Love the Planet too

Are you a forward-thinking couple who want to leave a positive footprint on this beautiful planet of ours? Do you dig mother nature as much as I do?

I’m no tree-hugging hippie, but I do think that the desire to do something ‘cute’ and ‘different’ during a wedding ceremony should take a back seat to the wider ethical or environmental implications those ideas might have.

When it comes to wedding ceremonies, there aren’t many ideas that I don’t get excited about, but things like animal releases, confetti throws and balloon messages… they’re a bit of a no-no for me, and I’d love to share with you WHY I feel like this.

Animal Releases

I believe animals of all kinds deserve to be treated with respect, and they should be given the space to be as they are and live their lives. And the use of butterflies, doves or a dancing monkey (other than your drunk uncle) in a wedding just doesn’t do this.

Do you know that butterflies for releases get mailed to you in a box? Yip, they go through the mail like that letter from grandma! And doves get stuffed into cages, dragged to unfamiliar locations in the middle of noisy crowds and turned loose to find their way back to the exhibitor. So while animal releases may look beautiful for wedding photos, I prefer to see animals in the environments they’re meant to be in, not used for commercial purposes.

Balloon Releases

All balloons released, including those marketed as “biodegradable latex” return to Earth as ugly litter. They are responsible for the deaths of countless animals, because they get mistaken for food. A recent study by the University of Queensland found that one in three sea turtles have eaten marine plastic!

Throwing Rice, Glitter or Confetti

While these may be a long standing tradition, throwing rice, glitter or confetti at a wedding venue is often not allowed anymore - and for good reason. Not only is it a pain to clean up, but that’s if it even gets cleaned up at all. And then there’s just all this rice, glitter or paper lying all over the ground - not bird-friendly and not biodegradable. And also not cool!

Alternatives

Ok, so I’ve been a bit of a party-pooper, but there are so many alternative options you can consider for your big day - options that are earth-and-animal-friendly, and will still look beautiful in your photos. Here are a few of my favourite alternatives: