Eco-friendly summer wedding dresses make that special day even more special.

To help you with planning, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite eco-friendly summer wedding dresses for sustainably minded brides with differing styles and tastes. Organic fabrics, repurposed vintage materials and pre-owned dresses are all wonderful and sustainable choices for a stylish, romantic and eco conscious look.

1. Aster Eco Gown by Janay A
A beautiful bride is like the most pristine flower, and this Aster gown from Kansas City based Janay A is perfect for the part with its gorgeously cascading petals adorning the front and back of the dress. Made from hemp silk, this stunning creation is custom crafted by hand, and can be made without the one-shoulder strap if preferred.

2. Nicola Dress by Minna
This sweet and unassuming summer wedding dress is perfect for a woodland or cottage charm inspired wedding. Made from silk and Scottish lace, this beauty simply slips on and brings out natural beauty. London based designer Minna advises wearing it with a sash and headband alongside wood block sandals, a vintage clutch and shawl for the full look.

3. Dana Gown by Deborah Lindquist
This stunning gown is made from organic linen and vintage lace, with freshwater pearls and mother of pearl adorning the bodice. The rosettes on the skirt are romantic and dreamy, and perfect for a flower-themed wedding. The simplicity of linen and the opulence of the vintage lace and pearls come together beautifully in this dress.

4. Easton Dress from Blue Sky Bridal
Based in Seattle, Blue Sky Bridal sources the finest pre-owned wedding dresses and provides brides on a budget with a plethora of options for their special day. The Easton dress above is a Monique Lhuillier design in blush colored silk overlaid with ivory Alencon lace – a very elegant and romantic choice. Browse their online collection to find dresses in many different styles, sizes and price ranges, and do your part to give new life to a wedding gown.

5. Astarte by Nicole Lenzen
Named after the Phoenician goddess of fertility, the Astarte dress by Brooklyn-based Nicole Lenzen is simple, sweet and elegant. This two-piece is made from yellow cotton and adorned with a silk sash and a vintage fabric flower, making it unique and ideal for a warm summer night. 

6. Avenue Diagonal at ECO Bridal Gowns
ECO Bridal Gowns is a Colorado-based company that specializes in offering pre-owned wedding dresses at affordable prices. The online shop currently offers gowns from San Patrick, Wtoo, Venus Exclusive, Encore and Avenue Diagonal, whose classic dress pictured above is sure to make any woman feel like a princess.

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Images: Janay A, Minna, Deborah Lindquist, Blue Sky Bridal, Nicole Lenzen, ECO Bridal Gowns

The post 6 Summer Wedding Dresses that are Absolutely Gorgeous and Eco-Friendly appeared first on EcoSalon.

The sustainable fashion industry is catering to the growing trend for unique eco wedding dress options as brides recognize the environmental impact of the choices they make on their big day.

It’s all about the dress. The wedding industry knows it’s the focus of every wedding day, and the lethal dose of catnip to every pre-bridezilla.

Like the fashion industry, the bridal business is sophisticated and fast-moving, its microtrends reflect the zeitgeist and are available for every budget. But for every Great Gatsby or Downton Abbey-inspired gown you spot during this year’s wedding season, there is another trend emerging – that of the sustainable bride looking to step out of the hoopla and into an all together different kind of wedding dress.

“In my generation people got married in a big old white dress that was then boxed up and stored. You hoped your daughters would wear it for their weddings. Today’s brides are looking for something truly unique.” says Kathy Hattori, president of natural dye company, Botanical Colors. Hattori teaches her natural dye techniques to independent eco wedding dress designers and has noticed a heightened interest over the last 5 years in her specialized color combinations. “Incorporating color is huge. They want to make a statement by using natural dyes.” According to Hattori, brides are using the words ‘custom’ and ‘bespoke’ when describing the kind of dress they’re looking for now. “People are hungry for a certain quality. It’s the escence of being made-by-hand, they want it to be beautiful and masterfully-made in the reflection of me.”

Cory Gunter Brown is one of the designers who took Hatori’s class. Her Oakland-based label, The Moon  is in the process of creating a one-of-a-kind bridal line. Alongside partner Cassidy Wright, their designs focus entirely on social and environmental sustainability using natural fibers, vintage lace and buttons and natural plant dyes in partnership with the 25th Street Collective, Oakland’s innovative slow fashion hub.

“We find many brides are frustrated at the thought of buying a beautiful dress they will only get to wear once,” says Gunter Brown. Their custom-made eco wedding dresses are designed to be worn for a succession of special occasions. “Our gowns are simple elegant pieces in ethereal knit silk that can be returned to us to be dyed another color after the wedding. We dye all the pieces ourselves in our outdoor dye studio.”

More and more brides aware of the transitory nature of the wedding day are turning to the internet to find a secondhand dress. Susan Shapiro, the owner of BravoBride, an online market for newlyweds looking to buy or sell pre-owned wedding items, thinks brides are less squeamish about wearing a pre-worn dress than they used to be. “It’s been the trend lately to have different dress for the ceremony and for the reception, so in many cases these dresses have only been worn for a couple of hours.”

