Your Green Wedding Dress

We know that finding the perfect dress is important, as it should be. Luckily, there is no need to sacrifice your ethics in order to wear a Vera Wang! There are tons of ways to make your dress an eco-friendly part of your wedding.

The recycled dress:
Getting a recycled dress is a great way to (1) save money and (2) go green. If you think about it, a recycled dress has really only been worn for about 8 hours, and they're usually still like new! There are some awesome sites to find gently used gowns. My personal favorite is Preownedweddingdresses.com. They have a huge selection of beautiful dresses usually around half of their original price! They also have awesome tips for gown shopping, and you can see where the dress is located geographically to avoid excessive shipping. There are other great resources out there as well. Recycled Bride is another great resource for the eco-savvy bride. They've got resources for everything: grooms, bridesmaids, mother of the bride, shoes, rings, even the reception! An awesome resource for the vintage inspired bride is The Frock. They have 18 pages of amazing unique vintage dresses.

The eco-friendly material dress:
Mr. Larkin clothes. These eco-conscious designs are phenomenal! One dress in particular, titled Elsa, struck my fancy. It's made of 100% milk and has gorgeous sequins – perfect for 2010. The milk fiber is antibacterial and enriches your skin when you wear it – talk about a great wedding present to yourself! Elsa is also the dress that Livia Firth wore to the 16th annual SAG Awards. Check out Elsa for yourself at shopflick.com, and find out more about milk yarn here. Also check out Conscious Clothing. They have more than just dresses; Conscious Clothing has men's wedding attire, bridesmaid's dresses, lingerie and flower girl dresses. Their beautiful collections are all hemp blends, and they have options for the vegan bride as well! Poetic Justice has a smaller (but just as gorgeous) collection of organic gowns to peek at.

What to do with the dress after the wedding:
Although you may have the urge to save your dress for your hypothetical daughter, resist! More than likely, (a) the styles of today will not be the styles of your children's generation, and (b) your daughter will probably give you grief about whatever style you wear. So, what do you do with your dress? Donate it. The I Do Foundation and Brides Against Breast Cancer are both great organizations for donating your dress. When you donate your dress you're supporting a good cause and recycling!

My favorite option for recycling your dress is to style it into something new. I love the idea of creating a new classic dress that you can wear out on your anniversaries. How special! And instead of saving the dress for your kids, use excess fabric to create a baby blanket or christening gown. Using your dress to make a keepsake for your children is much more sensible than expecting them to wear it. Another option is to take a piece of the dress, embroider your wedding date and names and have it framed. You can also sell your dress recycling sites like the ones mentioned above, and let another bride get as much happiness out of it as you did! Also look at sites like The Bride To Bride Botique and Wedding Dress Market.

Whether you choose to implement one or all of these ideas, the slightest effort makes a big difference. Good luck shopping!