Here goes…

1. No more ‘supposed to’

…says Ariel Meadow Stallings, the Offbeat Bride who had a ‘bridentity crisis’ on getting engaged:

“Suddenly I was supposed to care about floral arrangements and classical quartets.  Suddenly I was supposed to like poufy white dresses and showing off jewelry.  Suddenly I was supposed to buy five-hundred-page glossy magazines and take a strong interest in decorative bows for the backs of rented chairs.”

Happily it didn’t take Ariel too long to realise that she didn’t have to be someone else on her wedding day.

“Once I realized that we could craft the wedding that we wanted (and not what others expected), the whole process got a lot easier.  There was no need to read the glossy magazines for ideas – I already knew what I cared about.  The issue was just figuring out how to share that with my friends and family in a way that everyone could enjoy.”

A bonus of this approach in our book (which we haven’t written yet – watch this space!) is that it tends to make your special day a whole lot cheaper and greener.

2. Embrace the Retro Wedding

Jen Marsden of Green Guide for Weddings reckons that our current retromania could be a blessing for the planet.  Jen says:

“When 900,000 million items of perfectly good clothing, shoes and accessories are thrown away these days it makes sense keeping stuff that will become popular again […]. 

“Whilst not suggesting that the bridegroom wears his 1980s hideously patterned shell suit to the altar there are some class pieces from the 1950s […] Think Sinatra, Martin and the crooners – if their style still looks good then so can yours.

“Vintage doesn’t have to be expensive.  Beyond Retro opened in 2000 in a warehouse in East London where they sell a wide range of vintage clothing and accessories for men and women.  Their vintage wedding items are available from £18 to £120 and they sell vintage veils, silk flowers, headpieces and shoes [too].”

If you’re going to buy vintage online, heed these words of wisdom from Wenona Napolitano of The Everything Green Wedding Book:

“Ask what condition the gown is in, how fragile the material is, and whether the dress is wearable (some people just collect vintage gowns they don’t plan to wear).  Above all, do not rely on sizes.  Get measurements.  Sizes mean nothing in vintage gowns because they don’t even come close to modern size charts. […] Over time, people have gotten taller and thicker […].  Vintage styles are often very small and are made for shorter women.  Make sure you have accurate measurements of yourself.”

Wenona shares more tips on choosing a vintage gown in her article for Ethical Weddings: “Totally vintageous – search for an eco chic wedding gown”

We say, for more vintage inspiration and bargains, head to one of the many vintage fairs going on in 2012 – we’ve a growing list here (among other ethical, green and alternative wedding events).

3. Take your vows in a green church

If you’re going for a traditional church wedding, that’s no reason to stop asking your green questions.  Jen says:

“Now that churches have gained their fair trade status, they are looking at the whole green cycle – from procurement to combating climate change.

“There are now over 100 churches in the UK that promise to include environmental considerations daily into their prayers, as set out by the organisation, Eco Congregation.  With activists amongst its clergy, The Green Church of the Year (awarded by Church Times in 2007) went to the Holy Trinity in Cleeve, Somerset.”

• See more Green Church Award winners
• Find out about the Church of England’s National Environmental Campaign, Shrinking the Footprint
• Visit the Eco Congregation website

4. Think outside the vase

When it comes to weddings, flowers can be a pesticide-ridden, carbon-hungry minefield.  So it’s useful to try a little lateral thinking.  One bride, Danielle, shares her floral story in Organic Weddings: Balancing Ecology, Style and Tradition by Michelle Kozin:

“I wanted organic, locally grown flowers for my late-fall wedding but none of the florists in the area were interested in helping me because it would be just past the local growing season.

“I approached a woman selling flowers at a local farmer’s market about doing dried bouquets and arrangements from her summer flowers that dried well.  She had never done a wedding before but was really excited to have the opportunity.

“Everything looked beautiful and very unique!”

Michelle also gives tips on growing your own flowers, and suggests reusing your arrangements by moving them from the ceremony to the reception and then to your local hospital or nursing home, choosing potted plants for centrepieces that can be given as gifts and replanted, and using fabric flowers or vintage pins instead of boutonnieres and corsages.