Shapiro sees that today’s slightly older bride is more motivated to keep costs down and her wedding’s carbon footprint lighter. “They start looking at all the things they need and realize just how many resources and waste goes into just that one day. Buying a gently-worn wedding dress is a great way to lessen some of that impact. And we’ve had lots of customers who have added a belt or a sash to make the dresses their own.”

With a wealth of new resources for brides looking for environmentally-friendly alternatives to traditional wedding gowns, the dress taking center stage at the end of the aisle is making more of a statement than ever before. As a longtime industry watcher, Kathy Hattori feels hopeful for what that one special day now means for all our futures, “Instead of walking into Wal-Mart, we are finally standing up for the things that matter.”

 All Images: Cory Gunter Brown

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Weddings have always been big business, with many couples spending months and in some cases years, planning the details of their perfect day. With eco consciousness on the rise worldwide, weddings have also been getting greener.

These days, there are a raft of ideas supporting eco friendly wedding events, from paperless invites to organic food menus and eco friendly gifts for guests. In any wedding, however, the biggest and arguably most exciting decision, is selecting the all-important wedding gown. Most of us have heard of eco friendly fashion, but the concept of the eco friendly wedding gown is just starting to gain momentum. So, just who are the world’s best and brightest eco wedding designers?

1. Nicole Lenzen

Nicole Lenzen may best be known in Brooklyn, but these designs are gaining widespread attention. Designing custom wedding couture for blushing brides to be, the label works with clients on the design and style elements of their dream dress, while favoring sustainable, Fair Trade and vintage fabrics to make it come to life.

In particular, the label loves working with vintage materials, sometimes from the wedding dress of the bride’s mother or grandmother, and using them to create a modern, contemporary design. Nicole Lenzen herself brings a wealth of experience to the design process, having previously worked for Charlotte Ronson and Calvin Klein. The website is filled to the brim with photos of beautiful brides in custom designs that hold eco and ethical values at their core.

2. Tara Lynn

Designer Tara Lynn takes eco consciousness to a whole new level by running her fashion studio completely on solar power. Having been dubbed the ‘poster child for sustainable business’ in Vermont, she is a relative veteran of the trade, having made hemp wedding dresses since 1999. Tara is well known for experimenting with fabrics and styles, with all of her designs being one of a kind.

Her gorgeous wedding gowns are as unique as they are quirky, with each gown carrying a name such as Persephone and Farfalla. With Tara being as socially conscious as she is eco friendly, 5 percent of all profits from Tara Lynn Bridal go to Umbrella and the The Vermont Network for Servicing Victims of Domestic and Sexual Violence.

3. House of Tammam

The House of Tammam made history by being the first label to launch an ethical, ready to wear bridal collection in the UK. Founded by Lucy Tammam, a graduate of the famous Central Saint Martins College, the range is made from organic and Fair Trade cotton and often recycles vintage lace and other fabrics. Lucy has long been a pioneer of animal and human rights and on embarking on her label, even traveled to India to source the most ethically produced and sustainable materials. Although the label has been doing wonderful work for a number of years, it really came to prominence when eco fashion campaigner Livia Firth, wore a House of Tammam gown to the Golden Globes.

Images: House of Tammam, Nicole Lenzen, Tara Lynn Bridal

The post Eco Wedding: 3 of the Best Eco Wedding Dress Designers appeared first on EcoSalon.

You could register at Bed, Bath & Beyond like everybody else, but that would be boring.

If you consider yourself more of a hobo bride than a Bridezilla, these registry ideas are dedicated to you. We’ve even included a china pattern and some crystal to appease your mother, and plenty of eco-selections to please the planet.

Night Owl China Pattern

From what we’ve been told, selecting china is a very big deal. As in, Charlotte York Goldenblatt would Pookipsy in her pants all over again if you and your betrothed screwed it up.

This upcycled white bone china plate by Jessica Lennox of Night Owl is eclectic, interesting, gold rimmed and hand-drawn. Her homewares shop gets its name, Night Owl, from the nocturnal hours she spends in her UK studio.

Boy Meets Hearts Poster

Every new household deserves eye candy worth hanging. That’s why we love Eric Telchin’s motifs, which are spontaneously and ingeneously crafted out of unaltered iPhone snapshots of hearts. Hundreds of heart-shaped objects make up each work; his first iPhone snapshot was inspired by a heart-shaped puddle of melted Ben and Jerry’s New York Super Fudge ice cream on his kitchen counter. Soon he was seeing hearts everywhere, in kitty litter and on dogs, just like you did in those heady early days of your courtship.

Now that you’re getting married, get your kicks where you can.

Heirloom bowl from Paloma’s Nest

The commemorative earthenware bowls and custom plates from Paloma’s Nest can make the most hardened singleton crave a husband and baby carriage. The “Milagro Heart” stamp bowl is no exception. “Milagro”, we should mention, means “miracle.”

They’ve been known to happen.

Hand Stamped Customized Spoons

Looking for something old? These vintage silverplate spoons from Trinkets818 have got you covered.

You’ll even have the tarnish and patina to prove that your love, like good silver, is everlasting.

