Your Sustainable Wedding

Your Sustainable Wedding At Hayne House

At Hayne House we take our carbon footprint and sustainable practices very seriously!

Have you joined our sustainable initiative to make choices and earn rewards for doing them?

Did you know 4910 tonnes of non-recyclable plastic is produced every year by weddings?
We LOVE weddings, but recognise that the industry and it’s actions could have a significant effect on the planet. Thats why we are committed to making sure the running of the venue and office is as sustainable as can be, and we love to pass ideas on to our couples to make small choices that have a BIG impact.

We believe the steps we take no matter how big or small, will be impactful in the long term.

For every wedding at Hayne House, we donate to the Kent Wildlife Trust find out how you’re making an impact just by hosting your wedding with us!

To join us on our green journey, make sure to follow us @haynehouseweddingvenuekent

Sustainable choices you can make!

Your Venue

Firstly, we just want to say a massive thank you for booking with us! By having your special day at Hayne House, you can be proud you have chosen a venue which holds sustainability at the core of its values. The Orangery, built in 2018, established a turning point for us, as you can ‘go green’ without having to compromise on style. To find out more about how The Orangery was built sustainably click here.

If you are saying ‘I do’ within the summer months or just simply can’t wait to take some beautiful photos, we have our eco-chic Pavilion. Made with locally sourced materials it represents how we are striving to make every part of your wedding journey as sustainable as can be.

Our gorgeous traditional Hunting Lodge is making small progress every day, as this is an older building we are slowly adapting each aspect without taking away the magic of its traditional charm. However, you can guarantee that with everything we use within the Lodge from cleaning products to toilet paper is sustainably sourced!

We also encourage any supplier that works with us to adhere to our sustainable efforts, try our best to educate and make people aware of what they can do to improve their practices every step of the way.

Check out our sustainable goals for 2021!

Your Caterers

Our fabulous caterers Scott Anderson are based local to us in Faversham and the majority of their food comes from Brogdale farm (where they are based) and local farms in the surrounding area. Scott Anderson is aware of food air miles and they share a similar ethos to us, which can be seen in their environmental responsibilities.

One of our long-term goals at Hayne House is to implement a working composting system into our venue. Therefore, Scott Anderson does most of their food prep at their own kitchens so to cut down on food waste at the venue. They also offer an extensive vegan menu, if this is your thing!

At Hayne House we have our own herb garden, which allows us to grow all our own produce for the bar.

Entertainment

Entertainment is key to your day, and fortunately sustainable choices here are super easy!

Opting for a DJ (like The Wedding Chaps) over a band cuts emissions compared to a band who often travel separately and in larger vehicles. The Wedding Chaps can also provide photo-booths, dance-floors and uplighting meaning one supplier for lots of things!
Go for a paperless photo-booth. So many places now send photos directly to emails/phone numbers so you can share those hilarious snaps on instagram straight away and you can snap away guilt free.
Pick and Mix tables go down a TREAT so try going vegan! Sweet & Kind are a fabulous company who sell yummy vegan sweeties, or ask your supplier if they can source.
Outdoor props for summer weddings like like giant garden games, arcades or vintage bikes for your guests to play with. We guarantee the photos will be hilarious.
To further cut down on these emissions you should ideally prioritise booking local suppliers to Hayne House rather than asking people to travel. We have a fab list of recommended local suppliers right here.

Decor & Styling

Hire or look for second hand rather than buy new is something we’re strong believers in!

Not only is it better for the environment but also it makes it so much easy to gather things for your day.

The Orangery is a blank canvas, so couples have the ultimate choice of how to decorate their day.
We work with some great suppliers who hire out beautiful decor for any style of day:

If you do want to buy try to opt for second-hand, consider going to charity shops or looking on selling sites aka Facebook marketplace, Gumtree. Some other great places are:

Rock my Wedding who have introduced a new site called Recycle for people to repurpose all their wedding goods.
Sell my Wedding

PLACE CARDS AND MENUS
If having signage printed for your guests, try to use ethically sourced ink and paper where you can. A company that uses vegetable ink as well as recycled or bamboo paper means you can be assured your paper usage isn’t have an impact on wedding waste. Lots of small business and artists are starting to become more aware of this and so it is worth asking them if they can make your signage eco-chic.

