Marie Claire UK Sustainability Awards 2022: Wedding winners

Coveting a green big day to reduce the climate impact of your nuptials? Say ‘I do’ to the sustainable wedding brands creating eco-conscious celebrations

Over the past decade, the interest in ‘green weddings’ has bloomed from including a couple of eco-conscious elements, like biodegradable confetti or online save-the-dates, to ensuring the entire celebration reflects the couples’ sustainable interests.

From finding wedding venues that use non-disposable tableware and glasses, and hiring caterers who use locally grown ingredients, to decorating the venue with pre-loved decor and renting bridesmaid dresses and tuxedos, green-nuptial options are soaring.

Of course, planning a sustainable wedding can seem a little daunting, so we’re here to help you navigate the world of green-wedding planning with confidence. Meet the Marie Claire UK Sustainability Awards winners in the Wedding category…

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Marie Claire UK Sustainability Awards 2022 Wedding winners

Best sustainable bridalwear brand

Winner: Sabina Motasem

Showing that choosing green doesn’t necessarily mean compromising on style, quality or price, Sabina Motasem creates beautiful bridal dresses that are both kind to the planet and pocket.

Made from natural, plant-based materials, Sabrina Motasem’s Green Collection reflects the brand’s bestselling Couture Collection – they’re made in the very same ateliers – but features specially sourced eco-fabrics of circular viscose and cupro blends derived from sustainable wood and pulp.

Sustainability Awards judge and founder of the Sustainable Wedding Alliance, Michelle Miles says: “It’s great to see they are working on being regenerative rather than just neutral.”

Highly commended: Andrea Hawkes and Nola London

Best sustainable florist

Winner: Amaranté London

Learning how harmful the fresh-flower industry is to the planet is what initially propelled CEO and founder Kiran Seehra to establish Amaranté London. Disgusted by the detrimental intensive farming practices that come with selling fresh flowers, she strived to find a better, more sustainable alternative.

Eliminating the need for intensive farming, Amaranté London only farms flowers when they are in season, while every arrangement is hand-crafted and made to order, meaning that they only ever pick what they sell and nothing is ever left to waste. Making every purchase a carbon-negative one, the label’s profits are also put towards good causes, backing global reforestation efforts through planting two trees with each order.

“ Well done to Kiran for building a business built on ethically sourced and made-to-order bouquets, lowering carbon footprint and waste in the process,” says Sustainability Awards judge and Marie Claire UK’s health, sustainability & relationships editor, Ally Head. “I also love that Amaranté London was founded on social inclusivity, with 80% of its workforce being female, 58% within an ethnic minority, and 37% with a recognised disability.”

Best sustainable wedding-cake supplier

Winner: Love from Lila

Proving that cakes (and, in particular, wedding cakes) can look and taste absolutely phenomenal, whilst also being as sustainable as possible, Love from Lila doesn’t limit its sustainability creds to just baking with free-range eggs. 

Running since 2015, Love from Lila uses locally sourced, British, seasonal ingredients and reduces food waste through carefully managed recipes – offering ‘offcuts’ into the community through food-sharing initiatives. The brand also minimises its carbon output by purchasing ingredients in bulk and employing an eco-friendly provider to host the website – the sort that uses green-energy sources and offsets its carbon.

“It’s great to see that founder Lila is not just passionate about wedding cake, but passionate about making wedding cakes that are genuinely planet-friendly, too. She’s thoughtful and eco-conscious about every aspect of her business, from produce to production,” says Head.

Best sustainable wedding caterer

Winner: Lettice Events

Providing beautifully presented, seasonal food for sustainable luxury private and corporate events, family run Lettice Events has continued to adapt and evolve since its inception in 1995. Championing the importance of eating responsibly sourced produce, Lettuce Events started working with Foodsteps, the leading provider of environmental-impact assessments for food businesses, to understand its own carbon emissions and learn how best to reduce them.

This year, to further reduce its carbon footprint, the brand is also working with a food-waste digestion system, Orca, which uses the biological process of enzymatic digestion as a food-waste solution.

“A simple yet smart company, Lettice Events call themselves an industry leader in their approach to food waste and I can see why,” says Head. “I love that they’re working with Foodsteps and am excited to see what changes are made to lower emissions in the future, too.”

Best sustainable wedding venue

Winner: Hayne House

As you can probably imagine, with every wedding also comes a vast amount of ‘stuff’ – most of which ends up in the bin at the end of the wedding weekend. Hayne House, a 35-acre wedding venue in Kent featuring a stunning orangery, picturesque gardens and charming country house, is actively taking responsibility for its impact on the environment, and raising awareness in its immediate sphere of influence at an industry level to drive positive change. 

Hoping to encourage other businesses and venues to commit to the race to zero, Hayne House is on a mission to prove that weddings do not have to come at a cost to the planet. From replacing windows and removing single-use plastic, to switching to renewable energy and launching a couples reward scheme that encourages better choices, Hayne House has made a long-term commitment to sustainability. And, for every wedding it hosts, it also makes a donation to the Kent Woodland Trust, too.

“I love Hayne House’s A Wedding Doesn’t Have to Cost the Earth initiative and all of the small yet vastly important steps they are taking to make one of the most wasteful sectors less wasteful,” says Head.

Marie Claire UK has determined the award winners in accordance with the judging criteria and with the information provided by the entrants. All information provided by the winning brands is published in good faith.