Eco Friendly Wedding Gowns

It’s all about the dress!

One of the major decisions a bride-to-be will face is what to wear on the big day.

Finding the right wedding dress can be a surprisingly stressful experience; especially given ‘the dress’ will be the focal point for many guests and onlookers.

Like any important decision, there are a lot of factors to take into account: style, shape, cut, colour, fabric, train, veil and of course, budget.

Most of us dream of floating down the aisle in a designer gown but don’t like the price tag that comes with it. And why should we pay over $5000 for a dress we’ll only wear once! (note; considered poor form to re-use for your second or third marriages!).

With 100,00 marriages registered in Australia every year, that’s up to 100,000 wedding dresses being produced for just one day, then forever exiled to a box at the top of the wardrobe – often with the dim hope of being worn by willing offspring on their special day.

This seems like an awful amount of wasted material produced, for little return on investment.

Before rushing out and choosing the wedding gown of your dreams, think for a second about how the dress has arrived at the shop. What processes, environmental inputs and outputs have been endured to bring you ‘the dress’, and what choices could you make to reduce this impact.

Some of the environmental impacts of the textiles industry include:
Air Pollution -
Textile mills produce atmospheric emissions, resulting from boilers (nitrogen and sulphur oxides), ovens (hydrocarbons) and storage tanks. These processed can emit formaldehyde, acids, softeners & other volatile compounds.
Water Pollution -
From washing of fibres to bleaching, dyeing and washing of finished product, there is not doubt that textile manufacture is an energy intensive process. On average it can take up to 200 litres of water to produce, dye and finish one kilogram of textiles. The resulting wastewater is filled with chemicals and can cause damage if not properly treated before being discharged into the environment.
Solid Waste Pollution -
The bulk of waste produced in clothing manufacturing is non-hazardous and comes from the cutting room floor. Scraps & off-cuts of fabric and yarn, storage materials and packaging waste all contribute to the environmental impact of production.

It’s clear that this large industry has a high environmental impact, so how can it possibly improve, and how can you make choices which will support this improvement, and help the environment?

There are solutions for your wedding dress - firstly think of the principals: Avoid, Reduce, Re-use, Recycle:

Avoid – Well, you could avoid wearing a dress all together – that would make for an interesting day. ‘Naturalist’ ideas aside, the general assumption here is that most brides will want to wear something akin to their dream dress on the day. In this case, for most, avoiding the dress in not really an option.

Reduce – There are several ways to reduce the environmental impact here – less materials perhaps (see above comment), but certainly reducing the distance the dress / material had to travel to get to you can help the environmental impact. (See Locavores Inset p. xx) You can also reduce the impact of the material used for your dress.

Re-use & Recycle – Here is where some real environmental savings can happen - as well as $ financial as well. Try finding an old dress (recycle it) either a hand-me-down (very sentimental) or a second-hand one even from EBay. Take it to a tailor and have it altered to suit you.

If you are set on having an original design, there are fabrics which are kinder to the environment than others. There are some great wedding options emerging, such as organic tweed suits and Hemp Silk (60%/40%) Charmeuse, perfect for wedding gowns.

Whilst silk is an environmentally friendly natural fibre free of chemicals, it is worth considering the ethics behind production. Many silk workers in developing nations are subject to deplorable conditions and child workers. Look to organisations like Oxfam, Traid Craft, and Silken Dalliance where they can recommend ethical suppliers.

I have come across a designer from Far North QLD who specialises in environmentally friendly designs made from natural fabrics such as 100% organic European hemp, silk and hemp/silk blends.

Leah Kelly designs are created using natural fabrics of hemp, as well as silk, and hemp/silk
blends and she has become a sought after designer for weddings and special events. All her work is custom-made. Her website address is http://www.leahkellybydesign.com.au

Green Wedding Guide

My first blog!

I started the Green Wedding Guide website (http://www.greenweddingguide.com.au/) a couple of years ago when I got married. I found in Australia that there were not many places to go and find out more about organising an eco-friendly wedding. I have put together lots of information to help couples planning a wedding to lower their climate change impact and create a more eco-friendly event. I have loads of ideas and advice from many people across the globe who have shown a passion or even just an inclination for being more environmental when it comes to planning their wedding. I would like to share this information with as many people as possible and encourage anyone who has any contributions to let me know and I will share them.

Just a quick, for starters piece about eco-friendly weddings. I recently had a lovely couple enquire about giving out seedlings at their wedding. A lovely idea and one which really stands out as an environmental option. The only problem with this is that many people have guests who attend their wedding from all over the State, Country or even the World. When you give a seedling as a favour to guests, you can assume they will take it home and plant it (although often they get left behind on the tables or the floor once too many drinks are consumed!). If people from many different areas are planting a particular species, there is a good chance the seedlings are not native to their particular area. So, not only will they perhaps not survive, if they do, then they may well be considered a weed or noxious species and cause more harm than good in a local eco-system. Most eco-minded couples certainly don't want to cause harm to the environment, so I suggest avoiding this option for your wedding.

There is a great new option for eco-friendly favours / favors or as some people refer to them as bonbonniere / bomboniere. The most 'green' option out there is to avoid wasteful and expensive gifts altogether and purchase carbon credits to offset the impact of your guests at the wedding. Check out the newly launched http://www.greenbonbonniere.com/ for more information.

I will post more information and ideas for your green wedding shortly.

Cheers,
Sally

More about Green Weddings:

Creating a ‘green’ and ethical wedding not only sets you apart from others, but also benefits the planet, which in turn can be communicated to guests to further raise awareness. An eco-friendly event can also save money.

The Green Wedding Guide Philosophy is that change starts from people taking a few steps in the right direction. It is not about sacrificing your ideal day, rather through smarter planning, your perfect day can be kinder to the planet and perhaps even your hip pocket. Green Wedding Guide encourages people to embrace the small things, make simple changes and learn about how by doing this, your wedding or event can help the environment.