Recession bites into weddings - but green can mean cheaper, too

It's hardly surprising that couples planning a wedding right now are wondering just how to minimise the cost in view of the recession, credit crunch or whatever you want to call it ... a.k.a. hard financial times. This article illustrates the point graphically.

The good news is that an eco-friendly wedding can save substantial amounts of money, as well as the planet. For example:

Cost saving on rings ... rather than shell out for brand new precious stones and precious metals, it's much greener to go for second-hand engagement rings, and/or non-metallic wedding rings made from wood or other substances

Cost saving on hen/stag/bachelor/bachelorette celebrations ... forget exotic destinations: the eco-friendly route means keeping travel to a minimum and focusing on activities that are non-polluting. That means using your creativity to find great ideas locally that also help support local business

Cost saving on locations ... much as that romantic castle hundreds of miles away might be expensively appealing, to be eco-friendly you need to choose somewhere that's as close as possible to wherever you are, involving the minimum of transport

Cost saving on communications ... wedding stationery doesn't just chew up trees - it also costs plenty. Do as much of your wedding communications electronically and save on paper, printing and postage

Cost saving on your dress and other fashions ... brand new, specially made wedding dresses can cost thousands. Second-hand, antique, re-vamped and other ecologically-friendly options cost an awful lot less

Cost saving on decorations ... flowers and other decorations imported from long distances away aren't just polluting - they're also very expensive. Using locally sourced, seasonal flowers and other natural decorations can cut the bill by a huge percentage

Cost saving on food ... it's only common sense to use locally produced, in-season foods for your reception and dinner. And the best news is that not only do they taste better, but also they cost far less than using imported food

...and those are but a few. If you take a look at my book you'll find other ways in which being eco-friendly for your wedding can also save you money.

Planning a winter or spring wedding?

You might be interested to know that I have another book just published in the UK, called "Planning A Winter Wedding." It should be available in North America and other markets in the next few weeks.

Whether we like it or not, bad weather is a serious risk in northern European and particularly British summers. And to make matters worse, prices are at their highest at that time, plus choices are limited or at least booked up sometimes years in advance.

That’s why more and more couples now are opting for naming that big day in the autumn, winter or spring. A wedding at these times is not only far less weather-dependent – but also you’re far more likely to get the venue of your choice, at an “out of season” cost.

In my book I look at ways to make the best use of the colourful autumn, winter and spring seasons, featuring locally derived decorations where possible and using foods and drinks that are in season and as far as possible produced locally.

I also give some tips on what you can expect from "destination weddings" in more than 80 countries worldwide. Despite some of these involving travel which can be less than eco-friendly, many do offer fantastic opportunities to enjoy exotic foreign climes without polluting the planet.

I'm thinking of setting up a blog about winter weddings, in addition to this one about green weddings, similarly where you can ask me questions and I will attempt to answer them efficiently I hope! What do you think? I would welcome your views. Please let me have them.

Sz ....

Update on non-metal wedding rings in the UK

As I see from the tracking device that many people come here looking for information about non-metal wedding rings and especially those made of wood, here are three sources with current websites as at January 2009...

Wooden.co.uk is based in the New Forest, England, producing wooden rings out of its own workshop using local woods like yew and walnut.

The Wood Hut is in Perthshire, Scotland. They also produce wooden rings and other products in their own workshop using locally sourced wood where possible.

Finally, Samara James - in London, England - offer wooden rings, but as the company appears to be a traditional Hatton Garden jeweller I don't know where their products are sourced or manufactured.

That's it for the moment - but if you know of any other UK or European based purveyors of wooden wedding rings, do please let us know!

Want to get working on your wedding speeches?

Don't forget that I am also the author of "Wedding Speeches For Women" (also on US and Canadian Amazons)... not that I can afford to offer you any discount if you buy the book, but at least you can take my word for it that your money won't be wasted! From the feedback I've had women find it very helpful not only for their wedding speeches, but also for pretty well any type of public speaking.

For the guys, you might like to look at any of John Bowden's wedding speech books, or Phil Calvert's "How To Make A Great Wedding Speech."

Credit crunch: is it taking our minds off the environment?

There's nothing like a fast-shrinking bank balance to take people's minds off everything apart from survival, and to an extent that's perfectly understandable.

However what people don't realise is that a great many ways of saving money are actually much greener, and a great many green initiatives save money as well as the planet. Those of you who are planning a green wedding will probably have noticed this already ... a green wedding usually costs far less than an extravagant, wasteful one.