5. Have your organic cake and eat it too

If you’re making your own cake, Michelle suggests simply taking a traditional recipe and substituting organic ingredients.  If you’re not feeling up to the role of master baker for your wedding day, she says:

“If you are searching for an organic baker, but can’t locate one, ask a conventional baker if they are willing to purchase organic and natural ingredients for your cake.  Even if only half of the ingredients can be organic, go for it.  Half is better than none.

“You may find a baker who is interested in helping you and in learning to source ingredients for an organic cake.  Local health and natural food stores in your area should carry necessary baking products.”

6. Get a little bit crafty

The Everything Green Wedding Book’s Wenona is a big fan of handmade nuptials and she believes wedding DIY is one way for a couple to get even closer in the run-up to their marriage.

“Green couples really seem to be in touch with the DIY wedding by planting flowers or growing fresh herbs in pots to give away as favors, or by making handmade paper for their invitations.

“Making beautiful handcrafted elements for your wedding as a couple is a wonderful way to bond and spend quality time together while planning your big day. 

“It is also a great way to relax and de-stress in the midst of planning a large event.  Chances are you are extremely busy , hustling around between appointments, fittings, and normal day-to-day living.  Crafting is a way to slow down and concentrate on absolutely nothing but the task at hand.”

7. Have a cyberdelic wedding

Mireya Navarro, New York Times Style correspondent and author of Green Wedding – Planning your eco-friendly celebration has a solution for couples who are hankering after a big wedding with all their friends and family but don’t want the carbon (or financial) cost: live streaming.

Mireya says:

“A wedding webcast may sound kind of fringe, but it allows you to cut down your guest list and still have all of your loved ones be part of the event (kind of). […]

“One company, www.WebcastMyWedding.net, has technicians who can travel to your wedding to take care of the webcast […] The company also allows you to handle the webcast yourself for a fraction of the price […].  The owner, Ariel J. Andres […] says that all couples need for the live streaming is a video camera, a laptop, and a high-speed Internet connection.  After reserving a webcast channel, a couple can create their webpage and e-mail invitations with the time and date of the event so that guests know when to log on.”

For obvious reasons this approach is particularly popular for destination weddings but Mireya also gives the example of a couple who, “wanted to save money, so they had only eight relatives and close friends at their wedding in Santa Monica, California, but broadcast the beach ceremony to more than one hundred online guests.”

8. Be a green inspiration, not a green bore

So you’re having a green wedding but should you tell your guests or wait to dazzle them with your eco chic style when they ask you where you got your fabulous (charity shop actually) wedding dress or your (made them ourselves from organic cotton and home-grown lavender) favours?

New York Times Style guru, Mireya says:

“The wedding offers a chance to educate friends and relatives not yet clued in to terms like ‘post-consumer recycled paper,’ but how can you do this without a Power Point presentation between courses?

“Kelly Nichols and Alan Puccinelli of California used their wedding website to show ‘How we’re being eco-friendly’. It explained that the venue composted on-site.  It mentioned the organic menu and the bio-degradable wood stir-sticks for drinks.  And under ‘What can you do?’ it included tips such as ‘ride our chartered bus’ and ‘wear a dress you already own’.”

9. Drink and be merry

Kate L. Harrison, author of The Green Bride Guide has these tips for a sustainable tipple to celebrate your newly-wed status:

“If you live in an area that grows wine, it is nice to support a local vineyard.  If you are having a vineyard wedding, the wine will probably be part of the package, but even if you are having your wedding somewhere else, you can ask for or provide locally grown wine.”

And do opt for organic if you can…

“Grapes are one of the most pesticide-heavy crops in the world. […] Organic wine is made from grapes that have been grown without the use of chemical pesticides, fertilizer, and herbicides. 

“Most organic wines also have fewer suliftes, because they cannot add additional preservatives, which is good for people who are prone to wine headaches.”

(We say: so your guests will thank you for it the next day too!)

10. Don’t forget to smile

We like Kate’s easy-to-action tip on the photography front.  Go digital.  She says:

“Although some photographers are still wed to film-based photography (and may try to convince you it is better), digital technology has evolved to the point that the vast majority of professional photographers […] use digital cameras.

