Yes, Your Wedding Can Be Sustainable AND Luxurious

A lot of people are under the impression that a wedding can either be sustainable or luxurious, but I am here to tell you that it can be both.

If you want your wedding to be a sumptuous and sophisticated event, but you also want to be mindful of the planet, it is perfectly possible to do so, and here are a few ideas of how you can do that:

Upcycle your decor

Instead of buying lots of accessories, that will probably end up in landfill shortly after the event, to decorate your tables, the venue and whatever else you want to decorate, try your hand at upcycling instead. From DIY centrepieces made from old champagne corks to upcycled jewellery used as wedding favours, there are so many ways you can reuse and recycle and still ensure that your wedding looks amazing.

Give seeds as favours

If making your own upcycled favours isn’t your thing, make sure to give a sustainable gift to your guests. Wildflower seeds or tree bombs are ideal because they will grow and flourish and help the environment while having little to no negative impact at all, Your wedding could actually help to make the world a little brighter, greener and eco-friendly, which is really lovely when you think about it.

Photo by Jonathan Borba from Pexels

Choose a vintage wedding dress

Wearing a vintage wedding dress is no hardship because they are often more beautiful, unique and intricate than anything you can buy new, and by wearing one, you can very easily make your wedding that bit more sustainable.

Use local suppliers

Instruct your luxury wedding planners to, where possible, source anything you do need to buy for your wedding from local suppliers. This will mean that the components of your wedding do not have to travel so far, which will cut your event’s carbon footprint down a great deal. Not only that, but it will help to support local businesses, which is a really important thing to do right now.

Choose an eco-friendly venue

There are a surprising number of eco-friendly wedding venues available in the UK, and they are every bit, if not more, amazing than traditional venues. From National Park barns to stunningly romantic 12th-century priory houses, there’s something for everyone, and an eco-venue will have perhaps the greatest impact in terms of making your wedding more sustainable.

Lower the guest list

Okay, so this may not be possible or desirable for some couples, although covid has made it easier if you do want to have a smaller wedding, but inviting fewer people to your wedding will literally reduce your carbon footprint by a whole lot. It will also mean that you can spend your budget on upgrading to more sustainable products and services, as well as giving your guests higher quality food, drink and so on.

As you can see, it really is possible to plan a really lovely, not to mention luxurious, wedding while still paying mind to the environment, so what are you waiting for?

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A DIY Festival Themed Wedding captured by Portrait Boutique UK

Portrait Boutique have captured 100’s of weddings! One of their favourite fun weddings to capture were of Katie & Ian`s wedding which was held last August in Staffordshire.

The couple organised the whole wedding themselves after doing some research at various wedding fayres where they sourced suppliers! They booked an amazing festival styled Tipi and booked caterers who created an afternoon tea party in the tipi for all their wedding guests!

The evening party had juicy burgers and hot dog grill vans! Ian the groom also made some of the table decorations from copper piping such as candle holders & table number holders!

The location was a relatives farm, so a 2 acre field was used for the Tipi. This type of DIY wedding is becoming more popular as more people want to customise their wedding day from sourcing and booking their wedding venue right down to making table decorations and some have even baked their own wedding cakes!

The popularity of themed, DIY & arts and craft type weddings does seem to be on increase with couples wanting more input for their big day and marking their own stamp of their personalities through from beginning to end!

Check out Katie & Ian’s wedding highlights below captured by the talented Tony from Portrait Boutique UK!

Like What You See? Make The Connection!! Contact Portrait Boutique UK Today!!

Tony is available via email or facebook all day today! Please drop by and say hi!

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Expert Cheshire Cocktail Making Class! Raise a glass to cocktails that will be trending at your 2021 Wedding!

Enjoy mobile bar company ‘Cheshire Cocktail’s’ expert cocktail-making class! Raise a glass to cocktails that will be trending at your 2021 Wedding!

We love a good wedding and party so we can show offer our cocktail-making skills! Cocktails are huge in 2021, offering a touch of elegance and class and complimenting restaurant-style fine dining that is also trending in 2021. Perfect for a garden wedding bash and outdoor weddings too! We are completely mobile so can go anywhere and get your party started!

We can add in your favorite cocktails at any party but for now, bottoms up to our top three favorite cocktails that will be trending in 2021. We’ve even given you a cheeky receipt so you can try these at home with your hubby or wifey-to-be! Let us know your favorite ones!! :-)

Tequila Sunrise!

Firstly, Tequila Sunrise. Created in Phoenix, Arizona in the 1930's. The cocktail is named as it is supposed to resemble a sunrise looking into the glass. 

How to make the above cocktail, you will need the following ingredients/equipment:

Tequila (50ml)
Grenadine (up to 25ml)
Topped with Orange Juice
Ice Cubes
Orange Slice
High Ball Glass (or something similar from your cupboard)
Bar Spoon or Tea Spoon
2 x straws
Cocktail Pourers
Cocktail Shaker
Drink Strainer/Sieve

This is a short and enjoyable too! It is also very easy to make! Lets "Mix it Up" and make it:

To make this cocktail, you will need to pour the Tequila (50ml) and the Orange Juice into the cocktail shaker, with a few ice cubes, (roughly 3/4 of the way up inside of the cocktail glass).

Then shake the cocktail 10/15 times over your shoulder, so that it has mixed properly. Pour the drink into your chosen glass, (with some ice cubes), by straining the drink.

Now pour the Grenadine (25ml) into the drink. Then give the drink a stir with the spoon, slowly to get the correct effect.

Finally, garnish with a slice of orange on the top of the glass.

Relax, sit back and enjoy the drink!

Moscow Mule Cocktail.

