Why You Should Ditch Shein and Buy Local For Your Wedding
There’s no doubt about it, weddings are an expensive business and costs are only going up — fast. The average wedding spend in the UK in 2023 was £20,700, up from £17,300 in 2021; that’s an eye-watering 20% rise in just two years. With the cost of living skyrocketing at a comparable rate, it’s no surprise that brides are increasingly looking to bargain hunt on websites like Shein, Temu, Ali Express, JJ’s House and Stacees.
BUT. I want to make the case that it’s better for you if you don’t. That’s right, better for you. Because those pennies you save by going for the cheap and cheerful option come at a cost. Let me explain.
Buying Local is Better For The Planet… That You Live On
Cheap, plastic knock-offs like fake pearls and polyester flowers are priced to be used once and binned. But taking out the trash is not the end of the story. UK households throw away a staggering 1.7 billion pieces of plastic each and every week, placing us behind only America for the amount of plastic waste per person globally. Only 17% of our plastic is recycled; the rest is incinerated, dumped in landfills, or sent abroad, none of which is good for the environment — and that’s before we get to the environmental damage caused by shipping products all around the world.
Instead of contributing to the enviropocalypse, why not invest in heirloom pieces that will be treasured for years to come?
Buying Local is More Ethical
Fast fashion is notorious for its exploitative labour practices. Those beaded, sequined wedding dresses you find online at a snip of the usual price can only be sold at such a low cost because they’re produced in factories with poor working conditions and unfair wages; some fashion workers are little more than slave labour. The same goes for other cheap goods shipped globally. If you’re paying 50p for a wooden ring box, how much is the person who made it getting for their labour?
By choosing to buy local, you’re more likely to be supporting businesses that treat their employees fairly and ethically, aligning your wedding with the values of justice and human dignity.
And You’ll Be Getting Better Quality
When you buy local and take the time to choose quality suppliers, you’re buying from someone who has taken the time and effort to make the best product they can. Small business owners take pride in their work, often using higher quality, ethically sourced materials and dedicating much more time to each piece. That means your wedding dress, accessories, and decorations are more likely to last longer, look better, and feel more comfortable.
Why struggle with bad fit and broken zips when you can get something that truly makes you feel like a princess?
It Supports Local Businesses and the Economy
Every penny spent on foreign websites is a penny that has left the UK, making us poorer as a nation. By contrast, buying local directly supports small businesses in your community, keeping that money within your local area. According to one estimate, if every adult in the UK spent just five pounds a week in their local independent shops and businesses instead of online, at the supermarket, or with multinational corporations, it would be worth a staggering £13.5 billion going directly back into our local towns! That would mean more and better jobs, nicer facilities, and more pleasant places to live.
Put that way, can you afford not to shop local?
But the most important reason by far is simply this:
Consumerism Robs You Of Your Inner Peace
We live in an exceptionally fast-paced, disposable world. In such a world, everything loses its value and becomes dispensable, easily replaced when it easily breaks. Your wedding is supposed to be the exact opposite of that.
Think about it: the whole day is a celebration of you standing up in front of your friends and family and making a commitment — for life. Weddings are a reminder of what really matters: dedication, patience, love. It only makes sense that the objects you choose to have around you on your wedding day reflect that ethos.
In taking the time to purposefully and carefully choose the items that will make your day special — your jewellery, your clothing, your flowers, food and tableware, decorations and more — you’ll regain that sense of inner peace that comes from stepping away from the fast-paced, disposal consumerist mindset. When you have to wait for your hairpiece or your veil to be hand crafted by a talented maker, and when you know it’s truly one of a kind, it becomes so much more meaningful. The wait truly is worth it.
Getting married and looking for a content creator who shares your values? Look no further than The Midlands Wedding Content Creation Co. Based in Shropshire, I can travel all around the UK and beyond.
Wedding suppliers, I’m in your corner too. As a seasoned social media marketer, I know the struggle for social reach is real. I can help you out with that.