Essential Sustainable Wedding Dress Advice for the Eco-Conscious Bride!
The modern bride will be well aware of the negative impacts of fast-fashion on the planet. This applies too to bridal fashion, arguably more so, given that it is typically a single-use garment. Here I have some information and advice on how you can enjoy the virtue of a sustainable wedding dress!
Sustainable Wedding Dresses of Yore
Centuries ago, Western brides simply wore their fanciest dress on their wedding day. This would usually have been a colourful dress that they had worn before and would certainly wear again.
This is not a practical option with the white wedding dress and so this expensive, resource-intensive garment usually only gets one day of glory.
Un-sustainable Wedding Dresses - The Problems
It’s fair to say that a large proportion of brides tend to keep their wedding dresses, rather than send them to landfills, but even this action leads to the demand for more single-use garments to be (over)produced. From there, the unsold surplus of wedding dresses then contributes to the annual 1.2m tonnes of clothing and textile waste” in the UK alone!
As is true with all mass-produced garments, fabric production from natural fibres like silk can be unethical and resource-intensive, while synthetic fibres and fabrics are not biodegradable.
Factories used to create the synthetic fabrics and garments churn out pollution and consume vast amounts of energy.
Without a doubt, we need to be mindful about the impact on the environment, in every decision we make. Even on our wedding day!
What are some Sustainable Wedding Dress solutions?
Each of us alone cannot change how mass-production works, but we can choose carefully. Here are some excellent environmentally-friendly wedding dress options:
– Go for wedding separates that will easily blend into your wardrobe for frequent use
– Choose a coloured wedding dress (very acceptable in bridal fashion nowadays) and can easily translate into occasion wear.
– Look out for more modern styles, which can be worn again after your big day.
– Rent from places such as The Bridal Gallery
– Buy a pre-loved garment from sites like Stillwhite.com
– Buy from a charity shop, for example Oxfam.
– Re-use! If you are lucky enough to wear a wedding gown handed down from a family member, give it another day of glory! It was good enough for Princess Beatrice.
With the latter three, you can employ a bridal seamstress to alter and customise it to your wishes.
See my coloured wedding dresses
The Afterlife of the Sustainable Wedding Dress!
You can also consider how to reuse your wedding dress after your big day. Most let these treasured beauties sit boxed up in their attic for decades, which begs the question “is it really an heirloom, or just hoarding?” .
Instead, why not:
– Exhibit it proudly in your home in a wall frame, so you can continue to enjoy it as art? This way, it is still serving a joyous purpose.
– Preserve it with the firm intention of handing it down through the generations to be re-worn, with a few alterations and customisations. In this way, the dress’s meaning and history compounds over time, without breaking the bank or damaging the planet, with each use.
– Dye it a non-white colour and wear it as a special-occasion dress. Some wearing an occasion gown only once, but it’s time to shake that off and instead be proud to re-wear our favourite gowns.
– Pimp it – get it painted or embroidered by a local artist, thereby supporting a small business and owning a garment that is truly unique.
– Donate it to charity, sell it on or rent it out. The latter naturally comes with the responsibility of keeping it in pristine condition between rentals.
Sustainable wedding dress easy solution!
As a wedding dress designer and a small business owner, I hate waste and cannot afford it.
-
- I make only one of each garment, which I know is wanted right from design stage.
-
- I buy just enough fabric and components for this one garment .
-
- Fabric remnants are used for design experiments, fabric samples for future brides and toiles
- I use eco-friendly fabric options as much as possible.
- I don’t use a factory!
My favourite bridal fabric suppliers all have a strong eco-fabrics game, each boasting a large sumptuous, sustainable range. Fabrics such as biodegradable duchess satins are made from the production wastage of bamboo, orange peel and milk! I couldn’t believe how soft and luxurious they felt at the fabric shows! I now offer them to all my brides at consultation stage.
If an ethically sourced, eco-friendly wedding dress appeals to you, where you can work directly with the designer about their own values, practices and fabrics, then feel free to contact me!
Sustainable Luxury Wedding Shoot
PHOTOGRAPHY – Bamboo Dreams Photography
SUSTAINABLE WEDDING DRESSES – Caroline Versallion Couture Bridal Wear
CONCEPT AND PLANNING – Bamboo Dreams Photography & Hatchfully Yours
Downham Hall, Silk Garters (robes), Justine Warwick (make-up), Gemini Styling (hair), The Lucky Sixpence/Bee Lavish (jewellery and hair accessories), Lilac & Wild Florist, Maison De Desserts (cake), Hatchfully Yours (ring box and place card holders), Prime Violet Events (styling), Lucinda House Creations (Place cards, menus and signs)
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Essential Sustainable Wedding Dress Advice for the Eco-Conscious Bride!
