Question 1

What is your advice on planning a sustainable wedding?

Accepted Answer

At Leigh Court, a certified B Corp, we're committed to making your special day as sustainable as possible. To minimise the environmental impact, we encourage our couples to embrace sustainable practices. Our partnership with Ecologi allows us to offset emissions for every wedding, planting trees as a lasting gift to each couple. We also advocate for the use of pre-loved decorations and second-hand wedding dresses, supporting a circular economy. Meanwhile, our wedding planners are at your disposal to source eco-friendly suppliers, from florists who grow flowers without pesticides, to charitable wedding favours. In our catering operations, we've eliminated single-use plastics in favour of glass, bamboo, and compostable materials, significantly reducing waste. Our commitment to local and seasonal produce not only supports nearby farms but also cuts down on transportation emissions. Additionally, our food waste management through anaerobic digestion turns leftovers into renewable energy, further reducing our carbon footprint. Finally, we allow only biodegradable confetti, such as untreated rose petals, ensuring that your celebration leaves a positive mark on the planet. By choosing Leigh Court, you're not just planning a wedding; you're investing in a sustainable future.

Question 2

What is your advice on planning a sustainable wedding?

Accepted Answer

Choosing eco-friendly and sustainable options without compromising on style is becoming increasingly easy. Instead of buying new items, shipped halfway around the world search for a locally-based décor hire company. We carefully maintain our props and linens (using eco-friendly cleaning products) so they can be re-used time and time again. As for signage and stationery, instead of non-degradable materials, such as acrylic sheets consider cardboard signage, which looks surprisingly sleek and elegant, or reusable wooden boards. We love using wooden laser-cut place names painted to suit your theme, recycled paper or seed paper for place names and menus. When it comes to flowers, ensure you select an eco-conscious florist. Working with local flower growers where possible, choosing designs that don't use chemical-based floral foams and re-purposing designs from ceremony to reception are all great ways to keep your day as sustainable as possible. Your eco-conscious styling team will also be able to collect items the next day and ensure everything is recycled, composted or re-used. We dry left over petals for confetti and even have our candle wax recycled into new candles.

Question 3

What is your advice on planning a sustainable wedding?

Accepted Answer

Our favourite wedding trend is conscious decision making and there are so many ways to be ethically and environmentally friendly. Check out online resale sites for items used at other weddings and repurpose them for your own. You'll save them from being single-use and help your budget in the process! Check out websites such as Facebook Marketplace and Freecycle. There's much more you can do in terms of being more conscious of what and how you purchase, and you could even ask guests to be mindful of how they travel. Book a venue that has sustainability as a top priority and keep food miles down by ensuring items are local and seasonal. Why not try giving back to the environment to balance the impact of your wedding? Perhaps plant your own tree, or purchase and scatter a bee-bomb. After the last few years, we've all done some reflecting and have a better understanding of what's truly important. This has certainly given wedding celebrations a deeper meaning, so perhaps you could ask your guests to make a charitable donation or fund a local project on your behalf, rather than receiving gifts.

Question 4

What is your advice on planning an outdoor wedding?

Accepted Answer

With the summer wedding season in full swing and the English weather as unpredictable as ever, you may get more than you bargained for when it comes to wishing for a sunny day for your al fresco nuptials. Don't compromise your photographic backdrop for finding shade. Your wedding venue is the backdrop to your day and it's important that it's not lost in your photography when avoiding squinting eyes. Work with your venue and photographer in advance to discuss where you'll take your couple shots and allow for early evening snaps in the iconic areas of your venue that might be too bright for the day. Ensure you have someone on hand to bring you water and canapés during your photo session and to top you up with suntan lotion, which can often get forgotten. Nobody wants a sunstroke headache on their wedding day! As you'd make the decision to move your ceremony indoors if it rains, don't feel pressured to stay outside if the sun becomes too hot. Consider your dress or suit and consider whether you'll be too hot to enjoy the moment. If you're intent on staying outside, maybe ditch the suit jackets and instead opt for braces or waistcoats that buttonholes can be pinned to. Think too about your guests, will some be older and struggle with the temperatures? Work with your venue to understand if the area you've chosen is shaded or exposed to the sun. Otherwise, make the most of your venue's inside space and move things to shelter so you can keep your cool at the altar. If you're worried about guests struggling with the heat while enjoying your venue's grounds, incorporating some cooling wedding favours can help them deal with the soaring temperatures. My favourites include paper fans, sun cream, flavoured water dispensers, cooling mist stations, or even offer ice cream or ice lollies. Don't for get to take time out to refresh. Whether it's packing a few extra shirts, arming your chief bridesmaid with powder for keeping the shine away or popping some refreshing towels and sprays into the venue's toilets, all this can encourage that moment to refresh allowing your guests to feel their best.

Question 5

What is your advice on planning an outdoor wedding?

Accepted Answer

Keep all suppliers (including registrars) informed of your plans and always check in to see if they're happy and able to host outdoors. Some areas of the day may need to be tweaked to accommodate various elements: sunshine causing candles to melt, wilting flowers and even bowing musical instruments! Let your guests know too, so that they're dressed and prepared for all eventualities. You may consider supplying parasols, water bottles and even heel stoppers for the grass. Utilise the outdoor elements as much as you can. Being outdoors means you can use the natural flora all around. Perhaps a beautiful natural aisle, wildflowers for additional decoration, or orchards and woodland for shade. Remember to manage your own expectations! This is England and the weather may not be on your side. Ensure you've mentally prepared yourself and that the change of plan doesn't disappoint or spoil your day. Prepare for plan B, C and D! You'll need to talk through a weather contingency with your venue and suppliers. If it's too hot, cold, windy... these things will all affect the day differently. Producing alternative plans will ensure the day runs seamlessly and is just as beautiful and enjoyable wherever it takes place and whichever way things go.

Question 6

We're just starting out on our big-day journey and neither  of us have a clue what we should look for when booking  a venue or what we should be asking. Can you help?

Accepted Answer

Before you start looking for a venue, think about what sort of wedding celebration you want to have – traditional or relaxed, festival-style; country mansion or village hall; band or disco; sit-down meal or buffet and so on. Budget will also partly determine what you can plan for your guests. Think too about how much you want to be involved in the planning and set up of the venue. Once you're confident of all of this in your own minds, then you can look for a venue that can deliver on your key points. We see couples who increasingly feel restricted by being forced to use in-house caterers or approved photographers and florists where they'd prefer to think outside the box and do what feel best and most comfortable. Old Bridge offers considerable flexibility, as our couples can choose their own caterers, decorate our beautiful marquee to their liking and bring their own personal flair to their special day. We don't even offer packages, so you can do as you please. We realise this doesn't suit everyone, but if you know what sort of day you want, it helps before you start your search for your perfect venue.

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