Fionnuala Moran, Broadcaster and Sustainability influencer and Nell Frizzell, Author and Journalist, joined Today with Claire Byrne to discuss how having a more sustainable wedding can save money, as well as help the environment. Listen back above.
Currently knee deep in wedding planning, Moran has first hand experience with how all-consuming wedding prep can become. "It is very easy to get carried away being like, 'Everything has to be perfect!' she said.
With this in mind, it doesn't take much for even the most unfussy person to lose themself in getting the perfect venue, the perfect cake and the perfect flowers - all of which comes with a hefty price tag. Doing it more sustainably, however, "can save you a fortune", Moran added, as well as helping to protect the environment.
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Moran has been avidly trawling through online sites and second hand shops looking for her perfect wedding dress, but added that there's always the option of having something made by an Irish designer using deadstock material.
Barnardos and Oxfam are two of her top picks, which both have bridal boutiques where you can try dresses on and deliberate over the "insanely reduced prices". Many of these dresses have been donated and have never been worn.
Rebride is another site that sells second hand dresses, while Cirq is a new boutique specialising in donated wedding dresses.
"One of the main environmental concerns for that is, it can take 9,000 litres of water to make a wedding dress and it'll take us 10 years to drink that water", Moran explained.
Frizzell, meanwhile, made everything that she wore for her wedding, including her main dress which cost £4 to make and a suit made from scraps of fabrics. "I love the idea that one day I'll get them out and I'll show my son, because I don't think he'll remember what I was wearing", she said.
When it comes to the food, however, Moran admitted that her choice is going to be a bit of a "controversial one".
"I've my dad and one of my aunties scheming on how they're going to get meat into the big day", she said, since their wedding will either be vegetarian or fully vegan. "That's how we live our lives anyway, and without sounding too blunt because I know this conversation can get very heated with people, but we don't want anything to die for us to come together", she said.
The day two, meanwhile, will be a different story, with people able to have whatever they want.
As for décor, Moran wants disco balls everywhere, but noted they will probably rent them from a prop company to avoid filling the venue with staging props that end up in the bin.
"Instagram would have you believe that even on the morning of the wedding, the very new trend that I think we've imported from America is getting each other very very expensive presents", Moran said. "As if each other forever wasn't enough of a present for the day!"
"We're just avoiding all of that faff and just trying to keep the main thing, the main thing, celebrating our love with other people that we love."
Frizzell also enlisted people to help with the wedding, including an ex-boyfriend who DJed on the night and her mother, who went for a walk with her on the morning of the wedding as she picked from wild flowers for the table setting.
"All of which does take up time, but if you're not doing that, what are you doing?"
For the full chat and more tips, listen back above.