“Film processing requires toxic chemicals, takes a long time, costs more, and does not yield higher-quality results.  By staying digital, your photographer can quickly and easily delete unwanted images, provide you with proofs, color correct, and post all of the photos on the web.  With digital photography, only the pictures you want are printed, saving additional resources.”

She finishes with the recommendation that green couples ditch the disposable cameras.  It’s common sense as nearly everyone has a digital camera these days – there is absolutely no need to give your guests even more of an excuse to become paparazzi for the day.

11. Think location, location, location

Suzan St Maur in How to get married in green: Have an eco-friendly wedding without compromising on style has a useful check list of things to consider when looking for a suitably green wedding venue:

• Avoid choosing a location abroad, even if you’re combining wedding and honeymoon.
• Pick a location that’s easily accessed by the majority of your guests.
• Organise a “park & ride” arrangement for guests, especially if the location is far from home.
• Pick a location that’s easily accessed by public transport.
• Choose a reception location within as short a distance as possible of the ceremony location.
• Think twice about having your reception at home if you have to bring in all facilities.
• If having a civil  wedding, arrange ceremony and reception in same location.
• Ensure reception location has a proper recycling policy.
• Ensure reception location catering uses local, preferably organic produce.
• See if you can “double up” with other couples getting married at around the same time, for things like flowers and decorations.

12. Tuck in with a difference

The format for a wedding has become rather fixed in recent years: ceremony, reception with sit-down meal, dancing until the early hours with more food (even though everybody is still full to bursting from the huge reception meal which inevitably finished hours later than it was supposed to).

But it wasn’t always like that – my parents married in the 1970s, had the ceremony, a lunch with friends and family and then headed off on their honeymoon to Northumberland… in November.  Simpler times!

Suzan offers us some refreshing alternatives to today’s standard wedding timetable:

“Brunch receptions – From a green point of view they are helpful because they are held from late morning to early afternoon, so requiring less in the way of artificial light.  From a catering point of view they can encompass pretty well anything you like,  from organic free range eggs and locally-cured bacon on locally made organic toasted bread… to a full lunch menu.  The style is less formal than the traditional afternoon/evening reception, and there is usually less alcohol consumption. […]

“Tea receptions – This may seem like a quirky idea but it does cut back on the cost of food and drink and is a lovely variant […] Food wise you serve everything you would at a formal tea party, which in this case can be produced from locally sourced and made sandwiches, cakes, pastries and sweets. Organic tea is the main drink which can be supplemented by alcohol if required.  The time frame for this type of reception is mid-afternoon until early evening […]”

We would also suggest that the less formal and traditional style of these receptions alters guests’ expectations which could take off the pressure if you or your friends and family fancy taking on some of the catering yourselves.

Phew.  So there you have it – 12 top tips for 2012 weddings from our green wedding gurus.  A big thank you to all of them for their wise words.

If you have more fantastic, eco-friendly tips that you really shouldn’t keep to yourself, please share them in the comments below.

Happy planning!

Katie

What next?

• Sign up to receive our monthly Ethical Weddings newsletter
• Search the Ethical Weddings Suppliers Directory
• Read real ethical wedding stories

We’ve tested (though disappointingly not tasted) the links and all seems to be in working order but no doubt there are numerous cupcake newcomers keen to compete with the old hands so if you know of one, or if you are one, leave us a comment at the end of the post (or better still, a free cupcake!).

All hail the cupcake

My original title was ‘All hail the humble cupcake’ but that just seemed wrong.  The cupcake isn’t humble, it’s proud, loud and showy (even if it’s small) and it knows its moment has come.

This delectable triumph of baking has been bumbling along for years in the floury wilderness and you can enjoy endless arguments on the difference between cupcakes and fairy cakes and the exact proportions of icing to sponge (and sparkly bits) required to place them in the correct cake camp… but the fact remains, the cute little cupcake has hit the big time.

The Guardian says so (‘The rise of the cupcake’ Jan 09), The Times says so (‘Cupcakes have gone cool’ Feb 09) and any couple planning their wedding right now absolutely knows so.

