This time last year, the focus was all about getting this beautiful, creative industry of ours back open again, so that weddings and love could once more be celebrated.
This year, my focus has very much shifted towards the health of our planet and what I can be doing to support it as member of an industry that contributes an incredible volume of waste and Co2 every year.
As I evolve Love My Dress into its 13th year of existence and prepare for our much awaited new platform launch in a months time, the optics through which I consider all our business partnerships have become veiled with a sense of urgency. Our partners have to be more than talented, they need to be committed to supporting the environment. If ever there was a single business that embodied such requirements, that has proven their authentic dedication to supporting couples planning weddings, whilst protecting the planet, it is the utterly brilliant Patchwork.
For those unfamiliar with this visionary business; The Patchwork Registry lets wedding guests come together to give one big gift or experience that a couple really wants and needs – and at the same time, it stops unwanted gifts ending up in landfill.
Patchwork is the only gift registry that Love My Dress chooses to partner with, because of its very genuine dedication to the environment.
Big News!
Patchwork has always been committed to reducing waste associated with gift-giving, but from today, this innovative and environmentally passionate all-woman team is launching a new business model to donate 50% of their fee to three environmental charities.
Couples can choose which charity to support when they sign up, including Friends of the Earth, Survival and ClientEarth.
I’d like to add some context to this news by highlighting some facts:
- UK weddings produce 83k tonnes of waste and 3.5m tonnes of C02 in the average year
- 89% of couples are considering the environment when wedding planning
- 84% of couples want to ask for money towards something instead of traditional gifts
- 41% of couples want to donate to an environmental charity as part of their gift options
Shocked?
I know that we are all trying to live our lives in a more sustainable and ethical way, and you know that Love My Dress exists to promote wedding industry talent, innovation and creativity – to encourage love, joy, soulful gatherings and magical celebration. But as with everything we now consume in our lives, as with every purchase and investment we make, we absolutely must consider the broader impact of weddings on the health of our precious earth.
I’m so in awe of the Patchwork team. They have observed almost every independent wedding gift registry get bought out by venture capitalists over the past 2-3 years. They are the only independent wedding gift registry to remain in the UK and yet they are thriving and continue to innovate and bring ethically and sustainably considered new business ideas to life, way before their competitors have even sat up and considered it. This is part of the reason I’m so thrilled and proud that Love My Dress is partnering with Patchwork.
We love seeing all the wonderful ways couples use the Patchwork registry to make their wedding dreams come true. But the one thing we all want is to ensure we have a future on our beautiful planet. Which is why we’ve decided to take the radical step of splitting our Patchwork fee 50/50 with three environmental charities doing vital work to protect and defend our planet. Olivia Knight, Patchwork Founder
With Patchwork you can quite literally make any dream come true – with a little help from your friends and family. An adventure honeymoon, a new kitchen, a vintage campervan, a flock of sheep (yes, really). Saving for your first home? Invite guests to gift £200 towards a new front door, £50 for a bit of roof, or even £1 for a brick!
Patchwork is not tied to retailers and they don’t hold your funds. Instead, you receive gift money from wedding guests (who can be located anywhere in the world) direct to your bank account, so that you can spend it how you like. Need more than money? With Patchwork you can ask friends to gift their time and skills too.
With over 150 templates for group gift ideas, it’s easy to set up a Patchwork gift registry. I know first hand how Patchwork is an ease and joy to use. I set up a Patchwork myself last year (because it can be used for any gift giving scenario, not just weddings) for the What About Weddings campaign, so that couples could purchase items that had been donated by industry friends, to help fund our campaign and raise money for charity. Working with the Patchwork team during such a difficult time was one of the best experiences I had throughout the entire pandemic and lockdown. They lifted my spirits and made things fun.
So, dear readers, followers and friends. If you are considering asking your guests to contribute towards gifts and/or a honeymoon, I cannot recommend the amazing Patchwork more highly.
By choosing Patchwork, you can feel good knowing you’re helping to protect the planet.
You can find out more here.
Annabel
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Annabel is the founder of Love My Dress. She lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, two daughters Eska and Leanora and three dogs. She is passionate about photography, supporting women in business and in life, and is in her element being surrounded by nature and the countryside.