Sunday, May 25, 2008

Eco Bridal: Organic Wedding Dress

From high end couture designs in eco silk, 100% locally grown organic cotton, second hand gowns on auction and DIY, this is a joyfully fun list of all the cool organic wedding gowns there are to choose from! You don't have to compromise your style, elegance or celebration in order to make your day eco friendly - now there are so many great choices out there it will only enhance the beauty & solidify your environmental values. Whether your budget be large or on a shoe string there will be something for you in this list :)- and that is something to celebrate!
1.Designer Rene Geneva makes incredible, show stopper, eco wedding gowns and corsets (as pictured here)- using sustainable materials such as hemp, organic cotton, and eco silk. This is for the high end eco wedding, these ethical bridal dresses can price well into $3,000 range- but holy crap they are awesome!
2. Get Conscious makes extraordinary eco wedding gowns for every genre, from the clean lined strapless (as pictured), to the flowy Marilyn Monroe, Flamingo Dancing, Mermaid, and various other fun designs. Seriously, these dresses have character! Their prices start around $630 and go up well into $2,000 range for their eco couture styles. They also carry bridesmaid & groom gear.
3. Thread Head Creations -Choices! Choices! At Threadhead Creations you can choose from a handful of organic bridal designs already on the rack, or design your own dress, or even work one on one with designer Rai-Lynne to design your very own dream dress. All materials used are sustainable fabrics like hemp/silk blends. These dresses are very affordable (as far as organic weddings go) starting at $475.
4. Isadora has designed a beautiful stylish bamboo wedding gown that is absolutely gorgeous!!! This is for the wedding goddess in you. It runs about $750, which for an all eco wedding gown is pretty reasonable, or rather comparable to a traditionally made gown (aka-sweatshop/bad for the earth).
5. Wholly JO - Custom made eco wedding dress created exactly the way you want it, by someone who lovingly will help you design just the right one for you. Only drawback for gals in the USA is this designer is based in the UK - Prices start around $600. Check out her picture gallery for inspiration! For those in the USA, try Olivia Luca who provides the same personalized service as the UK's Wholly Jo.
6. Gaia Conceptions is an eco designer on Etsy, her organic Wedding dress is made with locally grown and milled organic cotton, this is a simple formal wedding gown that you can have custom designed, starting with this basic example. AWESOME price at only $250!!!
7. RawGanique- Not my favorite store (because they don't always return e-mails from customers and dang their website is cluttered), but they do offer a reasonably priced eco wedding gown for $369, made of fine hemp linen. And for those of you on an eco budget, this is one of the cheapest options on the market.
8. Spiritex - here is an article local to Asheville NC, where our local organic clothing/fabric maker SPIRITEX has added organic, bamboo, hemp and silk wedding gowns & bridesmaid gowns to their collection. Call to order & ask questions (828-254-8949) because their designs are absolutely stunning (see picture at the top with waterfalls of fabric). A must see for the eco-bride!( Green Wedding Gown Guide for Asheville.)
9. Blue Sky Bridal (for wedding accessories) - an eco esty store that carries pretty organic & vintage wedding veils, wraps, and corsets. Prices start as low as $35.

QUICK UPDATES: (July 2008)::: (Found these wedding dress gems on Sprig):::
www.adelewechsler.com - made with certified organic hemp and vegetable dyes.
www.naturalbridals.com - made of silk and sustainable hemp.
www.deborahlindquist.com - vintage lace, sustainable hemp and silk.
www.whitechocolatelabel.com - sustainable and organic materials.
www.consciouselegance.co.uk - hemp, silk and 100% pure unbleached cotton.

NOW for the part I LOVE... this section is the re-wear, second hand, vintage, charity donation, & DIY wedding gowns! Some are so affordable & you can get so creative with, you'll be dizzy with post marital giggles.

1. E-bay - for a crazy amount of used & vintage wedding gowns - sometimes priced as low as $5 ! Whoa that's freaken cheap and totally eco friendly! :) You can have your seamstress transform these old bridal gowns into new one of a kind creations, and leave almost no environmental footprint behind!
2. Brides Against Breast Cancer - This is the place to buy once worn and new donated gowns, and supporting breast cancer awareness ta' boot. They tour the USA with their collection, plus it currently says their online store is "coming soon". That could be now- so check it out :) (http://www.makingmemories.org/)
3. The Frock - Exquisite, stunning, fabulous vintage wedding dresses, that would make a drag queen shed tears! These though are not cheap, running $1,000 and way up. The selection is 16 pages long, and every gown is a complete showstopper.
4. ETSY - This is the place for everything affordable & handmade, making the carbon footprint lighter, and the wedding dress, accessories, and party supplies more intimate. Supporting small businesses who don't use slave labor & mass manufacturing processes will always be the more earth friendly option.
5. DIY - A great way to go would be hire your local seamstress who can wip up your pretty dream dress from a picture or pattern (look for vintage patterns on e-bay and at local thrift stores), and purchase the organic fabric online from a store like Near Sea Naturals - who sells swatches and samples so you feel it before you decide what you want.
Also look to Crafting A Green World, for a long list of fabulous eco fabric stores online. The types of fabric with the most traditional look and feel would be hemp/silk blends, tencel or eco silk.
Learn about how beautiful upcycling old clothing can be here. Try Amour Sans Anguish for inspiration!
Now go get yourself a saucy eco gown and get married!!! :)

