In my opinion, Meryl Streep (thanks to her friend Livia and Green Carpet Challenge) stole the show at the Oscars on the weekend when she wore a first ever eco-friendly gown by Lanvin! A gorgeous gown on a fabulous actress!
Eco-friendly weddings are becoming more and more popular because many people today do take more care in their every day lives to reduce their carbon footprint and to live green; from reusable grocery bags when we go shopping to walking more and taking public transit or car pooling. So why not do the same with your wedding? There are a lots of options out there for the socially and environmentally aware couple.
Today my post is about eco-friendly wedding gowns, but I do plan to cover many different things people can do to make their wedding matter for the world.
Eco-friendly wedding dresses are made from organic fabrics like silk, cotton or hemp. They are usually made locally or by local crafters in a developing country and traded at fair prices. Since they are made of natural fibres, most of these dresses don’t come in true white colours. They tend to be a more champagne or cream. Eco-friendly manufacturers of clothing are attempting to heighten our awareness of the pollution caused by making fabric white. To make traditional dresses/gowns white, highly toxic chemicals are used and most often in the after process,they are released into the environment polluting the land, water and air around the factories. They are also very dangerous to the workers.
Eco-friendly manufacturers stick with the true colour of the fibres or use natural dyes.

Here is a eco-friendly haute couture gown I found on The Green Girls Blog designed by Chris Kole of New York City. Photo ~ thegreengirls.com

These next two gowns are by designer Chrissy Wai Ching based out of Seattle, Washington. Photo ~ thegreengirls.com.
Check local shops to see if they carry organic, eco-freindly or hemp dresses. Here are some:
The Adele Wechsler Flagship Store and Boutique in Toronto has fabulous gowns and tips for a green wedding.
If you are local to the Niagara area, Paula’s Elegant Bride in St. Catharines also has a lovely selection of eco-friendly gowns and can order from any designer.
Please send me your comments about eco-friendly gowns! Will you be wearing one at your wedding? Where did you purchase it? Share, share, share for a better planet! All the best, Jordin
What a great post! And we say Bravo to eco-conscious brides!
We’ll add our name to the growing list of wedding gown designers who work exclusively in sustainable and eco-friendly materials. Eco-fabrics make amazing dresses that are a joy to wear and we love love love to see our happy, beautiful clients go waltzing down the aisle.
Keep up the great articles!
Be well,
Lori
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Lori Del Genis,
Director and Dressmaker, Conscious Elegance Handmade Eco Wedding Dresses
http://www.consciouselegance.com — Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Wedding Attire
Recipient of Wedding Wire’s Bride’s Choice Awards 2011 and 2012
Environmental Agency/North Tyneside Council Business of the Year Award Winner
Thanks so much for your comments Lori and making us all aware of this growing industry. Very Happy to include you in my hopefully growing list of wedding gown designers who work with eco-friendly and sustainable materials. Thank you for your great work and your fabulous designs!
All the best,
Jordin
Thanks, Jordin. Wow, you’re on the ball. That’s impressive; so few bloggers reply to comments at all, let alone so quickly. I’m really glad that you’re out there and that you’re writing.
Be well
Lori
Beautiful wedding gowns. I so like it! Thanks for sharing this to us.