The main principles of an eco-wedding
Some rules and traditions of eco-celebrations follow from the main principle - do not harm nature.
How to organize an eco-wedding:
- Refuse everything disposable: dishes, tablecloths, rose petals, balloons.
- Eliminate plastic completely.
- Think about who will remove the garbage and how. It is advisable to take the trouble to sort waste and recycle it.
- Do not throw away food - distribute it to guests or arrange in advance with food sharing.
- Celebrate in nature.
- It is advisable to use fresh flowers in decoration rather than cut ones.
- Dress simply and casually.
- Naturalness and naturalness are the main theme of the style.
- With all the desire for unity with nature, do not become a hostage to the idea. For example, if not all guests are vegetarians, you shouldn’t completely give up meat, and dried flowers in a bride’s wreath would probably be inappropriate.
- Make an emphasis in the design. For example, such an emphasis could be a maritime theme, a village theme or a spruce forest theme.
- The lifestyle of the newlyweds must correspond to the idea chosen for the celebration, otherwise it will not be an eco-wedding, but a stylized masquerade.
Style Description
The “eco” style became popular in the 2000s in Europe, when there was a demand for natural materials in interior design and clothing. Its name comes from the Greek word eikos, which translated into Russian means “house” or “dwelling.” This theme can be characterized in three words: unity with nature, harmony, natural beauty.
This option is suitable for those who want to make their life better, surround themselves with environmentally friendly things and achieve harmony with nature.
An eco-friendly celebration is in many ways reminiscent of a rustic-style wedding. Here you can find out how to arrange it according to all the rules. Here you will find tips on decorating the procession, choosing a ceremony location, decorating a cake, a photo zone, and much more.
Choosing a location and ideas for an eco-celebration
It is advisable to hold an eco-wedding in nature. This could be a rented gazebo in a park, a clearing by a lake, a veranda of a country house, a yacht club or even a golf course. If there is no room nearby, it is worth pitching tents or putting up awnings so that you can hide from the rain and wind.
The best time for an eco-wedding is late spring or early autumn. At this time, nature itself creates the decor; all that remains is to use it correctly.
For an eco-wedding, you can choose a rustic or eco-chic style. The main ideas and principles of these directions do not contradict each other.
A good tradition at a wedding under the motto “Take care of nature” is planting trees. There is even a belief: while the tree planted on the wedding day grows and gets stronger, the young family and the relationships in it grow and get stronger. In addition, in this way the newlyweds show conscious concern for nature.
Guests can be entertained with comic sports competitions and creative competitions. For musical accompaniment, live instrumental music is best suited. Techno-disco is unlikely to fit organically into the theme of unity with nature.
A couple planning an eco-style wedding should warn guests about this. Gifts for newlyweds should correspond to the celebration. For example, you should not give flowers in plastic wrappers. Some couples solve the issue of gifts simply and boldly: they open a bank account and designate a goal (for example, to raise money for a vacation or for renovations). Eco-friendly and practical.
Color spectrum
The leading color of the celebration should be calm and natural, close to nature. Green, beige, brown, and gray are well suited for this role. Bright, natural accents are not prohibited - blue like water, yellow like the sun, red like flowers.
Venue of the holiday
Of course, the best location for an eco wedding will be an open space in nature - a green lawn, the shore of the sea, lake or river. They can only be considered for celebrations planned in the warm season. In other cases, restaurants and cafes with an ecological and vegetarian orientation, wooden houses and cottages, large winter gardens and greenhouses are suitable for embodying the idea of a “green” wedding.
Refusal to use electricity makes it impossible to use musical equipment. Newlyweds can opt for live music - harp, violin, guitar, saxophone. Such accompaniment will make the celebration not only environmentally friendly, but also elegant, sincere and romantic.
Images of the bride and groom in eco-style
Eco style implies a rejection of synthetic fabrics, elaborate styles, and strict corsets. The bride and groom wear clothes made of linen, cotton, silk or fine wool. The color scheme corresponds to the general theme of the celebration: beige, white, olive, pale blue. Don't forget about the principles of eco-wedding. It is important that formal outfits can be worn in the future, because natural resources are spent on them. Another option is to donate your clothes to a charity or rent them out.
The bride's dress at an eco-wedding should be loose and flowy. This is the Greek style, sundress or A-line. It is decorated with natural pearls and lace. A young wife can throw a knitted stole or cardigan over her shoulders. It is better to choose shoes with low heels or without them at all. Brave brides choose sneakers - they are practical and stylish.
Hair and makeup should be simple. Makeup emphasizes the natural beauty of the bride. Hairstyle – loose bun or loose curls. Accessories are selected natural, made from stones, wood and flowers. There shouldn't be many of them.
The groom wears loose-fitting trousers and an equally loose shirt (for example, checkered). A jacket replaces a vest or jumper. A stylish man can wear a hat or cap. A butterfly or neckerchief will complete the look.
Bridal clothes
The emphasis should be on naturalness, simplicity, and naturalness.
