Eco-Friendly Wedding Dresses
In our earth-conscious society, where we are increasingly aware of our impact on the environment, weddings have come under the spotlight as quite wasteful. But not to worry. There are lots of ways we can reduce our weddings’ impact, such as hiring products, buying local, and using recycled products where possible.
Bridal gowns can have quite a large carbon footprint. This is due to reasons like the materials used in their creation or the location where the dress is created in relation to where you are. There is also no singular definition of an eco-friendly wedding dress, so this blog is dedicated to understanding them.
Here is a list of the main types of wedding dresses that can be described as sustainable;
- Vintage, upcycled or second-hand dresses
- Bespoke dresses made by local seamstresses
- Dresses made Fair Trade-certified, recycled, organic, biodegradable or vintage fabrics
- Wedding dresses made by people earning a living wage
- Wedding dresses made by brands with charitable initiatives, putting back into the community.
Opting for dresses that have already been made is a great idea because no new resources are being used. Some alteration work may be needed, but that is nothing compared to creating a whole new dress. This is a similar concept when using vintage fabrics. They have already been created, and you’re recycling.
Dresses made from Fair Trade-certified fabrics or people earning a living wage have an ethical production. We don’t want our love to negatively impact the people whose skills have created aspects of our wedding.
Choosing a brand that makes their dresses in the UK or a local supplier reduces your dresses carbon footprint as it isn’t travelling great distances to get to you.
Some brands, such as Catherine Deane, use eco fibres in their dresses made from recycled yarns, and their garment bags are made from biodegradable products.
Those few points contain a lot of detail, and finding a company that does everything could seem like an impossible task. A way to make this manageable is to pick the cause that resonates with you and research brands that champion that cause. If you can bring in any other elements, then that is a bonus, but at least you will know you have done your part in looking after our planet.
Why not take a look at the other wedding blogs on our website for more inspiration!