The modern bride will be well aware of the negative impacts of fast-fashion on the planet.
This applies arguably more so to bridal fashion, given that a wedding dress is typically a single-use garment.
Here I have some information and advice on how you can enjoy the virtue of a sustainable wedding dress!
Sustainable Wedding Dresses of Yore
Centuries ago, Western brides simply wore their fanciest dress on their wedding day. This would usually have been a colourful dress that they had worn before and would certainly wear again.
This is generally not a practical option with the white wedding dress and so this expensive, resource-intensive garment usually only gets one day of glory.
Un-sustainable Wedding Dresses - The Problems
It’s fair to say that a large proportion of brides tend to keep their wedding dresses, rather than ultimately send them to landfills, but even this action leads to the demand for more single-use garments to be (over)produced.
From there, the unsold surplus of wedding dresses then contributes to the annual 1.2m tonnes of clothing and textile waste” in the UK alone!
As is true with all mass-produced garments, fabric production from natural fibres like silk can be unethical and resource-intensive, while synthetic fibres and fabrics are not biodegradable.
Factories used to create the synthetic fabrics and garments churn out pollution and consume vast amounts of energy.
Without a doubt, we need to be mindful about the impact on the environment, in every decision we make. Even on our wedding day!
What are some Sustainable Wedding Dress solutions?
Each of us alone cannot change how mass-production works, but if enough of us choose mindfully, we can create a more eco-responsible culture, which in time will make a huge impact.
Here are some excellent environmentally-friendly wedding dress suggestions:
– Go for wedding separates that might easily blend into your wardrobe for frequent use.
– Choose a coloured wedding dress (very acceptable in bridal fashion nowadays) and can easily translate into occasion wear.
– Look out for more modern styles, which can be worn again after your big day.
– Rent from places such as The Bridal Gallery
– Buy a pre-loved garment from sites like Stillwhite.com
– Buy from a charity shop, for example Oxfam.
– Re-use! If you are lucky enough to wear a wedding gown handed down from a family member, give it another day of glory! It was good enough for Princess Beatrice.
With the latter three, you can employ a bridal seamstress to alter and customise it to your wishes.
See my coloured wedding dresses
The afterlife of the sustainable wedding dress!
You can also consider how to reuse your wedding dress after your big day. Most let these treasured beauties sit boxed up in their attic for decades, which begs the question “is it really an heirloom, or just hoarding?” .
Instead, why not exhibit it proudly in your home in a wall frame, so you can actually continue to enjoy it as art?
Alternatively, preserve it and store it securely with the firm intention of handing it down through the generations to be reused, with a few alterations and customisations. In this way, the dress’s meaning and history compounds over time, without breaking the bank or damaging the planet, with each use.
Where possible, you could dye it a non-white colour and wear it as a party dress. Some social kudos comes with only wearing an occasion gown once, but I think we all need to shake that off and instead be proud to re-wear our party gowns with a clean conscience.
Alternatively, you could get it artfully painted or embroidered by a local artist, thereby supporting a small business and owning a garment that is truly unique, one that you will love for far more than a couple of wears.
You could donate your dress to charity, sell it on or consider renting it out, if you want to take on the responsibility of keeping it in pristine condition between rentals.
Sustainable wedding dress easy solution!
As a wedding dress designer and a small business owner, I hate waste and cannot afford it.
– I make only one of each garment, which I know is wanted right from design stage.
– I buy just enough fabric and components for this one garment.
– Fabric remnants are used for design experiments, fabric samples for future brides and toiles.
– I use eco-friendly fabric options as much as possible.
– I don’t use a factory!
My favourite bridal fabric suppliers all have a strong eco-fabrics game, each boasting a large sumptuous, sustainable range. I now offer them to all my brides at consultation stage.
If an ethically sourced, eco-friendly wedding dress appeals to you, where you can work directly with the designer about their own values, practices and fabrics, then feel free to contact me!.
Sustainable Luxury Wedding Shoot
PHOTOGRAPHY – Bamboo Dreams Photography
SUSTAINABLE WEDDING DRESSES – Caroline Versallion Couture Bridal Wear
CONCEPT AND PLANNING – Bamboo Dreams Photography & Hatchfully Yours
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