CONFETTI
We’ve have already taken care of for you! If you choose Hayne House’s confetti it is completely biodegradable and made up of dried petals. If using your own, always consider talking to your florist as they will hopefully be able to do something similar, try to avoid glassine bags and cones by opting for quaint baskets of petals.

BALLOONS
Usually ending up in landfill or oceans balloons are one of the worst offenders for wedding waste, so why not hire in bunting, banners or festoon lighting instead? This will fill the space in the same way but more sustainably. If your wedding planning hearts are set on having them, why not source biodegradable balloons? (These still should be used rarely as they still take ages to breakdown.) You could choose to release other things instead i.e. butterflies.

LIGHTING AND CANDLES
The best thing about The Orangery is the influx of natural light! We make the most of the natural source and save lots of energy with every wedding we do. If opting to use candles, try to source paraffin free soy or beeswax candles to create some ambiance as the sun starts to go down.

Wedding Invites & Keeping in touch with your guests

One of the very first things you do once you have secured your wedding date is arrange save the dates and invitations, sending to your nearest and dearest in hopes they will join you on your special day. Not only can this be very expensive but physical invitations can use a lot of paper!

Ditch the paper and go digital!

You can still create something bespoke and completely personal to your wedding day by using great designers or online websites.
Sending these out by email make them accessible to the majority of your guests.

For those guests who aren’t a lover of tech and prefer a more traditional approach, try picking up the phone as this will go a long way and create a personal touch.

In order to keep in touch with your guests along your planning journey, here at Hayne House we thoroughly recommend you creating a wedding website for your guests.

Here you can put lots of information like timings, menus and even your gift wish list. It keeps everything in one place, and no one will get confused.

We suggest sending out emails every time you update the website with new information, so you keep people in the loop!

Wedding Gifts

Our Sustainable Goals

Wedding Party Gifts (Bridesmaids, Groomsmen etc) are a big part of your wedding day, and always insta-worthy. However, they also add up to produce a lot of waste. We have broken down all the gifts you might give throughout your day and how you can make an eco swap that your guests will love just as much (and maybe a bit more!)

MAID OF HONOUR/BEST MAN/FAMILY GIFTS

It can be quite overwhelming, feeling like you have to buy a gift for absolutely everyone who has been involved in the planning of your wedding. People like to splurge on gifts or go down the safe route of alcohol or flowers.

Here are some gifts which go down a treat no matter the age and that are better for the environment:

Dinner Out or Cocktails Vouchers
An overnight stay somewhere
Donating to a local charity/charity that means something in your guest of choice’s name (especially if you know a charity close to their heart)
Paying for them to go and do a hobby they have always wanted to do, i.e. pottery, painting or life drawing.
A hamper of gifts from second-hand/charity shops or only ethical companies.
Social Stories Club – they create hampers which support disadvantaged communities and give back to farmers by being Fairtrade.
If someone is a coffee lover, why not treat them to an array of ethical coffee beans? Cafeziniho coffee treks to farms in Brazil to support families and roasts everything herself here is Kent.
An online magazine subscription is great for the readers of your wedding party.
For those who have green fingers, why not treat them to new seeds/gardening tools/high-quality gardening gloves?
If you would like to go with jewellery, make sure your diamonds/stones are being sourced ethically. It is best to go with independent jewellers rather than big chains. Wearth are a like-minded company who has this in mind.

CHILDREN’S GIFTS
If children are attending your wedding, you can feel the need to create goodie packs or buy games for them. However, these are always filled with the dreaded single-use plastic. Some alternatives are:

If you have quite a few children attending your wedding why not pay for some hired entertainment?
A magician – Chris Harding is fabulous and will have something up his sleeve for the adults too!
A bouncy castle – everyone loves a bouncy castle.
An artist to make some great doodles to keep them entertained.
In the summer garden games in the secure gardens are a fabulous way to let the kids run loose!
You could also bring in someone like Carousel Creche who bring toys in for children of all ages and mean there is someone to keep an eye on them during the day!

THE BRIDAL PARTY
Whilst you and your wedding party are getting ready in the pamper cottage and kicking back with champagne, it is courtesy of the bride to treat her tribe with gifts. Usually this comes in the form of personalised robes or glasses. We have put together a whole host of goodies for you to create the perfect morning hamper eco style!

