good news for your wallet and your budget. Your wedding budget increases proportionally the more guests you invite so keep your guest list small and invite only immediate family, close friends and those who you really want at your wedding. This will ensure your intimate wedding will require less work and hours to plan, but will give you more quality time with your special guests you have invited! Don’t forget if you have a tech-savvy guest at your outdoor elopement or small venue wedding, you can invite unlimited guests to your wedding with live stream technology. Cornwall Wedding Photographer
Minimalist Eco Friendly Wedding
Minimalist Wedding Deco – Wedding Photographer Cornwall
By picking a location that looks great naturally, you will not need much in the way of decor so when it comes to selecting, purchasing, or DIY-ing your decorations, you won’t need to outlay much to make it look good. Wedding Photographer Cornwall, Wedding Photographer Cornwall, Wedding Photographer Cornwall
Keep the focus on you by choosing a no-frills backdrop for your ceremony, something versatile, like a simple arch made of pampas grass or a simple geometric structure. Because they are unfussy and elegant as a focal point, it works for both the ceremony and doubles up as a makeshift photo area for guests or a frame surrounding your wedding cake table..Minimalist weddings work best with a neutral colour palette but using white doesn’t have to be boring. Luxurious textures, rich velvet fabrics, shiny greenery, smooth metallics and geometric shapes look stunning and add visual interest to your look.To be eco-friendly and sustainable, limit the décor to what is available seasonally and locally, and try to DIY for a pocket-friendly choice. Look at Pinterest to find creative ideas to make the most of simple décor items that you can find at budget shops. Consider alternatives to flowers, like silk flowers, potted plants, beeswax or soy candles, berries, fruits and vegetables to make attractive but inexpensive centrepieces and decorations.
Small Elopement Wedding Venues with all-inclusive packages can usually provide lots of other services and recommended suppliers, not just the event space, like catering, alcohol, staff, rentals, cake and guest accommodation. Wedding costs are reduced on weekdays and during the off-peak-season. If you have your wedding between December and February, it will be easier to book the venue you want and your other wedding suppliers too, as it is not the wedding season.