PS- for some eco friendly party supplies try www.ecoparti.com , which carries earth friendly wedding favors including soy candles, natural soaps, and seed favors. They also offer tossing cones, baskets, freeze dried rose petals and biodegradable ecofetti!

22 comments:

Harmony said...

Here's one more you might enjoy: http://olivialuca.com/home/

Miss Voodoo said...

Thanks Harmony!
Here's is a line from the OLivia Luca Bio "We now offer both traditionally produced silks and other natural fibers and a growing selection of sustainably produced, fair trade and organic natural fabric options. As we find more fabrics along these lines suitable for dresses we will be adding them to the options, so check back often!"
They have photo examples of all their selection, which includes fair trade silk, bamboo, organic sateen, soy, and organic cotton patterns, hempcel (a mix of hemp & tencel), and hemp/silk blends.

Anonymous said...

Great work!! I also prefer eco friendly wedding dresses.. Those dresses are gorgeous and sexy.

Anonymous said...

such wonderful and elegant gowns! i love it! for more nice ideas visit: Wedding Accessories by Weddingstar.

Anonymous said...

When I saw this bamboo dress I couldn't believe that is was even possible Go green!!! :-)

Stephanie said...

Hey, kids! Hate to say it - silk may be "sustainable," but you are wearing a bunch of boiled-alive worms on your wedding day if you choose it!

Hemp and cotton are much greener and less-nasty alternatives!

Anonymous said...

I emailed Rai-Lynne of Threadhead Creations and she said she would be happy to look at the dress I had in mind for a custom wedding dress. She never responded even after I inquired if she was unable to make the dress...Very rude on her part. Not the way to run a business.

Brandie said...

I am a budding wedding dress designer and maker and I want my dresses to be made from organic fabrics. These dresses are beautiful! I'm having a little bit of a hard time finding an organic fabric supplier. The fabric places in my hometown don't carry this type of fabric. Im willing to order online if I can find a supplier that is trustworthy and accountable and carries very good fabric. Any ideas would be great!

Anonymous said...

I love to see New Look Clothing wedding dresses.

Erica said...

These dresses are beautiful! Etsy is a great place to find wedding gowns. They're reasonably priced and one of a kind.

Melissa Lalonde said...

I love these dresses!
Im currently planning an eco-friendly wedding and I plan on showing these designers to my customer. Is it possible to give me tips on other ways to make this wedding super eco-friendly? Any help would be greatly appreciated. :)

Charenn29 said...

great post, I really like it. Thanks for posting. :)

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Unknown said...

What a wonderful article and how beautiful the 397$ - 2010 La Sposa Lambel Wedding Gown are in the pictures! I want to buy this 372$ - 2010 La Sposa Lancaster Wedding Gown while my fiancé prefers another which I don't like at all. I'm looking forward to better articles from you, introducing to us various styles of 359$ - 2010 La Sposa Landa Wedding Gown. Good luck to you!

Unknown said...

I read your article about www.jeanbride.com on the MIXX.com. The very cheap Maggie Sottero wedding dresses in the picture is wonderful! I’d like to buy it. Could you give me a hand?

Unknown said...

Whenever you’re going to get a dress for your wedding, you should keep some things in your mind. Nice fabric, attractive color, comfortable and affordable dress can make your day more pleasant.

Dwayne said...

Hi
Wonderful post!!! I found my dress awhile ago and I absolutely love it! These are great times for curvy brides. I had to remind myself to breathe too bc I was so stressed about finding that "perfect dress". When I found it, tears started flowing and I knew that was the one!

jacob said...

Hi
great post. I love all of her dresses, very unique! My bridesmaids and I are actually going to look at wedding dresses in Burlington this weekend in hopes of finding that perfect dress

Unknown said...

Beautiful dresses! I loved all the recycled bride dresses. You have huge variety of stunning gowns. I am also looking for shopping website where I can find beautiful wedding dresses.

Ritika Kapoor said...

Nice Beautiful Dress ! I really Like It
U can choose organic clothes also Here...

brook said...

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