Weddings at Sheepdrove

Eco Choices for Wedding Couples

We take sustainability seriously at Sheepdrove. Weddings take place in a sustainable carbon neutral “green building” powered by renewable energy generation situated on an organic and regenerative farm with onsite licensed ceremony space and accommodation to minimise travel. If you would like to plan a more sustainable eco friendly wedding without sacrificing style on your special day, take a look at these green wedding ideas… 

Here's how...

  • Choose Sheepdrove as the home of your wedding! Everyone agrees that choosing an environmentally minded venue with green credentials is the single most important way to reduce the carbon footprint of your wedding

  • Stay local. Wedding suppliers travelling the length and breadth of the country is neither sustainable nor cost-effective. Choose suppliers that are local; you will be supporting small businesses and the local community. If your suppliers do have to travel, find out how they are off setting their carbon footprint

  • Look out for local caterers who highlight seasonal, locally-sourced produce to help you reduce the environmental impact of your day

  • Choose a sustainable florist from a local flower farm or who works with local flower farms; see Flowers from the Farm for more information

  • Choose seasonal blooms to minimise long distant transport and reduce your carbon footprint; remember, from flowers to food, everything is more sustainable and more cost-effective if you work with the season.

  • Go for greenery. It looks stunning plus easonal foliage is often considerably cheaper than flowers. You can also hire mature trees in pots - they look amazing in the Oak Room!

  • Consider dried flowers, seasonal greenery or hire silk flowers. When choosing table decor, what about potted plants that can be relocated to your garden or given as gifts?

  • No floral foam! It’s completely toxic (made from two hazardous chemicals phenol and formaldehyde), has the same amount of plastic as 10 plastic shopping bags and is non-biodegradable and non-recyclable. Don’t worry, creative florists have come up with multiple eco friendly alternatives

  • Ditch the plastic, including straws, bubble wands, balloons and flip flops! If you must use flip flops, please choose biodegradable Sea Sense Flip Flops

  • Go vintage! Consider a gown or accessories that are preloved

  • A green wedding dress - why not? Who says you can’t be sustainable and still look fabulous on your wedding day? There’s a growing number of eco-friendly designers who focus on ethical production and sustainable fabrics

  • Something Borrowed… Hire services for gowns, accessories, ensembles, groomswear, faux flowers, decor and props are a sustainable option and a growing trend

  • Choose only biodegradable or dried flower petal confetti or make your own!

  • Keep it simple! Less stuff and more meaning! While extravagant events can be amazing, keeping decor minimalist is super stylish, eco-friendly (less waste!), cuts costs, makes setup and breakdown easy and ensures that it is you and not the decor that take centre stage at your celebration

  • Embrace au naturel and ditch the more, the better approach - we may be biassed but, we think our modern rustic wedding barn venue is stunning even when minimally adorned. There is beauty in simplicity and less decor can mean less clutter and more style. Shying away away from loaded centrepieces, layers of linens, baskets of props and floral walls allows the natural beauty of our unique spaces to shine through

  • Minimise guest transport by encouraging them to carpool where they can - fewer vehicles mean less carbon emissions

  • Gifts that give back! Consider charitable donations or privilege ethically produced gifts for your wedding list

  • Give favours that benefit nature such as seeds to sow, house plants or herbs to plant out. Other eco ideas for favours include hand made scented soaps or artisanal edibles such as home made jam or sweet treats. Or what about a charitable donation on behalf of your loved ones instead of physical favours?

  • Once your special day is over, why not donate any leftover decor, favours, ensembles, unwanted gifts and more to charity shops?

  • Think about tree planting or contributing to carbon capture projects to offset your guests’ travel carbon emissions, especially if loved ones are coming from further afield or abroad

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