Love, but make it sustainable: Dutch couple hosts wedding at Netherland's busiest rail station

Within like 30 minutes I knew this was the one Lara Peters said of the secondhand wedding dress she had just worn to her marriage in the Netherlands busiest rail stationPeters 42 had found the dress two days earlier in a shop run by Free Fashion a Dutch foundation devoted to recycling clothing to combat waste a cause close to her heartThat is why she and her 44yearold husband Mathijs Dordregter chose sustainability as the theme of their wedding with the help of Free FashionThe organisation says it is the kind of trend people everywhere will need to adopt if humankind wants to curb overconsumption and its destructive effect on the planet The message that during your wedding you can also choose sustainable options is very important to me the bride explainedPeters works in communications in the sustainable development field so the couples choice to hold their wedding ceremony in the bustle of Utrecht rail station had a certain logic to itNina Reimert of the Free Fashion foundation helped organise the event We know that in terms of emissions producing a wedding dress is similar to something like 250 kilometres 155 miles by car she told AFPAnd theyre made of all different materials so they are really hard to recycle and almost everything is polyester she added With 17000 weddings a year in the Netherlands she explained that adds up to a lot of emissions Its a nightmareIt was to draw attention to the overconsumption inherent in many weddings that the Free Fashion foundation decided to make an online appeal to convince couples to approach the happy day from a different perspective Couple marry in sustainable wedding in Netherlands railway stationLara Peters and her husband Mathijs Dordregter have chosen a sustainable wedding with one of the busiest railway stations in The Netherlands as the venue pictwittercomLKNsSXyv96mdash AFP News Agency AFP April 9 2026For as the old saying for weddings goes Something old something new Something borrowed something blueLove me love my planetFor Free Fashions cofounder Lot van Os opting for a secondhand bridal dress something that is normally only worn once sends a strong message When you celebrate love you should also celebrate love for the planet he told AFPFree Fashions team of 800 volunteers is much in demand by local councils who want to meet their targets for reducing waste and recycling The foundation also works with businesses helping them organise exchanges of clothing between employeesFor van Os this practice of exchanging rather than constantly buying new items is a habit people are going to have to acquire in the future This circular transition he says is something we are all going to have to go through Its not a matter of if but when we are going to change he saidTo underline the weddings sustainability theme a popup store at the rail station offered dozens of wedding dresses free to anyone willing to sign up to the concept There are now already enough clothes in the world for the next six generations said a sign printed outside the storeBoth the bride and the bridegroom wore secondhand outfits for the big day as did all their guests And the sustainability theme did not end there said PetersTheir wedding meal was vegetarian less harmful for the environment and they travelled to the venue on bikes or by public transport Everything I bought for the wedding was already used at other weddings added the brideAs for her wedding dress she promised Its not going to be hanging in my closetThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever