An Ethical, Eco-Friendly & Green Wedding, Overlooking the Chew Valley Lake – Rob & Georgie
Are you ready for this!
Rob and Georgie would best describe their day as natural, outdoorsy and colourful and to be perfectly honest that is exactly as I would describe it with an added sprinkling of fun and laughter. It has such a laid back boho vibe with the hand picked wild flowers and natural decor combined with the beautiful surroundings of the Chew Valley Lake.
What I admire most about this couple is their passion for looking after the environment and sustainability with biodegradable confetti, homemade cordials and donations to an environmental charity… Sounds like these guys would be my best friends!
Over to the beautiful bride to tell you all about the special day!
We held our ceremony at the Chew Valley Lake, we always knew that we wanted an outdoor location so when we heard about the tipis at Chew Valley we had to pay it visit. Once I had seen the views overlooking the lake, I knew it was the right venue immediately – I loved it!
We wanted a venue where we were able to fulfill our dreams of a wedding that was outdoorsy, natural and colourful, so this venue was perfect for everything that we had planned. The tipis are in such an amazing location and we must thank Luke of Tipi Events for being so helpful, he was there for us throughout the build up and the whole day.
One of the most talked about parts of the day was Robs jacket which he bought at a festival that we attended a couple of years ago. Actually it was the very festival where we got engaged. His best men (there were three!) all had waistcoats that were made by a local tailor. We didn’ really want everything colour coordinated so when choosing the bridesmaids dresses I chose the brightest colours I could find and they actually worked quite well together.
We didn’t want a theme, instead we wanted to create a wedding based on our love of the outdoors and the environment. We used recycled paper for all of our stationery including the invites and order of service. The favours were homemade, with lots of help from friends! For the girls pouches of wildflower seeds mixed with biodegradable confetti, to use on the day or take home for the garden! For the boys elderflower cordial, made by our foraging friend – who also works for a local environmental charity. We asked guests to donate to the charity or our honeymoon fund instead of presents.
We wanted to keep the decor just as natural and so chose to have ivy wrapped around poles in the tipis and filled jam jars (collected and cleaned by friends!) filled with wildflowers. We asked a friend of ours who is also a florist (formerly of Flowers of Stokes Croft) to arrange all the flowers, bouquets and decoration, she did a beautiful job!
Natural flowers seemed to be a bit of running theme throughout the day. Myself and the bridesmaids all wore wildflowers in our hair and the flower girls wore cute small crowns of wild flowers. The cake was a delicious creation of meringue, berries and cream, again covered in edible flowers, also made by a good friend.
We had a band for the evening reception which was basically a bunch of musicians from in and around Bristol who came together to create a Cayle/Eastern European/Gypsy style extravaganza! It was loads of fun and got everyone involved!
Our photographer was James Hacker and we couldn’t recommend him high enough. We knew him through a friend as he did the photography for their wedding, we saw it and loved it! He’s not like your ordinary wedding photographer, his photos were original and stylish, he catches the moment perfectly. He was very professional and friendly and was part of our day. We did some fun photos in the evening using a feather gun and some props (silly glasses, hats etc). Looking back at the photos now, feels like we’re there all over again, which is great because the day goes so quickly!
Our tip for couples getting married in the future would be to keep things simple and make use of having such good friends!
Credit Where Credit is Due:
♥ Venue: Chew Valley Lake
♥ Tipis: Tipi Events
♥ Photographer: James Hacker
As a founder of an environmental and sustainability charity I have to say these guys rock! It is so admirable when couples make conscious and ethical decisions when making their wedding arrangements. Just making a few small changes could really make an impact on the environment, in this case Rob and Georgie used local food and produce for the wedding banquet which is not only great for local suppliers but also great for reducing transport costs.
J’adore!
Much Bespoke Love
Emily ♥
I love these pictures!!! Everyone laugh, look so happy! can’t wait for my wedding!! lol
Lovely couple. Love the groom’s jacket and the bride looks stunning in her dress. This wedding proves that you don’t need much to have a gorgeous wedding. Love it!
Amazing venue. Everyone looks so happy in the photos, lovely memories to cherish.