My Two Ethical Weddings
Mar 21st, 2008 by surfer_chick
This is a long overdue post to share all the wondrous details of our two Civil Partnership celebrations in Australia and in the UK.
Venues caused us the biggest headache, as the reasonably priced self-catering options seemed to be limited on both counts. But both turned out to be perfectly suited to the mood and style of events that we were aiming for, and allowed us to create unique, homespun celebrations.
In Australia, our evening event was at a nearby bowls club, which we decorated with homemade paper flowers, balloons and fairy lights borrowed from friends. The staff said they had never seen it look so beautiful, and we did make it look rather charming if I do say so myself. Crockery and cutlery were borrowed from an organisation we work with. Our sandcastle cake we made ourselves, and the buffet was prepared by a good friend. Clothes were entirely from secondhand markets and charity shops.
Our UK party was at the most amazing beachside holiday home, right on the beach in East Sussex. The large open plan conservatory and decking opened up on to the pebble dunes and to the sands; our beach themed party needed little in the way of adornment, besides a few lanterns later in the evening. Family and friends helped to prepare food, which included meats from the local farmshop. And the sandcastle cake was recreated, to the amazement and wonder of all!
The simplicity of the events made them all the more special; spending time with friends was the order of the day, rather than putting on a show. In the end, the ethical nature of this choice was just an added bonus.