Best bits so far?
We suggested the idea of recycling old gold for our wedding rings. Our families pulled all the stops out and we ended up with three generations worth of family wedding rings. We found a local jeweller who melted them down and made them into our own design – he even took photos of the process to prove we definitely got the same gold back! I’ve also found a way to incorporate my Nan’s wedding dress from 1952 into my own so when we marry we’ll feel that we’re taking many happy wishes with us on our journey.

Getting green fingers. We live in a flat and have really only ever grown herbs and tomatoes on the balcony. Getting stuck in at our friends’ allotment and trying to grow all the potatoes for the jacket spuds has been great fun (though I think I’m the only bride to be who’s worried about potato blight ruining her wedding!)

Any problems?
We didn’t have lots of knowledge when we started planning so every element has become a bit of a research project which has been time consuming and sometimes frustrating. The upside of this is that our understanding of ethical issues has improved vastly over a relatively short space of time.

It seems that there are some areas where the ethical movement just hasn’t caught up yet; we had huge trouble sourcing soft drinks like cola and tonic water (especially diet versions) and I had to look overseas for my dress fabric as the colours I wanted were simply not available in the UK and I couldn’t find and eco-friendly dyer.

Any surprises?
We’ve been amazed at the number of people who are as excited as we are and have offered to help in different ways from making things, to singing to taking time off work to help us set-up. The cake, flower girl outfits and wedding dress are all being made by family members. A colleague is making organic cupcakes for everyone to have on arrival while another friend is trying to brew beer from natural ingredients instead of ready brought mix.

We distributed pots and seeds and have lots of our friends and family growing herbs for the tables and others are making chutneys for the evening cheese board. When we thought of growing our own potatoes to go with the BBQ we were immediately offered half an allotment plot to do it!

It’s been really uplifting seeing people really get involved with the day and the ideas behind it.

Tips for other eco-couples?
If you recycle gold, make sure you find someone who can do it on-site and not send it away to be melted down in a big vat with goodness knows what other gold.

Share and save. We met up with some other couples using the venue for receptions and weddings and worked out where we could save money and resources by buying things together or leaving items for other couples who wanted the same thing. It’s been far more useful than keeping everything secret and ‘special’ and means we’ve managed to do more of the things we’d hoped.

Stick to your plans. There will always be some people who don’t understand what you’re trying to do. Remember that the majority will be interested and supportive and stick to your own ideas, it’s your wedding after all.

Here are all the things we’ve thought about so far:

Food – Local, organic. Caterers are a local Social Enterprise.
Drinks – Organic wherever possible.
Invitations – 85% sent electronically via email. Others printed on recycled paper.
Tableware – Recycled, unbleached napkins (to be composted by the caterers) paper table cloth roll leftover from a family wedding and found in the attic.
Crockery/cutlery/glass – all non-disposable and hired so they can be washed and re-used many times over. PLA disposables don’t always break down in ordinary compost so we wanted to avoid them.
Venue – local and charity–run, as is the community centre’s kitchen next door that we hired as the Left Bank doesn’t have kitchen facilities yet.
Outfits – Second-hand and organic/sustainable fabrics used for flower girls and bride and groom. All outfits designed to be worn again.
Shoes – Second-hand or already owned.
Rings – Recycled old gold from family wedding rings.
Furniture – Random assortment of tables and chairs already at venue supplemented by chairs and tables borrowed from Matt’s work.
Entertainment – Local ceilidh band and cabaret by artistically minded guests. Ethical tombola stall to fundraise for the venue and giant children’s games (borrowed from another wedding couple).
Make-up – Transferring to organic and/or chemical free make-up and toiletries as a part of a permanent change – loving Pai moisturiser and Suma soaps!
Decoration – Fairy lights to be shared by five other couples and then donated to the building for future use. Edible herb pots as table centrepieces. Soy wax and homemade recycled tea lights. Homemade bunting made from old clothes and fabric scraps. Kids play area covered with second-hand astroturf, which we’re loaning to another couple before selling on.
Travel – None for the bride and groom as we live in Leeds. Guest travel will be carbon offset. No parking at venue so guests have to leave their cars behind.
Accommodation – Encouraging guests to stay in local B&Bs rather than chain hotels.
Favours – None, less waste. Guests can take the herb pots home with them.
Wedding night – it’s a secret!
Honeymoon – In Norfolk, at the place where we had our first ‘dinner out’ together.