The combination of Smirnoff Vodka and Ginger Ale invented in Los Angeles, California in the 1940's a businessman called John Martin had the purchasing rights of the Smirnoff vodka brand and he realised that the Americans were not really into vodka.

Another man called Jack Morgan, who owned a British pub in Los Angeles called the Cock 'n' Bull was apparently struggling to shift his stock of Ginger Ale and his girlfriend was said to have owned a copper factory, so that's how the drink ended up in a copper mug. If you have a copper mug, rather than using a glass at home, the copper mug makes the drink cold.

For this cocktail recipe, you will need the following ingredients/equipment:

50ml Vodka
Ginger Ale
Ice Cubes
Slice of lime (for the garnish)
Copper Mug or Tumbler Glass (or something similar in your cupboard)
Cocktail Pourer
Knife/Chopping Board
Cocktail Shaker or Jam Jar (with a lid)
2 x straw (optional)

To make this cocktail, you will need to follow these simple steps.

This is a fairly straightforward cocktail to make but also very easy to drink too.

Firstly, place a few ice cubes in the glass/copper mug, them pour 50ml Smirnoff Vodka into the glass.

To finish the drink, top up with ginger ale. For the garnish, cut a lime slice and place on the edge of the glass.

Serve with a couple of straws, if you would like too.

Kick yourself back, relax and enjoy when making your cocktails.

Screwdriver Cocktail!

Lastly, the Screwdriver cocktail. The origin of this drink from America when the oil workers used to secretly sneak in vodka and tip this in their glass of morning orange juice while working on the job. As they did not have a clean spoon to mix the drink, they used a screwdriver instead! Hence the name. 

For this cocktail recipe, you will need the following ingredients/equipment:

50ml Vodka
Orange Juice
Ice Cubes
Slice of orange (for the garnish)
Strainer
High Ball Glass (or something similar in your cupboard)
Knife/Chopping Board
Cocktail Shaker
Cocktail Pourer
2 x sip straws (optional)

To make this cocktail, you will need to follow these simple steps.

This is a fairly straightforward cocktail to make but also very easy to drink too.

Pour 50ml Vodka and orange juice into a cocktail shaker along with a few ice cubes about a third of the way up, inside the cocktail shaker.

Shake the cocktail 10/15 times over your shoulder, until properly mixed. Place a few ice cubes into the glass, then pour the drink into the glass by straining it.

For the garnish, cut a (quarter) of an orange slice and place on the edge of the glass. Serve with a couple of straws, if you would like too.

Relax and enjoy!

Contact Cheshire Cocktails to see how they can bespoke cocktails and all your favourite drinks to compliment your Micro Wedding and impress your guests with a tipple or two! They bring the bar to you with their mobile bars to cater to your venue, ourdoor or garden weddings, garden parties or hen & stag parties!

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Why we need eco-friendly weddings

Why we need eco-friendly weddings

Your wedding should be the most memorable day of your life, but you don’t want yours to be remembered for its carbon footprint! To avoid emitting the average 21 tonnes of carbon dioxide that most weddings generate, lots of couples are trying to think of ways to make their special day more eco-friendly. The wedding planning process may be shrouded in uncertainty at the moment due to the ongoing lockdown, and it can sometimes feel overwhelming to plan everything exactly the way you would like in these circumstances. So if you’re struggling, let us take some of the burden off by talking you through why we need eco-friendly weddings – and how to make them a reality.

Borrow don’t buy

A good rule of thumb is not to buy anything you can borrow or hire (this is not just good for the planet but also your wallet). Ask your friends and family what they have in the attic, as you might find beautiful fabric bunting or sets of wine glasses on offer if you just take the time to enquire. Even if you have to buy things, consider looking at vintage and secondhand items. There are lots of great wedding rings and dresses out there that are pre-loved but still fabulous.

Ditch disposables

The average UK wedding produces 18kg of plastic waste. To reduce this, try to avoid single-use items. For example, wedding stationery is beautiful but it is headed for the recycling bin, so why not skip it and send out virtual invitations instead? Similarly, dodge plastic decorations and use natural décor like local foliage where you can or things made from paper or fabric. When it comes to centrepieces, use pot plants instead of cut flowers - you can even take them home afterwards as a living memento, or gift them to your guests as favours. Other great ideas for eco-friendly wedding favours include edible items or packs of bee-friendly wildflower seeds.

Keep it local

You might have dreamt about an exotic destination wedding, but keeping it local will definitely help your green agenda. It’s also worth considering whether you can use one venue for the ceremony and reception so guests do not have to shuttle between them. If you do have to have two venues, hire a coach so you can transport your guests in masses.

Eco-friendly venues

And when it comes to picking the venue itself, don’t be afraid to ask about its green credentials. Don’t let them undo all your hard work by engaging in unsustainable practices themselves! There are many green venues and caterers out there to choose from, with responsible policies around such areas as recycling, food waste, energy-efficient appliances, biodegradable products and more.  

Be mindful with your menu

Champagne and camembert sound romantic, but there’s no need to rely on shipping in food and drink from the continent to ensure it's high quality. There are lots of award-winning cheesemongers, winemakers and spirit distilleries here in the UK - and just think of the fun you can have sampling their wares to find the perfect ones. Design your menu with an eye to what food is in season and maybe have one course, if not all of the meal, vegetarian or vegan for extra eco points.

Ask for donations not gifts

It’s practically impossible to plan a wedding that is completely environmentally friendly, and you need to indulge your whims sometimes during the planning. So, if you’re left with a little green guilt, why not ask guests for donations to an environmental charity rather than providing them with a gift register to pick a present from? You can live without the bread maker!

Planning an eco-friendly wedding can seem like a scary task, especially in the current circumstances. But don’t be afraid: even small steps can make a big difference!

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