But what’s that got to do with ethical weddings? I hear you ask.  Two reasons for starters:

1. The cupcake has risen to fame at a time when we’re all more aware of where our food comes from and what goes into it (or hopefully doesn’t go into it when we’re talking battery farmed eggs and artificial colors and preservatives).  This means that bakers hoping to compete on the cupcake front should make sure their little beauties are packed full of organic, locally-sourced ingredients and natural colorings only.

2. A few batches of cupcakes – while they may not look as fancy as a professional effort – are much easier to DIY than a huge cake to serve 100+ guests.  This option gives you complete control over what goes in and what stays out of the recipe, you can save a few pennies, and it’s flexible – an extra unexpected guest? Chuck another cupcake in the oven!

So, in the cause of investigative journalism, I will now take a tour (though sadly not a taste – at least not for all of them!) of our current top cupcake contenders…

1. Angel Food Bakery, Brighton

Nice and close to home, I have scoffed 15 of these gorgeous concoctions as a birthday present from one – now very good – friend!

They say:

“Here at the Angel Food Bakery we believe in using the finest ingredients; these include unsalted English butter, Belgian chocolate, fresh fruit and of course we only use free range eggs.”

Their wedding price guide offers:

Cupcakes from £1.75
Stand Hire £20
6″ top cake from £9.95

10% discount on all orders over 20

What’s more, if your wedding is in Brighton & Hove, they’ll deliver and set up the cakes on the day for no extra cost! For further afield, they’ll package the cakes securely for collection the day before.

If you can’t wait to get yours home, you can also eat in – and enjoy a cup of fair trade coffee alongside.

2. Parklife Cakery, Worthing

Even closer to home – in my hometown in fact – I can rarely resist picking up one of these as I head down to the beach.  They’re calling me through the window!

They say:

“We are a small family run business in sunny Worthing on the south coast of England.  All our goodies are home made using quality and, where possible, locally sourced ingredients.

“At Parklife we believe in helping to save our beautiful planet, so we make sure we recycle everything.  All our packaging is 100% recycled and 100% recyclable.

“Our coffee is locally roasted and we use fair trade ingredients when we can.”

They cater for weddings of  course – just call 01903 207 777 to find out more.

3. Kiss Me Cupcakes, Midlands

I had the pleasure of sampling several of these scrumptious creations at our own Eco Chic Wedding & Home Show back in March.  I have to say, they do go down quite easily!

They say:

“All our cupcakes are individually handmade and tailored to your requirements, using good old fashioned baking techniques ensuring quality and freshness.
We endeavour to promote fair-trade, free range and local quality ingredients where possible, resulting in scrummy, ethically positive cupcakes of your choice!”

Weddings are always a delight so get in touch with them to find out more.

4. The Artisan Cupcake Company, London

And now it’s off to our fair capital for a company to meet the cupcake artisans…

They say:

“We believe, the better the ingredients, the better the taste to bring to you the greatest tasting cupcakes possible.

“The Artisan Cupcake Company bakes the finest cupcakes in London using only the best organic ingredients for our cakes and frostings.”

Get in touch to get a quote for your cupcake wedding cake!

5. Bumblebee Bakery, Brighton

We’re back to Brighton again for this one – the stronghold of the cupcake perchance? These guys are passionate about vintage so if it’s a delicate, floral, old time feel you’re looking for, give them a call.

They say:

“We make our cupcakes in the morning, and deliver them direct to the Brighton and Hove area in the afternoon. Your cupcakes will be so fresh, they may still be warm when they arrive! Made with organic butter, organic sugar, organic free range eggs and organic flour and chocolate, your cupcakes are as good (and as naughty!) as they could possibly be!

Here at Bumblebee Bakery, our cupcakes are very much inspired by the baking of yesteryear. Our recipes are based on the American way of baking, with lashings of real chocolate, brown sugar and buttermilk. Luxuriously scrumptious!

And our love of all things elegant and vintage means our cupcakes will be lavished in gorgeous pastel shades of buttercream, glittering sugar roses, hand-made dainty sugar primroses and edible pearls.

Your cupcakes will then be carefully placed into a Bumblebee Bakery baby blue or pink signature box, wrapped in vintage ribbon and hand-delivered to your door.”

