photo by Kyle Egan from http://www.naturalbridals.com/Having a green wedding is kind of like the trendy thing to do nowadays. When I started my blog, I never imagined the resources out there for eco-aware brides and grooms. There are invitations on recycled paper, organic flower companies, organic sparkling wine, eco-friendly hotels and resorts… basically everything you need to minimize your wedding’s environmental impact (you can even buy carbon offsets for those traveling to your wedding).
But what about the dress? Buying a bright white wedding gown that is worn once and then shoved to the back of the closet only to be fondly remembered is notably un-eco-friendly. Usually a wedding gown consists of a lot of material— think layers upon layers of tulle. Production of fabrics causes a lot of air and water pollution.
Having an eco-friendly wedding dress means having one made from organic and all-natural materials. Silk and hemp, or a blend of the two, are the most popular eco-friendly materials for wedding dresses because they’re high-quality natural fibers which are renewable and have smaller environmental impacts in their production.
So, who makes wedding dresses out of this sustainable material? Unfortunately, there are not many choices out there for eco-friendly wedding gowns. (Business-minded folks take notice: there’s some room for improvement in this market!)
When I talked to event planner Dani Archer of Chic Celebrations by Dani, who is in the middle of planning her own green wedding, she told me that she searched high and low for a designer who would create the perfect eco-friendly gown with no luck.
Some brides buy silk or hemp or a silk/hemp blend from their local fabric store and bring it to a skilled tailor with a design in mind.
In her town of Rochester, N.Y., Archer was unable to find a tailor that she could trust to make her gown out of silk and hemp.
Her online searches for a gown weren’t helpful either. “There are some gorgeous gowns out there,” she said, “But they’re all soooo expensive.” Archer ended up buying a gown made of synthetic materials at a nearby vendor.
Nervously, I searched online for eco-friendly wedding gowns. I thought, “How hippied-out are these dresses going to be?” I was definitely expecting mu-mus accented by braided material and bright flowers.
I was pleasantly surprised to find some really pretty dresses. Here’s what my search uncovered:
Morgan Boszilkov is the amazing designer behind http://www.naturalbridals.com/. Her designs are for the fashionable and daring bride (See picture above).
Christina Dalle Pazze’s company Simple Silhouettes provides wedding and bridesmaid dresses made without sweat shop laborers.
Vegan brides can find a dress made by Conscious Clothing, which uses only natural vegetable fibers and makes simple, classic gowns that are easy to order. Silk and chiffon are also available in a few other gowns, like the Firenze, pictured.
Rene Geneva’s company makes two corseted green wedding dresses which are organic, fairly traded and made with only natural fibers.
You can buy a ready-to-wear dress through Threadhead Creations or you can work exclusively with a designer to create a custom-made gown. The company uses cotton, silk, hemp and bamboo.
But what about the dress? Buying a bright white wedding gown that is worn once and then shoved to the back of the closet only to be fondly remembered is notably un-eco-friendly. Usually a wedding gown consists of a lot of material— think layers upon layers of tulle. Production of fabrics causes a lot of air and water pollution.
Having an eco-friendly wedding dress means having one made from organic and all-natural materials. Silk and hemp, or a blend of the two, are the most popular eco-friendly materials for wedding dresses because they’re high-quality natural fibers which are renewable and have smaller environmental impacts in their production.
So, who makes wedding dresses out of this sustainable material? Unfortunately, there are not many choices out there for eco-friendly wedding gowns. (Business-minded folks take notice: there’s some room for improvement in this market!)
When I talked to event planner Dani Archer of Chic Celebrations by Dani, who is in the middle of planning her own green wedding, she told me that she searched high and low for a designer who would create the perfect eco-friendly gown with no luck.
Some brides buy silk or hemp or a silk/hemp blend from their local fabric store and bring it to a skilled tailor with a design in mind.
In her town of Rochester, N.Y., Archer was unable to find a tailor that she could trust to make her gown out of silk and hemp.
Her online searches for a gown weren’t helpful either. “There are some gorgeous gowns out there,” she said, “But they’re all soooo expensive.” Archer ended up buying a gown made of synthetic materials at a nearby vendor.
Nervously, I searched online for eco-friendly wedding gowns. I thought, “How hippied-out are these dresses going to be?” I was definitely expecting mu-mus accented by braided material and bright flowers.
I was pleasantly surprised to find some really pretty dresses. Here’s what my search uncovered:
Morgan Boszilkov is the amazing designer behind http://www.naturalbridals.com/. Her designs are for the fashionable and daring bride (See picture above).
Christina Dalle Pazze’s company Simple Silhouettes provides wedding and bridesmaid dresses made without sweat shop laborers.
Vegan brides can find a dress made by Conscious Clothing, which uses only natural vegetable fibers and makes simple, classic gowns that are easy to order. Silk and chiffon are also available in a few other gowns, like the Firenze, pictured.Rene Geneva’s company makes two corseted green wedding dresses which are organic, fairly traded and made with only natural fibers.
You can buy a ready-to-wear dress through Threadhead Creations or you can work exclusively with a designer to create a custom-made gown. The company uses cotton, silk, hemp and bamboo.
photo from www.getconscious.com
The prices on these dresses are relatively high: from the sites that featured prices, there weren’t any under $1,000. There’s definitely a need for affordable eco-friendly dresses so that eco-devoted brides like Archer won’t be driven to buy tulle and lace gowns.
The prices on these dresses are relatively high: from the sites that featured prices, there weren’t any under $1,000. There’s definitely a need for affordable eco-friendly dresses so that eco-devoted brides like Archer won’t be driven to buy tulle and lace gowns.
1 comment:
I really enjoyed reading about green wedding dresses and of course went to all the sites to look at them. There are some really beautiful designs and dresses at these websites. How amazing that there are options in wedding gowns that are "good" for the environment. I never imagined!
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