Everyone loves a matching PJ set or robe, however more of your bridesmaids are more likely to reuse them if they aren’t personalised. It is also good to stay clear of fast fashion and use a sustainable clothing brand such as;

A beautiful refillable candle. One of our amazing recommended florists Hedges and Flowers have produced beautiful candles in some gorgeous scents. The best thing about them is that once they have been used, they can send them back and get them refilled. A piece of your wedding will be with them forever.

Ethical skincare is a must! Check out some of these brilliant brands;

Natural Perfumes;

To buy your tribe something more practical, The Good Company has all sorts of products from unique stationary to reusable water bottles.

GIFTS FOR YOU!
So many people want to give to the happy couple when they attend their wedding. However, asking for a list of gifts can sometimes seem a little forward and doing a gift registry can seem a little outdated. Here are the perfect sustainable alternatives:

Asking for money for your honeymoon fund! There are lots of ways you can go on your honeymoon without damaging the environment. The Guardian have put together a list of the best places to travel too without making a big impact on your carbon footprint.
If you have everything you need, ask your guests to donate to a chosen charity in your name.
If you are working on a big project, why not ask for people to gift you their time and help? In this day and age spending time together is priceless, so make every moment count.

Favours

Nova Memories

LUNA Selfie Pod

2 Hours £320 /3 Hours £420 / 4 Hours £520
All day & half day packages available upon request

Includes:

Set up & take down time /Attendant / PAT Tested certified equipment / Public Liability Insurance Certified

Luna Selfie Pod

Luna Pod takes Photos, GIFS, Boomerangs & Videos
Colour filters- Black & white, colour or mono
Beauty filter that adds a subtle flawless filter
Personalised wording & design in keeping with your wedding theme for the touch screen of the pod & photo captures
Personalised live online gallery that can be viewed in real time on the night/day by you & guests via their text/airdrop link
Your guests can Text/Airdrop their Videos, GIFS, Boomerangs & Photos straight to their mobile devices and save
All captures are sent to you at the end of the night via email with links to your personalised live gallery and zip file of all captures

Props

Props included (no inflatables) props are made up of glasses, Hats, flower crowns, hand held word boards & vintage props

Backdrops

Champagne gold shimmer wall 6ftx7ft £220 / Flower Backdrop £250
Large Wooden Hoop £110 for flower decor to be added please ask for a quotation

Backdrops are set up in the morning so you have all day & evening usage of the backdrop

Neon Signs

I love you to the moon and back £55 / Happily ever after £45 / Let’s party £45
Personalised signs available upon quotation

For more decor and prices, please visit Nova Memories

Flowers

When it comes to being sustainable with flowers it is a tricky one, because once they have been cut, you are limited to how long they live. However, one of the key things to do is only pick flowers that grow in the season that you are getting married in. Therefore, you aren’t having to transport flowers a long way and contributing to heavy CO2 emissions.

If you are green fingered, why not consider growing your own flowers and using them on your day? Many great and local florists run floristry courses that you can enrol yourself onto, so you can learn to make stunning bouquets!

Alternatively, you could consider getting your bouquet preserved which not only makes it last forever but also means you are really getting the most out of your flowers.

Another option is to work with suppliers like Chic Weddings who use silk flowers. If you are going for a heavy floral wedding, then for the bulk of your flowers is it best to use these and choose to add real flowers throughout.

Your Wedding Attire

When it comes to wedding attire there are so many ways to make this aspect of your day more sustainable. You could choose to rent your dress or suit, which definitely is more cost effective than buying as well as being better for the planet! If buying your garments is important to you, why not get them made only with eco-friendly or recycled materials? Many bridal shops are now realising the importance of sustainability so there are lots of options to choose from.

These also go for your wedding guests and you can actively encourage your guests to think sustainably when choosing an outfit for your wedding. You can check out:

One Wear Freedom – are the first company in the UK to allow you to rent an outfit, wear it and then return it! The have a whole category for special occasions and being a wedding guest!

ACCESSORIES

This is when you can really utilise your ‘something borrowed’ on your big day. Wearing jewellery or a tiara which has been handed down to you or something you have found second-hand means you wear something with a story.