They also have this to say on the environment:

“Bumblebee Bakery is committed to using locally sourced products where possible. We are passionate about keeping our energy usage and kitchen waste to an absolute minimum. For deliveries to central Brighton, we will always deliver on foot, as our kitchen is centrally located.

Our boxes are made from 90% recycled paper and are 100% recyclable, and our stationery is all made from 100% recycled paper. The ribbon used in packaging our boxes is vintage French ribbon – perfect for any pretty dressing table or sewing box. And if you can, please re-use your Bumblebee Bakery cupcake box around your home. It would make a very glamorous sock drawer!”

Wedding price guide

They would be thrilled to bake your wedding cupcakes.

Bespoke cupcakes are £2.50 each. Minimum order for the bespoke service is two dozen. Delivery price on quotation.

6. Sweet Debbie’s Organic Cupcakes, Los Angeles

Hopping over to the other side of the Atlantic, we find sweet Debbie and her organic cupcakes.

They say:

“Imagine biting into a gourmet cupcake so moist that it practically melts in your mouth…a chocolate fudge brownie so rich you feel guilty eating the whole thing…a cookie so flavorful and full of dark chocolate chips, that it satisfies your every craving…a power muffin and antioxidant-rich granola so jam-packed with texture and taste you can’t seem to get enough.

Now imagine that these delights contain certified organic ingredients, have no refined sugars, creams or butter, no hydrogenated oils or trans fatty acids, and no artificial coloring or additives.

You need not imagine nor feel guilty anymore. Sweet Debbie’s is proud to present the freshest, most delicious and healthiest home-made vegan desserts, muffins and granola ever baked.

At Sweet Debbie’s, we believe that delectable and decadent treats CAN be good for you. That’s why we use only premium quality ingredients -organic dark cocoa powder, organic fruit, organic spelt flour, heart-healthy grapeseed oil instead of butter, and the all-natural, low-glycemic sweeteners, agave nectar and birch tree syrup (also known as xylitol).

In a dedicated kitchen, we do gluten-free versions of most of our cupcake flavors, brownies, cookies, muffins and custom order cakes. This facility is also nut-free.”

Debbie even got to take part in the ‘Days of our Lives’ Green Week in 2007 celebrating the earth-friendly wedding of Sami and Lucas.  She offered up her healthy cupcakes to the cast and crew as an alternative to their usual candy machine!

Well, if they’re so good for me, that’s not really any point in resisting, is there?!

Don’t forget to ask Debbie about cupcakes for your wedding…

7. Sweet Cakes, Oklahoma

Staying Stateside for now, take a look at the sweetest ever Sweet Cakes – gourmet and organic cupcakes, including vegan options.

They say:

“I have always loved baking but I found my true passion when I started making cupcakes. I have perfected my selections because I believe in finding what you do well and sticking to it no matter what.”

Drop them an email to find out what they can magic up for your wedding!

8. The Great Little Cupcake Company

Back on the other side of the pond, somewhere up north (not sure exactly where!), we find The Great Little Cupcake Company.

They say:

“The idea for The Great Little Cupcake Company was hatched as a way of using up the eggs that our flock of hens lay.

Plain cake was never an option. We wanted the most scrumptious, delicious little morsels with the looks to match. So you won’t find plain cakes here – only beautiful ones, wild ones, chocolatey ones, sparkly ones, retro ones, girly ones – in fact every kind of hand decorated cake – except plain.

It goes almost without saying that the ingredients in our cakes are locally sourced / organic / fair-trade wherever it is possible to do so.

We offer a personal service, with individually, handmade cakes to order.

There is always a reason for cupcakes.”

Go for a Cupcake Tower for your wedding cake with cupcakes at £1.70 each.  They can coordinate their cupcakes to match your wedding colours.

Alternatively, or as well, treat your guests to cupcake favours at £2.75 each. Individually wrapped in cellophane and tied with ribbon, they can have the names of your guests iced on so that they also serve as place cards! Or how about photos of the bride and groom, or the date of the wedding, initials…

9. Primrose Bakery, London

Patronised by the likes of Kate Moss and U2, these are truly the top tier of cupcakes.

They say:

“We founded Primrose Bakery in October 2004 having started out baking for children’s parties, but quickly noticed how well the cupcakes went down with adults! We also couldn’t understand why things you could find in America, France and Australia were much harder to find in England.

