Eco-friendly wedding dresses

View quoted message I live in Nova Scotia but I love that idea! Wish we had something like that out here! Gorgeous dress!

If you are in Toronto, I recommend the Brides’ Project, which is where I got my dress from.


They donate the money to charity to fight against cancer and sell previously owned or salon sample dresses. They upcycle some dresses as well and after you get married, you can donate your dress back for another bride! Plus the dresses are super well priced. I got mine for $750+tax and it retails for almost $5,000. https://thebridesproject.com/

View quoted message The Brides Project sounds amazing!! I wish we were closer! I’ll have to call around at some consignment stores...out here we really don’t have much in terms of higher end consignment but you never know!

Hey Abbie,

YOu mentioned renting a dress, but have you considered consignment dresses? A lot of consignment stores also get dresses that have never been worn or have only been samples at a salon, but as the style is "previous" season, they donate to a consignment shop to make room for the new styles.

There is a place called The Brides Project here in Toronto area, but they have all of their gowns on shopify (https://the-brides-project.myshopify.com/) to purchase without having to go into the store (and they are organized in terms of your actual waist size, so you don't have to stress as much about how different designers fit). The profits from The Brides Project also all go back into Cancer research - so not only does grabbing a dress from them help cut down the carbon footprint, but also helps out a great cause.

If buying a dress without physically trying on or seeing in person worries you, check out Facebook or google and see if there are any consignment stores or similar out your way

Good Luck!

View quoted message These are all really great suggestions - thank you!!

You can look at who made the dress. An expert seamstress/tailor hand-making your dress will be more sustainable than a garment mass-produced in factory settings by someone making wages below the poverty line in a third world country.

You mentioned plastic so take a look at what materials the dress is made of. Lace is a big part of wedding dresses so finding lace made of natural material like silk, linen, gold, and silver is more eco-friendly than synthetic material. Same goes with satin, which can be made of silk versus polyester. That being said, just because something is natural, doesn't mean it's completely eco-friendly. For example, cotton is natural but you need a ton of water and energy to produce clothes with the material. Opt for organic cotton over regular cotton. And some synthetic garments use a certain percentage of recycled materials.

Plastic also comes in the form of jewels on the dress. Opting for a dress with no fake jewels and beads would reduce the plastic.