Outfits should be chosen in natural colors - white, beige, green, milky, gray. The best fabric is knitted lace, linen, cotton. Satin and chiffon dresses are definitely not an option. Of the silhouettes, straight, “A”, and Greek are preferable. Here you can read about the intricacies of choosing a straight wedding dress. You will find out who it is suitable for, how much it costs, what to look for when trying it on, etc.
Bride's dress
Fluffy multi-layered skirts with a corset and trimmed with rhinestones, artificial beads and flowers are not welcome. It is better to replace all this with natural analogues. As for the length of the dress, it can be either knee-length or floor-length.
To complement the bride's look, you will need low-heeled leather shoes. Among its decor there should not be rhinestones, sequins, beads and other unnatural elements. They can be replaced by amber, turquoise, sapphire, lapis lazuli, jade. By the way, beads, a bracelet for the bride’s hand, and a hair tie can also be made from the same stones.
Particular attention should be paid to the choice of a bridal bouquet, for which a composition made of eco-paper is ideal in summer. In winter, you can order a bouquet of lilacs, an abundance of greenery, carnations, orchids, and roses.
You can read about how to make a bouquet of roses in another article. You will find out how best to complement and decorate it, what shape it can be, and who it will suit. Alternatively, to complement the composition you will need twine, which must be used to tie the flower stems at the very bottom.
The bride's bouquet
As for the hairstyle , it is enough for the bride to let her hair down and curl it. You can weave one lily flower into them or put a wreath of roses, dandelions, and gerberas on your head.
You can’t do without makeup ; you can create it with green or beige eye shadow, pale pink lipstick, a small amount of mascara and powder.
The final chord is a dull manicure , for which you will need green, black, beige polish. It will be beautiful to apply natural patterns or animal prints (zebra, giraffe, crocodile) to the nail plate.
What outfits are appropriate for guests?
The guests follow the same style as the newlyweds. The main idea is that clothes should be simple and natural. Natural fabrics and calm colors. No need for fancy dresses, formal suits and unnatural jewelry. Do not forget that the celebration takes place outdoors, so clothing should be comfortable. The best solution is fashionable styles in casual style.
Distinctive features of an eco-style dress
Fabrics used in this style are cotton, linen, and crocheted lace.
No fabric patterns are used, natural colors are preferred.
The dresses are light and flowy. Straight cut and A-line. Tight dresses are not applicable in this case.
The dress may not be one-piece, but consist of a skirt and top.
Please note that eco-style allows the use of vintage (grandmother's) dresses and jewelry. Therefore, it is not at all necessary to run to a bridal salon and try on dresses from the latest collections of fashion designers.
It may make sense to rent a vintage dress or borrow a dress from your mother or grandmother.
Eco-style also means freedom from external conventions. Such as the need to look expensive and buy a new dress. Grandmother's thin string of pearls, mother's earrings and the bride's image are close to completion.
KNOWLEDGE BASE: Modest wedding. How to properly organize and stylishly decorate an event
Wedding decoration in eco-style
It doesn’t matter at all what place the newlyweds chose for the celebration - a clearing on the river bank or a restaurant stylized as a country house. The overall mood is created by decor and accessories. Here, too, you should not forget about the principle of an eco-wedding - do not harm nature. Plastic and disposable decorative items are prohibited. You shouldn't destroy natural resources to decorate an eco-wedding.
Hall decor
Natural materials are used to decorate the room. Carts, barrels, haystacks, etc. are suitable as decorative elements. Compositions of stones, cones and berries, shells and pebbles will decorate the hall.
For lighting, you can light candles, fires, and braziers. Of course, it is worth taking care of safety. If young people are not sure that natural light will not harm guests, it is better to use dim electric light.
Accessories
Invitations and place cards can be printed on recycled paper. Many newlyweds choose an even more tree-friendly method - not to use paper at all, but to invite guests by e-mail or in person at the meeting.
Small baskets with gifts of nature: nuts, seeds for planting or barrels of honey are suitable as souvenirs for guests.
Wedding bouquet and floristry
The bride's bouquet can be collected from wild or garden flowers, add herbs and ears of corn to it. An interesting solution is a vegetable bouquet. Vegetables can be cooked after the wedding and eaten.
Florists use potted flowers to decorate eco-weddings. The compositions are made from dried flowers, leaves, branches and berries.
Wedding procession
Of course, a wedding limousine does not fit into a celebration of nature and naturalness, so newlyweds often choose off-site registration so as not to use transport.
However, there are completely environmentally friendly travel options. A horse-drawn carriage or carriage will be a chic addition to an eco-wedding. In principle, you can harness any traction animal: from a donkey to a camel. The bride and groom can do without a carriage and ride on horseback. Another interesting option is a bicycle or boats if there is a body of water.