We have tried to keep it to simple old fashioned cooking, using good quality, seasonal and well sourced ingredients, as one might use at home when baking for your own children, friends and family.”

They will tailor make wedding cakes and deliver them in London and the South East.  Or you can come and collect your cake from them and they’ll pack it up safely for the journey.

Email or phone them to get an idea of prices and to set up a consultation.

10. Cakeadoodledo, Devon

And to finish, a trip down to the West Country where we find rescue battery hens helping out with eggy ingredients in the Cakeadoodledo garden.

They say (Cakeadoodledo, not the hens):

“Eating a cupcake should be a joyous experience. So at Cakeadoodledo our cakes are always made freshly to order with the finest ingredients. Vanilla cupcakes contain Nielsen-Massey vanilla extract; chocolate cupcakes are made with Green and Black’s cocoa and the lemons used in icing and the lemon cupcakes are always unwaxed.

“[…]where at all possible we use [our rescue hens’] eggs in your cakes. However, sometimes they decide that they’d rather not lay an egg today thank you and so we buy them. Please be completely assured that we only ever buy free range eggs. No free range eggs – no cakes.”

Call for a chat about their wonderful wedding cupcake towers – colour, decoration, flavour – you name it and they’ll do their very, very best to grant your wish!

And here ends our cupcake tour! I hope you’ve enjoyed it – I certainly have… although I am feeling rather hungry now.  Hmm… what could I eat?!

Katie

They made it with their own fair hands from Fairtrade, organic and local ingredients.

Read the full story of Jenny and Phil’s ethical wedding.

What next?

• Talk to other brides and grooms in the Ethical Weddings Forum
• Sign up for our Ethical Weddings monthly newsletter

Katie

Somehow they knew, don’t ask me how they just did (just like my husband does!), that the way to an ethical wedding planning type of girl’s heart is through… CAKE!

Yep, the other day, a juicy piece of organic chocolate cake squeezed through the letterbox and onto the doormat… ready and waiting for me on my return from a hard day at the office.

The Telling dvd I even gave my husband a bit… a little bit

• His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th trailer

If you’re after an organic wedding cake for your wedding, you should know that TOCCC are good guys.  Not only are they Soil Association certified but they offer discounts for people who do a valuable job in the community yet receive a relatively low wage, and can trade services in lieu of money.

That’s the icing on the cake, I reckon! (sorry!!)

Hot Fuzz move

I have also now made the fruit cake with help from my Grandmother who has been making fruitcakes for all the family for about sixty years.  She uses Delia’s classic fruitcake recipe and she soaks the fruit in brandy for at least a week before making the cake.

(She also said the brandy-soaked fruit is great for putting on your muesli in the morning, but I think I would have a bit of a wobbly bike-ride to work if I did that!

• Doctor Zhivago dvdrip

) 

For the ethical fruit cake I bought Fairtrade fruit, Fairtrade nuts, Fairtrade sugar, Fairtrade mixed spice and Fairtrade oranges and lemons.  I also used organic butter, organic free range eggs and local flour. (Wessex Mill flour was the most local flour I could find – I live in Berkshire).  

After soaking the fruit for a week I took it to my Gran’s and made the mixture in her mixing machine.  I would not recommend making the mixture by hand as it would take AGES.  It took quite a long time by machine! The cooking takes a long time too – four and a half hours. 

However, I can recommend this cake as I’ve had it at Christmas before and it is lovely. The carrot cake is now in the freezer. I know it freezes well as I have frozen my practise versions and they are still yummy afterwards!

The fruit cake will not need to be frozen as apparently it tastes better after time spent ‘maturing’. I will simply ice it with roll-out icing and keep it in a tin. Just before the big day I will get the carrot cake and the chocolate cake out of the freezer and ice them too. 

For the carrot cake I have been practising cream-cheese frosting and I have found that one part cream cheese to three parts icing sugar makes a good stiff mixture. You need a lot of frosting to get a nice smooth finish though.  I haven’t worked out how to ice the chocolate cake yet – maybe I’ll use Fairtrade white chocolate. 