RINGS

When it comes to rings, our biggest tip is do your research! You would be surprised by the number of diamonds that aren’t sourced ethically and companies which exploit their workers. Therefore, by going to an independent jeweller who are aware of how they source their stones is ideally the safest way to make sure your ring is made in a conflict-free country or zone.

Your Cake

Every single wedding cake is beautiful, and when speaking to your cake-maker you can always ask for your cake to be made in the most sustainable way. Here are the swaps you need to make happen to be confident you can eat every crumb ethically.

THE AMOUNT

To only have as much cake as guests. If you are opting for a smaller wedding, rather than have cake made which will go to waste, choose to have dummy layers made instead. Your cake will have the same effect but won’t go to waste!

FAIRTRADE & LOCAL ORGANIC PRODUCTS

The products going into your cake should be part of the Fairtrade scheme, it supports 1.2 million farmers across 66 countries and is the best way to guarantee your products are being sourced ethically. If your products can’t be Fairtrade, go local! Locally sourced products mean less air miles and usually higher quality standards, plus you can support local small businesses.

Another top tip is to use seasonal fruit, it is best to have this conversation with your cake maker and make sure they are using organic Kent fruit. Not only does it taste nicer, but it is also better for the environment as farms won’t be using harmful pesticides.

VEGAN?

Having a vegan cake isn’t always what it seems, usually you and your guests cannot tell if you cake is vegan or not! If you are vegan and are worried about having a vegan cake, go for it, it is your day, and you can be assured your guests will love it. P.s the planet will love it too.

Vegan Antics in Gravesend create amazing bespoke vegan wedding cakes.

YOUR CAKE TOPPER

A cake topper is usually one of the items which get thrown away. Ideally you should source a topper second-hand (there is lots on the internet) and keep it as décor in your house as it can make a cute arrangement reminding you of your day for years to come. Or choose to utilise your ‘something old’ and ask family if they still have theirs and bring the nostalgia back.

Guest Travel

Weddings require guests to travel (we know this is an unavoidable fact) and there are many suggestions you can advise to your guests which help cut down on travel emissions and help save them money!

Car Share like a pro! If you have guests travelling from a hometown or one place, it is always worth asking them to car share when possible. Make sure they have a music playlist which will get them in the mood for a party!
Public Transport. If travelling from a long way, catching a train or a bus will significantly reduce the carbon footprint of your wedding.
Book Local! We have brilliant relationships with hotels in Hythe and Folkestone such as The View and Holiday Inn Express. Ideally book your guests into one place and arrange to bring them to and from the venue together via minibus.
The View offers a great Hayne House brunch for couples the day after your wedding. Email us at enquiries@haynehouse.co.uk to enquire further.

Crosskeys offer their 16 seat exec minibus from The View Hotel, Folkestone or Holiday Inn Express Cheriton

Return Journey = £355
Single Journey = £265

Britannia offer a shuttle service with their green fleet tailored to your guests’ needs, to run through the evening.

Prices start from £114 for one-way transfers for 14 to 19 guests, exclusive to Hayne House guests. Contact the team on 01304 228 111 or book here

Eco-Honeymoon

Once you have said I do and danced the night away at Hayne House, you may be thinking you want to carry on your inner eco warrior and plan an ethical honeymoon. Here are a few tips to help you.

Stay in the UK! Whilst it is the norm to jet-set off to an exotic resort, there are so many gorgeous places in the UK to experience. You can easily get there by train or hiring an electric car to make a road trip you will never forget.
Only book hotels who have sustainability at the forefront of their minds. Depending on where you choose to honeymoon, there are so many hotels/resorts who are becoming carbon neutral and are conscious of how they impact the environment. Brides have put together a definitive list for you to choose from!
Think about how you will travel when you get there. This is key when planning your honeymoon, you could opt for cycling, hiring an electric car, walking and only hopping on public transport when you need to!
Experience local! When you visit a new country, it can be tempting to want to do all the tourist things. However, it is better to get to the deeper heart of the place and go to where the locals go! You will be contributing to local business and investing in the people who need it most. Most places offer walking tours, which pair you up with a local guide, we guarantee this is the best way to get to know a new city and its history.

Your Sustainable Wedding