If you want some hints on general savings I've found a very useful site called The Dollar Stretcher. Not all their suggestions are eco-friendly but many are. And for some great green tips that are entertaining to read as well as useful to implement, try The Ideal Bite.

Here's to lower-cost, greener and utterly glamorous weddings in 2009!

The (wintery) wedding season...

...whether green or not, weddings are on people's minds much more now that the Holiday season is behind us.

Especially as we're going through a very frosty patch in the UK right now you might like to preview my next book, "Planning A Winter Wedding" - this will be out early next month in the UK and a while later in the USA and Canada.

Festive drinks for a greener New Year's Eve

Françoise emailed me from Québec to say she is busy planning a green May wedding in her home town of Wakefield, which should be glorious. (Félicitations, Françoise et Michel!) I've been there twice now and it's one of loveliest towns in North America. Here's a picture of the house we stay in when in Wakefield...

Gorgeous, isn't it? Anyway, Françoise asked if in the meantime I had any ideas for eco-friendly alcoholic drinks for her upcoming New Year's Eve party, so here we go...

First of all, there's...

Fairtrade Bucks Fizz / Mimosa

...which I wrote about on here back in October but have included again as it's just as appropriate for New Year's as it is for a wedding reception...

**Freshly-squeezed organic orange juice
**Dry, sparkling, organic white wine (and if possible, locally produced)

Combine together in champagne glasses, in whatever proportions you prefer! If you want to add a little kick to this recipe you can include a dash of an orange-based (preferably organic) liqueur.

Next, you could try this if you want something a little stronger ...

Eco Champagne Cocktail

The secret to champagne cocktail is the use of Angostura Bitters which, as it's made in Trinidad and Tobago, can't claim to be local produce for those of us who live and party beyond the Caribbean. However despite it having a secret recipe we're assured it's made from natural herbs and potions, which helps. Also, as you'll only ever need a few drops at a time and you buy it in reasonable sized bottles, one bottle could last you for years, which also helps. Here's how it goes:

**One fairtrade sugar cube per serving
**Angostura Bitters
**Organic brandy
**Organic (and if possible, locally produced) dry champagne or sparkling white wine

Place the sugar cube in the bottom of a wine glass glass and sprinkle it with 3 or 4 drops of Bitters. Then add brandy until the sugar cube is submerged, and finally top up with the champagne or sparkling wine.

Now, for something a bit richer...

Ethical Egg Nog

There are dozens of variants to this traditional Holiday punch, so I have just suggested basic ingredients which you can vary as you please. To serve about 6. (This recipe involves the use of raw eggs which can be a health hazard.)

**6 organic, range-free eggs
**75cl organic milk (whole or otherwise but preferably not skimmed)
**8 tablespoons fairtrade sugar or organic honey
**1 tablespoon fairtrade vanilla essence
**Couple of gratings fairtrade nutmeg
**Organic / fairtrade alcohol of your choice, if you want (rum, scotch, whiskey, brandy, etc.) ... to taste, but don't drown it.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl and gradually add the other ingredients. Then cover the bowl and chill the mixture for two or three hours before serving.

Last but not least, there's the eco-friendly take on another classic drink for this time of the year, extremely popular in Europe...

Sustainable Mulled Wine

The amount you make of this depends, obviously, on how many people you're entertaining and how thirsty they're likely to be, but I have assumed a basis of two 75cl bottles of red wine. This would serve 6-8 people to the extent that they're reasonably merry without being drunk. Adjust my quantities proportionately according to your needs.

**2 bottles organic (and if possible, locally produced) red wine
**60ml organic brandy
**3 or 4 fairtrade cinnamon sticks
**Few gratings of fairtrade nutmeg
**One organic orange, stuck with fairtrade cloves
**2 organic lemons, sliced
**2 organic oranges, sliced
**4 or 5 tablespoons organic honey (or a bit more if you have a sweet tooth)
**Up to 1 litre water or organic fruit juice to dilute/expand (optional)

Picture cheekily borrowed from the Company's Coming website, which I thoroughly recommend for some truly tasty recipes and great books. Thanks for letting me use your photo, guys.

Combine all ingredients into a large pan and heat gently - don't let it get to simmer point and beyond, unless you want all the alcohol to evaporate! Instead let it infuse for about half an hour or longer. Reheat it when you're ready to serve, so it's hot but not boiling, and ladle it out into mugs or cups.

Whatever your potion and however you choose to celebrate, have a wonderful New Year's Eve and I send you all my very best wishes for 2009. See you soon....Sz.