OUR PURPOSE

At Mindfully Wed, we’re working to create new wedding traditions. We’re more than an online resource or a directory; we’ve been driving cultural change and eco-ethical awareness in the wedding industry since 2016. 

DIY weddings have been around for years, but an Eco-Ethical Wedding takes this one step further, asking how can we minimise our impact on the earth, and how can we give back to our greater community? In essence an Eco-Ethical Wedding becomes a celebration of the love two people share between each other and all humans.

Whether you’re having a 5k or a 65k wedding, we are blessed and have enough to share. Wouldn’t it be amazing to create a new wedding tradition where on a couple’s to-do list was celebrant, photographer, dress, flowers and contributing to a cause you feel passionate about.

Wedding world-changers!

Learn more about planning a Mindful Wedding by listening to our interview on the Future Steading podcast.

What is a sustainable or ethical wedding?

We are often asked “what does an eco-ethical wedding look like?”

We believe that it can vary between each couple, determined by what is most meaningful to them. What we do know from the couples we speak to, is they have big hearts for the world around them, and their wedding becomes an extension of these values.

We like to think a mindful wedding entails:

Consuming mindfully with care for our earth and peopleHaving an appreciation of the beauty in simplicity and a return to more minimalist weddingsFrom a place of gratitude giving a little something back

Our Values

Together with our couples we feel alive with purpose, knowing we are contributing positively to this worldWe believe in the power of business for good
We strive to be of service to our couples and give back to our chosen causes One Girl and Greenpeace. We carbon offset with Greenfleet.To promote more equality in our global village, gently, firmly, decisively in our everyday decisionsWe acknowledge that we are co-learners alongside our couplesWe communicate with authenticity, positivity, compassion, respect and search for deeper meaningWe value the healing nature of kindness, listen to our intuition, make heart-centred choices and work in the spirit of collaboration
To laugh and enjoy creating our living, to put the music on and dance with the people we love, aim to build more connection, and choose gratitude

Less Stuff, More Meaning

This website was formed in 2016 as Less Stuff More Meaning, a term that resonated with founder Sandra Henri (who you can read more about below). Today it is simply known as Mindfully Wed.

We changed our name from Less Stuff More Meaning to a more succinct Mindfully Wed because we wanted to make it easy for engaged couples to find us and we thought Mindfully Wed said it better! Historically, Mindfully Wed is (and remains) the name of our e-guide.

OUR STORY

Founder, Sandra Henri, had been a wedding and family photographer for more than ten years, before specialising in small, intimate weddings.

Through her time in the industry, Sandra had witnessed a trend towards consumerism and extravagance that she feels had detracted from what’s truly important – both in marriage and the world at large. Meanwhile a mid-life “opportunity” took hold, leading Sandra to fulfill a long held dream of volunteering in Africa as a photojournalist. Unsurprisingly, Sandra returned from her experience in Malawi with a whole new lens and life direction.

The stark contrast between these two worlds stirred Sandra’s passion for social change. Inspired by couples who were scaling back and giving back through their weddings, Sandra felt drawn to inspire a new wedding culture around ethical weddings.

Over time, and with countless contributions from others, her philosophy of Less Stuff – More Meaning has grown into the development of Australia and New Zealand’s first eco-ethical wedding hub.

When Sandra left the wedding industry in 2022 to go back to her therapy roots, she found a custodian in Kat, a fellow wedding photographer who was keen to continue the legacy of inspiring couples in this ever changing world of weddings.

For a little more of our story, take a peek at our Webinar for The Good Green.