5 Sustainable Wedding Dresses For Your Big Day

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I’m so pleased to have Sophia Young write for the Roberto Revilla London Magazine! You can find Sophia on Twitter at @YSophiaWrites

Uttering the words “I do” means giving your sweetest “yes” to the best partner for you. Of course, before the wedding day, you also have one more thing to say “I do” to—your wedding dress. And that means saying “yes” to the best one out there.

Speaking of the best, it does not mean making a perfect choice, but a better choice—one that makes you feel the most beautiful while being more compassionate to the environment. Yes, these two can co-exist!

Thoughtfully tying the knot

Being more eco-conscious on your wedding day goes a long way. We all know that the wedding industry also brings about the most carbon footprint. Per the Green Bride Guide, an average wedding produces 400 lbs of garbage and 63 tons of carbon dioxide. Since there is an estimated amount of 2.5 million weddings yearly, the total amount of trash reaches one billion lbs and produces as many carbon emissions as approximately four people would release in a year. A whopping amount, right?

What’s good though is that green weddings are positively reshaping the industry. Their concept generally aims to reduce the social and environmental impact of weddings through utilizing sustainable materials. This can include ensuring zero waste, using plastic-free materials, upcycling props, and wearing sustainable engagement rings and wedding dresses. Such dresses may be secondhand, vintage or upcycled, rented or borrowed, made from recycled materials or biodegradable fabrics, and may come from brands with eco-friendly and/or charitable initiatives.

Scouting for sustainable wedding dresses

To help you find “the (second) one,” here’s a guide to ethical and sustainable wedding dresses. Slay also your wedding style by matching your wedding dress with an exquisite James Bond outfit.

1.  Zero-waste: IndieBride London

Do you love the boho-chic style and being sustainable? Good news! There are brands out there offering high-quality bridal gowns with a zero-waste approach at the heart of their production process. Check out the British brand IndieBride London, which is recognized for its no-waste approach to its bohemian collections. It upcycles extra fabric to make other wedding accessories like veils and headpieces. It also uses organic materials like silk and cotton to create its picturesque dresses.

IndieBride London’s dresses aim to reflect the unique signature style of the bride, enabling them to exude timeless elegance in a quaint manner—just like its glorious Gabrielle dress which can be found on its online shop.

2. Secondhand: Once Wed

Seeking to save more while being sustainable? You can opt for a pretty preloved wedding dress! Buying a secondhand wedding dress can allow you to score a high-calibre designer gown at a fraction of the value of buying a new one. You also get to reduce the amount of waste from your nuptial ceremony. 

With more than 5,000 dresses to choose from on its online marketplace, Once Wed offers nifty “big day” ideas and actual secondhand wedding dresses for brides-to-be without hurting their pockets. These range from contemporary to traditional wedding dresses that stand the test of time. Interestingly, they have some great finds, like its 2020 Vera Wang gown.

To help you search for the right dress style you can confidently strut, the site allows visitors to filter their searches via different filters like condition, style, and height.

3. Vintage and Upcycled: Lost In Paris

Giving dresses a new look and life through upcycling helps the environment in many ways. And what better way to be ethical and sustainable than wear an upcycled wedding dress? If you love upcycled dresses that give off vintage vibes, check out Lost In Paris, a Sydney-based label that also offers worldwide shopping. This imaginative and eco-conscious brand ensures sustainable manufacturing by creating gowns using vintage lace found from antique European markets. It also tailors any of its ready-made gowns so you can comfortably rock your wedding dress. The shop’s designs, like its Odyssey dress, surely transcend trend and tradition.

4. Charity-driven: Brides Do Good

Want your wedding dress purchase to be worthwhile? Consider charity-driven wedding shops that put the planet and its people first with their sustainable business practices. London’s first sustainable bridal boutique, Brides Do Good, allows brides-to-be to purchase new and pre-loved exquisite wedding dresses while giving them an avenue to empower young girls in unique ways. The shop donates 100 percent of its appointment fees and one-third of its profits to charity initiatives that seek to help young girls, educate the community, and end child marriage. Per the shop, a single dress can support 10,000 days of education for girls.

Brides Do Good harnesses the power of the bridal industry to create long-term change. Its gown designs, such as the Savin London – Chloe and Aubrey, surely exude timeless elegance with their unique décolletage and intricate designs.

5. All-natural: Mother of Pearl

Accentuate your all-natural style with an organically made wedding dress. You don’t only shine bright; you also save Mother Earth.

Mother of Pearl—a British brand that makes fashion with wit, heart, and conscience—takes pride in using organic resources to craft avant-garde wedding dresses. These materials include recycled wool and natural fibres, which biodegrade faster and in a less harmful way than synthetic fibres. The label offers made-to-order wedding dresses in order to avoid wastage. In its effort to ensure holistic sustainability, its London studio is also solar-powered and uses compostable packaging.

The brand’s luxury Pearly Whites collection is perfect for modern and fashion-forward brides. Head over to its website or studio and you may end up falling head-over-heels in love with its classic and dashing designs.

Final thoughts

You can celebrate your special day while reducing your carbon footprint and saving the environment. It only takes saying your sweetest “I do” to the sustainable wedding dress you love.