For the prospective bride and groom who dream of flying their entire family to Barbados for a £100 000 (R1,4-million) knees-up, the idea of a green wedding must sound about as welcome as a bad speech from the best man followed by a punch-up over the wedding breakfast.
But a young British groom's decision to buy his bride an engagement ring with a conflict-free diamond culminated in their ethical wedding this weekend - the latest in a growing number - with flowers grown in the bride's mother's garden and recycled toilet paper at the reception venue.
It was after Joe Carrick, a 26-year-old youth worker, sought out the ethical white gold ring, that his fiancée, Jessica Randall, 24, of Keighley, west Yorkshire, became determined to place sustainability at the heart of their big day.
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She dug out a £70 (R990) wedding dress from one of Oxfam's seven UK bridal stores, in Bradford, asked relatives flying in from Australia and Switzerland to offset the carbon emissions of their flights, and a green, 1948 Bentley which had been converted to gas was found to replace the usual petrol-guzzling wedding limo.
Out went the reams of paper which weddings entail, and in their place was a dedicated "Jessicaandjoe" website from which guests could order presents and get directions.
More couples are opting for a green, rather than white, wedding because of an awareness of the colossal carbon footprint attached to their big day. The Climate Care group estimates that the average wedding emits 14,5 tons of carbon dioxide - a hefty environmental toll. The entire annual carbon footprint of the average Briton stands at 10,92 tons of CO2, the Carbon Trust revealed last month.
"The image often conveyed about green events is that they're going to be a bit hippy," said Ruth Culver, whose Green Weddings organisation is the first dedicated to focusing the happy couple on their carbon footprint. "We like to say it's eco-chic - and just as fabulous as any wedding."
The couple pulled the event off on a £3 000 (R42 450) budget - a snip, compared with the £20 000 (R280 000) of consumption attached to the average big day in Britain.
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