Wedding dresses made from natural materials are ideal for the eco-conscious bride. Finding natural materials that don’t cost the earth and look stunning is getting easier. Silk is no longer the only option for glamorous gowns. Conscious Clothing has introduced a range of wedding dresses in environmentally friendly fabrics, especially a luscious hemp/silk mix that looks even better than traditional wedding fabrics and feels wonderful to wear.

Dresses come in sizes 2-14 and are ordered online unless you live in the Santa Fe area, where you can have a personal fitting. To make it easier to assess the fit, Conscious Clothing offers a muslin mock-up service. For a fee of $100 which is refundable on ordering the actual dress, you receive two mock-ups of your chosen design in two sizes, or else two designs in the same size. They recommend finding a local seamstress to make any minor alterations that are needed to perfect the fit of your wedding dress. This is a far more affordable option than having your own bespoke wedding dress made, as dresses start from under $1000 and have the quality that only natural fabrics give to the fall of the material and feel.

Many different designs available from Conscious Clothing

Every wedding needs some flowers, but how can the eco-friendly couple find flowers that are green in the way they’re grown, as well as in their foliage? Most florists stock hot-house flowers that have been intensively grown with pesticides, often flown in from overseas, and have a heavy carbon footprint. Not only are they expensive but they also contribute to pollution and global warming. There are alternatives though, so that the bride can enjoy a bouquet of flowers that are organically grown and eco-friendly.

Organic Bouquet is an online source of flowers certified by Veri-Flora. Their roses actually smell like roses unlike many of the hot-house varieties. They use green shipping methods as well as packaging.

Of course organic flowers aren’t cheap either, so consider sourcing seasonal flowers, to supplement your organic bouquet, from small, local family-run farms, or farmers markets, which have some sort of organic or eco certification. Or if you’re lucky enough to have a garden, grow some of your own flowers for your wedding.

Organic white roses bouquet costs $49.95 from Organic Bouquet.