Eco wedding decoration
An eco-style wedding involves the use of natural and organic materials. You can also breathe new life into old things by creating compositions from them. Suitable for decoration:
- Fresh flowers and greenery
- Dead wood, cones, nuts
- Branches, brushwood, logs
- Shells, stones, pebbles
- Ropes, burlap
- Old books and newspapers
- Cans, bottles, light bulbs
Cans and bottles wrapped in burlap and tied with twine will serve as vases for bouquets; You can make mini-vases or entire garlands from burnt-out light bulbs with cut sockets, filling them with something bright; branches, pine cones and greenery will make wreaths and compositions that will decorate the space; jars filled with shells, moss and pebbles will serve as candlesticks.
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Menu and decoration of wedding tables in eco style
Tables and chairs must be wooden. To seat guests, you can use village household items - barrels, chests, benches, bags filled with straw. Dishes - wooden, ceramic or glass, but in no case plastic or disposable. Wicker baskets are suitable for displaying pies and bread. Tablecloths are made from natural materials - linen or cotton, but you can do without them.
The menu consists of natural products. The table at an eco-wedding is rich in natural gifts: berries, fruits, vegetables, nuts and mushrooms. You can put natural dairy products on the table. The newlyweds always treat their guests to pies.
Porridge and meat baked in pots are suitable as hot dishes. The drinks at the eco-wedding do not contain chemicals - these are fruit drinks and compotes.
The amount of food must correspond to the number of guests. An eco-friendly approach to a wedding involves saving resources. This doesn't mean you need to keep your guests hungry, just make sure that food doesn't have to be thrown away.
A wedding cake
For dessert, you can treat your guests not to a cake, but to a sweet pie with berries. Although, a classic cake also has its place. It can have several tiers, but it is better not to use mastic, a lot of cream and decorations.
Bride's image
The image of the bride is key; the groom’s suit, the location of the holiday and its decoration are selected to match it. When planning a wedding in eco-style, they pay special attention to the dress and accessories.
Wedding Dress
For a wedding dress, brides choose eco-friendly fabrics such as linen, cotton, wool or hand lace.
The main thing is that they are made from threads obtained from nature. The color of the outfit is in a pastel range, close to natural – light green or blue, pearl pink, gray, ivory. For a winter celebration, a brighter palette is chosen - yellow, orange, light green, lavender.
When a dress is sewn in white, you need to avoid excessive whitishness and choose warm shades to dilute it. Fabric with a cream or pink tint works well. Dress styles for eco-style weddings are straight or A-shaped, creating the impression of lightness and floating.
Due to the naturalness of the fabrics and the method of cutting, such outfits are necessarily made with straps or covered shoulders.
Hairstyle
The bride's hairstyle can be free-falling, loose curls, or a bun with neatly stray strands. When the hair is long, loose braids are used, a hairstyle with bangs looks very good. The styling should look natural and without much effort to create it.
Bouquet
A lot of green leaves, herbs and ears of corn are used for the bouquet. From flowers, wild or wild cultivated inflorescences are chosen. The shades are delicate, dim, often found in nature. To be fully compliant, there should be a feeling that there is no human impact on plants.
Accessories
Decorations made from natural materials such as wood, glass, semi-precious stones, and shells are ideal for an eco-celebration.
You can place a modest wreath of wild or wild cultivated flowers on your head. When using costume jewelry, they give preference to rounded shapes, completely abandoning things containing sharp corners.
They do not use jewelry made in a classical manner, with calibrated edges of stones or frames.
Features of a photo shoot in eco-style
Photographers tend to love eco-style weddings. In nature, the flight of imagination is not limited. Thanks to the image of the newlyweds and the general mood of the celebration, gentle and beautiful photographs are obtained.
An equipped photo corner will add original and beautiful photographs to the newlyweds’ collection. Rustic household items are suitable for decoration: barrels, haystacks, bicycles, rocker arms. Decorators create arches from fresh flowers. You can prepare a hut. Photo sessions can take place in stables or on the water in boats.
Eco-style attracts newlyweds with its simplicity and at the same time sophistication. However, one must understand that the main idea of such a celebration is caring for nature, and not decorating the holiday with natural compositions.
Decor
To decorate a wedding in eco-style, natural fabrics and plants are used, preferably in pots, rather than cut or wicker items. To create the right mood, moderation and simplicity in details are important.
Design elements
They tend to hold the wedding in a secluded park or countryside. There should be plenty of trees around and no urban sounds or smells.
Young people tend to choose electric vehicles for their motorcade; they decorate them with moss, wooden figurines, and flowers that have a natural, natural color. When preparing the celebration, the use of plastic products and balloons is completely excluded.
When decorating tables and areas for ceremonies or dances, candles and bouquets in simple vases or ordinary bottles are used. The use of succulents and cotton bolls placed in jars is becoming fashionable.
But the main decoration of the holiday is the views of the surrounding nature.
Invitations, bonbonnieres and other accessories
Invitations are written by hand on orange and beige paper. The base can be depicted with plant patterns in green shades.
The inflorescences should be different from the paper, so orange or lavender flowers are used. Often real grass or ears of corn are depicted on invitations. For bonbonnieres, canvas bags or gifts hand-wrapped in matting or paper are used.
They are decorated with dried flowers, thin matte brown ribbons or twine.
