As some of you will know The Natural Wedding Company headed over to Liverpool last weekend to The Great Big Green Wedding Fayre.  Last week was a bit manic – there was so much to get ready, and on Friday evening I wasn’t sure I felt prepared.

Luckily my lovely assistant Maria turned up on Friday evening and helped me to stuff my 200 goody bags with the lovely leaflets from some of our directory businesses.  Those businesses included Blossom, Diva Stores, Green Paper Wishes, Oria Jewellery, the Pines Calyx, The Real Cut Flower Garden, and Vintage Memories.  The bags also include a free gift from Falling Star – a May Chang scented room fragrancer which had a wonderful citrus scent.  We have an exclusive offer for all bride- and grooms-to be from Falling Star that I’ll tell you about soon!

We had a stand for the whole weekend, which was placed in a prominent position next to the stage in the main barn.  On arriving at the CHET centre in Little Crosby Village we set up our stand.  It was decorated with white and yellow tablecloths and jugs of seasonal English flowers.  We pinned some jolly bunting along the front and even managed to hang some on the barn wall behind our stand.

On a small table we laid out the beautiful wedding accessories made by Ruth Singer, a textile designer-maker.  All her accessories are made using organic, recycled or vintage fabrics, and include scarves, boas, cuffs and corsages.  Coming soon is a fantastic tutorial from Ruth on how to make your own corsage from recycled fabrics.

On Sunday I gave a short talk on The Natural Wedding Company and how to be resourceful in planning a handmade wedding.  Hopefully I managed to share a few ideas, and inspire some people to create their own do-it-yourself elements for their wedding.  I was so nervous beforehand, but am really pleased that I faced this challenge and I don’t think it went too badly.

At the show there were other great exhibitors, some familiar from the Eco Chic Wedding Show in Birmingham, and others who were new faces.  On the stand next to us was Rosie Weisencrantz, and on Sunday we were joined by Zoe Photography.  There was the lovely Rebecca Joy Sharp who played exquisitely on the harp and The Bows – both perfect for your wedding ceremony.

Monica and Greg from CRED Jewellery were with us in the main barn, with Greg giving us a short presentation on ethical jewellery – can you believe that around 3 tonnes of toxic waste is created to make one gold wedding ring?  What other reason do you need to choose ethically?

Pebble in the Pond decorated the tearoom in vintage china and pretty floral table runners.  The Liverpool Pedi-Cab Company brought along one of their pedi-cabs, a unique and eco-friendly option for wedding transport!  There were cupcakes from Little Cake Heaven, Cheshire cider from The Bar Events Company, and free facials from The Body Shop at Home.

Along with the delicious afternoon tea, great choice of exhibitors, and a line-up of short presentations, there was also the all-important bridal show.  This show featured a number of different wedding dress companies, all offering more ethical and earth-friendly options for your wedding dress.

The lovely Claire from Worn Once With Love brought along a selection of her gorgeous ‘worn once’ wedding dresses.  We were also treated to a great collection of wedding dresses from Oxfam Bridal in Heswall, Liverpool – their dresses are donated from boutiques (some often costing thousands of pounds new) and sold on for a fraction of the price (the average dress costs between £100-200!).  And finally, there was a beautiful collection of vintage honeymoon dresses, mother-of-the-bride outfits and evening dresses from Aliz Vintage in Chester.

All in all it was a lovely weekend, networking with fellow exhibitors and promoting our website and the great businesses listed on it.  A big thanks to Jemma and Amanda from GreenLeaf Press who organised the event for all their hardwork.  Also, to my lovely Saturday assistant Maria and my wonderful boyfriend who suffered Sunday with me, a huge thanks for all their help and support.

I have also just heard some fantastic news this evening – it looks like the Eco Chic Wedding Show will return to Birmingham next year!  I’ll keep you posted.