Romanian Crystal

Romania is known for Transylvania, limber gymnasts and mouth blown, hand decorated, lead free crystal. The Dionysus Collection (named for the god of wine and “Inspirer of Ritual Madness and Ectasy”), displays a different type of wine on every glass.

May you imbibe and prosper.

Honeymoon Registry

Ask your married friends if the honeymoon period is all it’s cracked up to be. Instead of registering for traditional gifts, go paperless and shipment free with a personal event registry site like Deposit a Gift, Traveler’s Joy or Send Us Off.

Anything else is just stuff.

Images: Ariela Beal; Fernando Meyer

The post Register This: Something Upcycled, Something Cool appeared first on EcoSalon.

Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Victoria Everman.

Having a sustainable wedding is as easy as locally-grown, organic pie. In the midst of planning my own event, I’ve found that being planet- and money-conscious is not only feasible – it is fun.

It is so easy to get overwhelmed by the wide world of weddings that you might forget about your green goals. Even I’m guilty of it. That’s where my eco-wedding blog comes in, where I catalog my visual inspirations and favorite sustainable wedding companies.

Ready to save some time and a nice chunk of change? Just check out my list of eco-conscious wedding-related companies and creative ideas that are a click away!

Ink and Wit

There are a number of wonderful eco-friendly wedding invitation companies out there, but Tara Hogan’s Ink+Wit has a special place in my heart. I’ve been a long-time fan of her letterpress art and stationary, so when the time came to began planning my own wedding, I knew she was the designer for me.

Just recently, Tara launched a pre-designed line of wedding invitations that can be easily customized and come in any Pantone color you can imagine. Working with her on my custom invitations has been a fantastic collaborative process; I couldn’t ask for anything better.

Earthly Affair

For those who like more traditional invitation designs, Jen Stambolsky’s Earthly Affair collections are just the thing. With
18 designs to choose from, you can choose the type and colors on all the styles. Though she doesn’t do custom work, she does stick firmly to her sustainable manifesto. A small, eco-friendly, affordable business – Earthly Affair is a triple treat!

Sarah Seven

Choosing a dress is one of the toughest tasks when planning an eco-friendly wedding. For the non-traditional bride, my favorite handmade gowns come from Sarah Seven. Handmade in Portland, Ore. with recycled bustiers and fabrics, Sarah’s designs are mostly above-the-knee, but she will happily customize them to any length (and color) you choose. She has also developed her first bridal line that will make any bride stand out … sustainably.

PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com

If you like traditional styles but can’t bring yourself to pay $6,000 for a dress, check out PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com. The site features over 2,000 gowns by any and all major designers you can name, all of which have been either never worn or worn only once. I’ve found over 20 gowns that fit my style, budget, and body. Of course, most gowns will need to be tailored after you receive them, but is a small price to pay compared to how much you can save!

Krikawa Rings

Sustainable rings are another difficult task for a green wedding. There are a number of great companies out there for ethical diamonds and recycled metals, but that is all too traditional for me. Instead, I prefer lab-created color “diamonds” and gems set in palladium – the lesser-known (and more affordable) sibling of platinum. Krikawa Rings specializes in both and makes some beautiful custom bands in varying prices.

Snippet & Ink Budget Tips

Saving money can easily be connected with saving the planet. Snippet & Ink, one of my all-time favorite wedding blogs because of their constant source of inspiration, has a full category of real and idea weddings based on budgets. I’ve found money-saving ideas in their posts that I’ve never seen elsewhere. Inventive and thrifty – that’s a winning combination in my book.

Martha Stewart’s Free Templates

No one can deny the mastery of Martha Stewart and her Weddings magazine is always fantastic. Add a bit of her crafty world to your wedding, thanks to her free downloadable templates. Available in a host of patterns and colors, she offers up options for everything from favor bags and seating cards to centerpieces and thank-you postcards. Who ever said you can’t get anything good for free?

Laurie Cinotto + OnceWed’s DIY Projects

Creatively-endowed or not, you can easily pull off one of Laurie Cinotto’s spectacular DIY wedding projects. Flower arranging, ring pillows, vases, boutonnieres, garlands – there are six pages of simple projects that will create a big impact for your special day. Each project has clear step-by-step instruction and pictures, including an item-by-item cost roundup to help budget. These are not to be missed!

The Small Object Cake Toppers

Be prepared to say awwww, because these cute creations are incredibly swoon-worthy. Handmade by The Small Object’s founder, Sarah Neuburger, these wooden cake toppers are made specifically for each couple and can be customized right down to their wardrobe and flower colors. Sarah recently added cupcake toppers to her list of creations, perfect for anyone with a smaller budget or quirky sense of humor.

Have your own favorite green wedding vendors? Share their website links with us in the comments section.

Victoria Everman is an eco writer, consultant, model, photographer, crafter and yogi. You can check out her process of planning a local,
eco-friendly, independent wedding at Planning an Eco-Indie Wedding. For more eco inspirations, visit her main blog at victoria-e.com.

Images: Fevi in Cayman, Victoria Everman

The post Guest Post: Victoria Everman on 9 Eco Wedding Tips appeared first on EcoSalon.