If you’re here right now, chances are it’s because you’re in the throws of planning your wedding! If that’s the case, congrats! How exciting. I wish you all the best in this new chapter of your life. So, to make things just a tad bit easier for you, I’ve compiled a list of sustainable and ethical wedding dresses to help you in your search for the perfect wedding dress.
Let’s just jump right in!
1. Secondhand Wedding Dresses
Stillwhite: Stillwhite is the largest global marketplace for preowned, used, and second-hand wedding dresses. They currently have about 45,000 dresses you can choose from. Search by designer, silhouettes, cuts, etc. To date, Stillwhite has sold more than 20,000 dresses, reduced 216,000 kg of carbon emissions, and saved 180 million liters of water.
Rent the runway: Why not rent your dress? While rent the runway doesn’t offer wedding gowns for rent per se they do offer some truly beautiful white gowns, which, depending on your style, might be a perfect fit for your big day
Nearly Newly Wed: NNW offers a variety of slightly worn and new wedding dresses, accessories, etc. You can even purchase a dress from their site, alter it, and then sell it back (as long as it’s in pristine condition). They have some amazing dresses!
Once Wed: Similar to Stillwhite and NNW, Once Wed sells used wedding dresses to future brides. As mentioned on their website “let your biggest memory be your big day, and pass on your fantastic dress to a bride to be.” They’re also a great resource for brides who are in the midst of planning their special day. They provide some really great DIY wedding inspiration and tools.
Borrowing Magnolia: Borrowing Magnolia is a great option if you’re looking for an affordable second hand wedding dress. This online platform connects buyers and sellers and brings women together. List of wedding dress designers you can select from include, Rue de Seine, Vera Wang, Temperley London, and more! So many options, colors, and price ranges to choose from you’re sure to find your special dress while supporting the planet (and your wallet) in the process!
Custom Made Wedding Dresses
Etsy: You can find hundreds of beautiful vintage, upcycled, handmade, and made-to-order wedding dresses and designers on Etsy. Support small businesses, such as LilyMarksBrand, a top Etsy seller, or Visible Art, which creates beautiful organic linen dresses.
Tara Lynn Bridal: TaraLynn works by hand and on vintage sewing machines to create one-of-a-kind wedding gowns from natural, organic, and re-purposed fibers. Not only are her dresses beautiful but she truly cares about creating a more ethical and sustainable fashion industry, which is one of the reasons she launched her own clothing company. Note: She provides both custom-made and ready-to-order gowns.
Tip: You can find more custom-made brands by searching for “bespoke wedding dresses.”
Sustainable and Ethical Wedding Dresses
Lost in Paris:
Lost in Paris wedding gowns are ethically and sustainably made using vintage lace unearthed from antique markets in Europe. These beautiful wedding dresses, which are handmade locally in Sydney Australia, are made-to-measure and can be shipped anywhere in the world. Bonus: Lost in Paris also customizes and adjusts any of their ready-made dresses so, you can be sure to walk away with a dress that fits you perfectly.
Doing Good:
- Ethically made from vintage European lace.
- Handmade in Australia.
Price: $1600 AUD – $3900 AUD
Christy Dawn:
Boho style. Regenerative. Ethical and timeless dresses. Handmade in Los Angeles, Christy Dawn uses deadstock fabrics (the residual fabrics leftover from major fashion houses), regenerative and organic cotton, and regenerative silk throughout their entire collection. This means there may only be one or two pieces available for each item created, depending on how much fabric the team has on hand at the time. All her seamstresses are not only paid a competitive wage but receive health benefits. You can check out her beautiful bridal gowns here.
Doing Good:
- Bridal gowns are made using 100% regenerative silk charmeuse
- Ethically made in Los Angeles
- Yarn dyed with organic dyes
- Fund and help grow cotton for your wedding dress through Christy Dawn’s Land Stewardship program!
Price: $2500 – $3000
Pure Magnolia:
Based out of Vancouver Canada, Pure Magnolia is more than just about making pretty wedding dresses. As their website states, they’re “passionate about creating a fashion industry that is good for our society, rather than one that profits from harming people and the Earth.” Through their classic and beautiful designs, Magnolia playfully incorporates European lace, Indian silks, colorful patterns, organic cottons, vintage and recycled fabrics. Pure Magnolia will customize dresses for you, sell you their sample dresses, and resale lightly worn dresses (consignment).
