Congrats to everyone getting engaged today! The wheels have been set in motion and the excitement, chaos, arguments, stress and anticipation has begun (yes, planning has its ups and downs…).
The rings (if they haven’t already been bought), the dress and the location are usually the first details to be discussed. Here are some BluePlanetWedding.com resources to get you started:
Jewelry:
The Most Important Question to Ask About Your Engagement Ring
Gorgeous eco-friendly wedding bands for the groom
Recycled gold: reusing and repurposing old jewelry
Wedding Dresses:
Organic silk wedding gowns: making green and ethical choices
6 Eco-friendly Wedding Dress Designers You *Really* Need to See
5 Places to Find Gorgeous Preowned Wedding Dresses Online
Don’t forget to keep an eye on the Business Directory to find vendors and businesses who provide services and products to couples. New businesses are being added daily, and if you are looking for a business in your area and can’t find anyone, let us know and we’ll see if we can find a vendor for you.
Check out:
Wedding planners specializing in green weddings
Caterers specializing in local fare, organic food and vegetarian and vegan meals
Florists using locally-grown, fair trade and pesticide-free organic flowers
Finally, see how this Houston couple put on their green wedding, and all the tricks and tips they discovered to make a beautiful, low impact wedding! Be sure to read all 5 parts!
Tara & Mike’s Eco-friendly Wedding, Part 1
One of the cornerstones of living an environmental life is the “reuse” part of Reduce-Reuse-Recycle. Wedding dresses are a huge one-time-use item, and often a big part of the wedding budget. Consider a preowned wedding dress to keep expenses down (and who doesn’t want that these days?) and to reduce the impact on silk production, transportation costs (financial and environmental) and disposal. Yeah, I know most wedding dresses don’t end up in landfills, but it keeps the stuff in the attic to a minimum.
This recent New York Times article discusses the financial advantages of preowned wedding dresses:
Even previously owned high-end couture gowns from designers like Vera Wang, Monique Lhuillier, and Amsale sell for 25 to 50 percent or more off the original retail price, giving brides a realistic alternative to finding “something affordable without sacrificing quality,” said Nina Willdorf, the author of “Wedding Chic: The Savvy Bride’s Guide to Getting More While Spending Less” (Perigee Trade). “Smart shopping to find value for less is really chic right now,” Ms. Willdorf said. “It’s not like buying a used sweater that’s been worn for years. A wedding dress has been worn once and only for a matter of hours.”
The eco rewards are just as good - the lower consumption of materials and resources is great for the environment.
5 places to find your preowned wedding dress online:
- PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com
- BravoBride.com
- EncoreBridal.com
- SellYourWeddingDress.com
- WoreItOnce.com
Don’t forget about eBay or your local secondhand or thrift shops. There are some excellent bargains to be had out there.
Curious? Check out this $6000 Vera Wang dress, asking $2000 (SellYourWeddingDress.com)
Looking for designers using eco-friendly materials? Read “6 Eco-friendly Wedding Dress Designers You *Really* Need to See“.