Other brides that plan to make their own ethical wedding cakes may also be interested to know that you can buy little packets of sugar flowers and sugar swirls in Tescos for about £3 if you want to decorate the cake. Or you could always use Fairtrade chocolates and nuts!

So my biggest hope with our vegan wedding catering was that we’d maybe make a convert or at least find a little more tolerance from skeptical omnivores in our lives. The overwhelming positive feedback we got was one of my most pleasant surprises of the day. Even my notoriously picky Mom was asking me if I could get recipes for her. If you want to go the veggie route for your wedding I have a few tips.

1) Go buffet style. It’s cheaper and people will get to look at the dishes before selecting their choices, which might be less intimidating with unfamiliar food.

• Nightmare Detective movie

2) Make sure at least one dish is something fairly common. We did a pasta primavera that we knew most people would be comfortable with and then went a little more exotic with a wild mushroom phyllo roulade. I also think that focusing on fresh veggies is more palatable than going with meat substitutes like tempeh or seitan. If my parents can’t pronounce eat, they’re not going to eat it.

3) If your budget can handle it, try to get caterers that specializes in veggie cuisine or are creative with their dishes. Serving bland salads and flavorless tofu isn’t going to win anyone over.

4) Don’t forget the cake. Ours was chocolate cake with ganache and buttercream. I tend to think you can’t go wrong with a good vegan dark chocolate. We had people tell us ours was the best wedding cake they’d ever had and I think it’s because we focused on quality ingredients over decoration.

And on one final note, VegNews magazine has an annual vegan weddings issue featuring real couples. Their deadline to submit is this Friday, Aug. 31st. So if there are any other veggie brides and grooms out there, not only do I want to hear from you, but you should apply to be featured in the magazine.

Cirque du Soleil: Varekai hd 2012 film We plan to make three giant cakes of different flavours. One traditional fruit cake, one properly gooey chocolate cake, and one frosted carrot cake (our particular favourite kind of cake!!) We will use Fairtrade cocoa, sugar and fruit, free range local eggs and locally-grown carrots. Perhaps we can even find local flour and butter – anyone in the Berkshire area know where you can get local flour from??

The recipes need some perfecting, as very large square cakes need to be cooked more slowly than normal size ones, otherwise they burn on the outside and don’t cook in the middle. But we do seem to have got the quantities about right now. We have also discovered that the chocolate cake freezes really well, so we could make it quite far in advance. I now need to try freezing the fruit and carrot cake recipes, and see how they fare! Oh dear more tasting… how will I cope…?

If anyone else is making their own cake, do get in touch if you want our recipes. The cake tin we are using has also proved very useful. It can make square cakes of all different sizes and the sides all come off separately to make it easy to get them out. Very handy.

We’re borrowing a cake stand from friends who got married last year and made their own stand. Now the only conundrum is what to put on top of the cakes to decorate them… little Fairtrade chocolates maybe?

First up, the stylish but ethical vegan shoe company, Beyond Skin, which boasts Natalie Portman and Chrissie Hynde as fans, will be joining the Ethical Weddings directory when it launches later this year.

An exhibitor at the recent Crafts Council ‘Well-Fashioned: Eco Style in the UK’ exhibition, Beyond Skin’s founder, Natalie Dean, declares: “I’d continually found in the past that attempts to combine fashion and ethics generally resulted in one side of the equation being sacrificed. I wanted to prove that they could go hand in hand.”

As you can see in this post’s pic, I have tasted the proof of the pudding, having been lucky enough to procure a pair for my own wedding last April!

Our other newcomer is The – does exactly what it says on the cake tin – Organic Chocolate Cake Company. Trading as Top Hat Cakes since 1985, they thought it was about time their name reflected the fact that they were the first chocolate cake specialists in the UK to be recognised by the Soil Association.

They have made cakes for everyone from Aardman Animations to Massive Attack and they could be baking for you. Just make sure you’re not too hungry before checking out their fabulous wedding cakes!

If you’re a potential Ethical Weddings supplier, why not think about taking advantage of our 3 month free trial? Or drop us an email to find out more – we’d love to hear from you.

Coming soon… keep a look out for a post from the so far silent partner of Ethical Weddings – it’s Jamie, the husband!

Take care,

Katie
ethicalweddings.com

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