Image credit: Christopher Western Photography
For some, the idea of planning a wedding can be overwhelming, and potentially even more so if you’re striving to make it as sustainable as possible. Luckily for you, celebrated wedding venue Elmore Court (and its dedicated team of experts) are on-hand to not only champion this more sustainable approach, but to make it as effortless as possible for their couples.
Enveloped in the rolling Cotswold countryside, this stately family home (dating back to around 1580) is renowned for its refined elegance and enchanting grounds. With a multitude of historical, beautifully dressed rooms to explore and some sensational grounds (that make for the perfect backdrop to your wedding day photographs), Elmore Court really does have it all. And, we haven’t even touched on the Gillyflower (a – as the venue terms it – “future-rustic” dinner and dancing venue built sustainably for the venue).
Celebrated for its innate ability to bring people together, Elmore Court and its team of wedding experts are ready to help you plan your day, in every sustainable way possible. We caught up with the venue itself to get the lowdown on all the sustainable options available to couples…
#1 Why should couples be heading to Elmore Court to tie the knot?
“Aside from being able to provide any wedding you dream of (church, civil ceremony in the hall, outdoors, or something completely different) as well as the party of a lifetime, everything we do here has as little environmental impact as possible.
Since we opened we’ve been making leaps in sustainability including:
- Building rammed earth eco venue The Gillyflower for receptions.
- Heating the house by biomass boiler; an entirely carbon neutral heat source.
- All other utilities are with green and local providers.
- Ditching single use plastic in favour of refillable glass bottles.
- Swapping all chemical cleaning products for water based cleaning system.
- Reviving our walled garden for home grown wedding food.
- Giving 250 acres back to nature for our rewilding project.”
#2 If couples are looking to tie the knot more sustainably, how can they do this at Elmore Court?
“Choosing Elmore Court means you are already one up on sustainability. You can take this further by:
- Choosing seasonal and local – flowers and natural decor should always be seasonal to ensure they are not flown for miles. If you’re marrying in the depths of winter when there aren’t so many flowers blooming in the UK, think a little out of the box and go for potted plants, greenery, fruits, nuts and berries to add to your tables.
- Plus, opting for potted plants and flowers rather than cut is great as these can be replanted and used as wedding favours for guests to take home! Ditch the throwaway favours and, if you are gifting something, make sure it’s recyclable or really useful/consumable to avoid waste.
- All our menus are already switching to local and seasonal ingredients, with lots more grown in-house.
- Work with suppliers who have sustainable credentials and make sure you go with their advice on how to make your wedding greener.
- Look for a recycled wedding dress or a dress maker working with sustainable materials.
- Use recycled or bio paper for invitations and stationery or ditch printed invites altogether and go digital!
- Ask guests to donate to a sustainable charity rather than buying unnecessary wedding gifts.”
#3 We’ve read The Gillyflower was sustainably built form earth and timber from the Elmore Court estate…when was this built? What does it offer couples?
“That’s right! Our RIBA award-winning Gillyflower was built from the very earth it stands on in 2013. This makes the build entirely eco-friendly, and also entirely soundproof. Which is perfect as inside we have the best, Ibiza quality, Function 1 sound system which is made to be turned up LOUD. Happy couples and their guests can therefore enjoy fine dining, dancing and boundless fun until the early hours.”
#4 Tell us more about the venue’s new treehouses in the rewilding land?
“We have six treehouses and a small tipi ceremony space now being built in the woods overlooking the marshland in our rewilding area. This carbon zero project will be complete for retreats amongst the trees and unique wedding guest accommodation in 2023.
The most exciting bit about these for us is they are open to all… you don’t have to be getting married to book one. For the first time ever we’ll be able to invite Elmore couples back for anniversary stays!”
#5 Discover Elmore Court as a wedding venue in three words…
“Freedom. Fun. Magic.”
#6 What other sustainable options are there for couples in terms of vendors etc. at Elmore Court?
“We have a list of recommended suppliers that you’re welcome to use (or not – it’s up to you)! All our preferred suppliers are handpicked by Team E, and they are all environmentally conscious.”
#7 Does your team assist in helping couples make more sustainable decisions when it comes to planning their big day?
“Absolutely. Included in the exclusive hire is a dedicated wedding co-ordinator who will look after you all the way through your wedding planning journey as well as on the big day itself. We will always do our best to help in whatever way we can.”
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