Sustainably stunning – eco wedding inspiration from Hayne House and Green Union

Published by Claire Gould on August 6, 2020August 6, 2020

Sustainability is always a big thing for us here at English Wedding HQ, and so when a shoot like this BEAUTY comes along I get so excited to share it with you! Lovely Gwenda from Green Union designed, styled and coordinated this stunning shoot, which will inspire those of you looking to create a minimally styled wedding (but with wonderfully indulgent foliage) with organic, vegan, biodegradable and ethical styling touches. I’ll leave you in Gwenda’s very talented hands to learn how this fabulous wedding styling editorial came about!

In my capacity as a sustainable weddings advocate, I was invited by the very lovely Hayne House team to design, style and coordinate one of their open days, which doubles as an opportunity to capture a fully-fledged styled shoot all in one.

The concept began with an interpretation of the classic glasshouse/conservatory (as befits the main wedding reception structure), with mid-century accents and some boho touches (my self-indulgent favourites!). Overall, I was going for a minimalist aesthetic (clean lines and a restrained colour palette), with maximalist leanings through the densely planted décor and their textural/tonal variations. There was to be a dominant palette of whites, greens and browns, with black, light-mustard and gold accents (and an occasional bee motif, for good measure).

In keeping with the eco-credentials of the venue, I wanted to harness the talents of as many local wedding industry professionals as possible, to bring this vision to life with their shared eco-friendly and sustainable interests and working practices. The main sustainable considerations were:
• Hiring not buying and the beg/borrow approach for decor items from the homes of friends and family.
• Use of organic/Fair Trade/vegan products and ingredients
• Upcycling
• Use of biodegradable materials
• Inclusion of reusable elements
• Favouring local and seasonal
• Ethical sourcing

We were lucky enough to get this one in just a couple of weeks before lockdown, but were unlucky enough to catch some rather terribly wet and windy weather; it didn’t seem to put off the visitors that day, however; there was a fantastic turnout, which is encouraging to see that interest in more sustainable celebrations is clearly increasing!