Doing Good:
- Uses natural fabrics such as silks and organic cotton.
- Strong emphasis on ethical and local production.
- upcycling and custom-made designs
- Partners with FABCYCLE to recycle and reuse scrap waste
Price: $530 CAD -$1900 CAD
Larimeloom
Larimeloom wedding gowns are beautifully designed and individually crafted by hand in Reggio Emilia, Italy. Each dress is entirely custom made-to-measure using only natural, sustainable and high quality materials. I love their commitment to reducing waste – not only does Larimeloom make the most of their fabric scraps but they only produce dresses as necessary, i.e. without middlemen, leftovers or waste. Whether you’re in the market for a unique two-piece Boho style wedding dress, short lace dress, or an elegant wedding gown, Larimeloom has a variety of unique and modern styles available for the eco-conscious bride to choose from.
Doing Good:
- Only uses natural fabrics such as silk, hemp, wool, bamboo, linen, and cotton.
- Natural dye and non-toxic pigments used to dye colored wedding gowns.
- Committed to reducing fabric waste and repurposing scraps.
Price: 1500 € – 3100 €
Wear Your Love
If you’re looking for an elegant yet comfortable wedding dress made of vegan silk and luxuriously soft stretch French lace you may want to take a closer look at Wear Your Love. These dresses which are made-to-measure are ethically handmade from start-to-finish in California and come in a variety of different styles – mermaid, backless, sleeveless, turtleneck, etc. Because they operate exclusively online, Wear Your Love is able to offer their dresses at a fraction of the price they’d be listed at in a bridal boutique. The downside to this is that they do not (yet) offer try-on services. But, from the reviews, it seems like that hasn’t ever been a problem!
Doing Good:
- Recycles textile waste
- Pays livable wages and provides benefits
- Only uses vegan silk
- Ethically handmade in California.
- Only use recycled packaging and paper to ship dresses
Price: $2200 – $3500
Grace Loves Lace
One of the things I love most about Grace Loves Lace (GLL), apart from the fact that their wedding gowns are gorgeous, is their commitment to ethical and sustainable manufacturing. Driven by a passion to create equity for women in business and garment manufacturing, Grace Loves Lace is committed to creating jobs for women while simultaneously training and upskilling their workforce. Not to mention they’ve even invented their own GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certified eco lace, crafted from 100% recycled materials. “I wanted to introduce brides to beautiful, luxurious, comfortable, accessibly priced, and ethically made gowns available through an innovative e-commerce platform,” shares founder and Creative Director Megan Ziems. GLL dresses are made-to-order and ready to wear and come in various styles ranging from the mermaid silhouette to the cowl neck silk hourglass silhouette.
Doing Good:
- Training and upskilling of their workforce
- FSC Certified packaging
- design handmade wedding dresses
- Focused on reducing waste
- Partners with Upparel, a recycling firm which turns 100% of GLL fabric waste from Australia into new yarn.
Price: Price: $1900 – $3600
Reformation:
Reformation’s goal is to be as close to zero-waste as possible using rescued deadstock & vintage fabrics in each of their pieces. You can read more about their sustainable and ethical practices here! And, of course, make sure to check out their beautiful wedding dresses here.
Valani:
Check out Valani’s Sokha Banana Dress. This dress is great for the laid back bride looking for something timeless and unique. I love this dress because not only is it ethically created and can be worn time and time again, but it’s it’s made of 100% Banana Viscose, i.e. made from discarded banana tree stems! In fact, all of Valani’s garments are ethically manufactured and made from plant-based fabrics such as hemp, banana stalks, and eucalyptus trees! Plus, Valani donates 10% of profits to organizations that fund women’s empowerment programs, animal charities, and environmental initiatives. Colors for this laid back wedding dress (or bridesmaid dress!) come in white, bright pink, purple and hemp.
So there you have, just a few sustainable and ethical wedding dresses for you to pick from as you plan your big day!
Other posts you might enjoy:
- How becoming a mother taught me to embrace slow living - June 5, 2023
- Cycle Syncing Foods: How to support each phase of your menstrual cycle through nutrition - May 30, 2023
- How To Plan An Eco-Friendly Wedding - May 23, 2023
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