Ethical wedding dress success

We soooooo love it here at GU HQ when a bride sends us photos of her wedding!

What's even more delicious is that Meg here bought the lovely ethical wedding dress called Abbie, made by Tammam, from Green Union's Eco Chic Boutique. Then she was sweet enough to send us a Thank You card.

Meg said "Thank you thank you for the most beautiful wedding dress in the world. My husband loved it and I felt utterly stunning. May all brides have a similar experience!"

What a result! You see that's what Green Union is all about. Making people deliriously happy...

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns

A sustainable wedding gown

If you're not the sentimental type and don't plan on keeping your wedding dress for your daughter to wear on her own wedding day (it's so not going to happen!) then here's a truly extreme solution to the idea of recycling the wedding gown.

Researchers at England's Sheffield Hallam University, along with the fashion department, have designed an eco-friendly wedding dress that can be dissolved in water, according to a university press release.

So, what's more, you could save on your honeymoon wardrobe as the fabric dissolves transforming it into five more different fashion garments! Waste not, want not...

"The students wanted to challenge the notion that a wedding dress should only be used once and aimed to explore modern society's attitudes towards throwaway fashion," fashion lecturer Jane Blohm says in a press release.

"The project is a union between art and technology which explores the possibilities of using alternative materials for our clothing.

"The wedding gown is perhaps one of the most symbolic garments in [a woman's] wardrobe and represents the challenges of 'throwaway fashion.'"

In fact the dress is featured in an exhibition entitled A Sustainable Marriage - on until 16th May at the University's Furnival Gallery .

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns , Natural Nuptials , News

Love our Abbie wedding dress!

Best selling wedding dress Abbie has been a rip roaring success and we can't help blowing our own trumpet for a change.

"My wedding dress arrived within 5 days of ordering it. I love love love it and just wanted to say thank you sooooo much for your amazing and personable service. You are amazing!" Meg Brooks

The Abbie wedding gown, designed in London by Lucy Tammam and made under fair trade conditions in India, was launched exclusively on GreenUnion last April and has proved to be a winning success. This simple but stylish of-the-peg wedding dress has been a great hit with eco-concious brides on a budget seeking a little bit of luxury.

Abbie is made in 100% fair trade certified cotton satin and lined in 100% organic hand loomed cotton lining. It's all finished off with a luxurious 100% wild peace silk gold sash. What's more it comes at a very affordable price of only £450.

Having sold so well, Abbie is currently only available from our Eco Chic Boutique in sizes 10 and 16, but if you too have fallen in love with the gown you can now pre-order the other sizes for May delivery.

If you can't wait that long then you can always buy the same fabrics from our boutique and make your own wedding dress, or choose another style from our wedding dress collection.

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns , News , Shop

Naturally authentic bride

Our lovely Abbie Wedding Dress looks so gorgeous on Charlie, and we couldn't resist showing you all how beautiful bride and dress are!

Charlie was married in Durham in October and has cleverly teamed the 100% organic cotton satin dress, which also has a lining in handloomed 100% organic cotton, with a sweet little fluffly shrug to keep the chill at bay in church. The gold 100% handloomed wild peace silk sash, which comes with the dress, ties the whole ensemble together beautifully.

Doesn't she look happy on the arm of her father on the way into the church for her wedding ceremony! We wish Charlie and her new husband a long and happy life together.

You can buy the Abbie Wedding Dress by Tammam, which is exclusive to Green Union, and find more fairly traded organic cotton and silk wedding dresses and wedding dress fabrics in our Eco Chic Boutique.

Or if you prefer to find a dress designer who will design and hand make a unique dress especially for you, we have the best of them listed in our Wedding Directory!

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns , Natural Nuptials

The ultimate vintage wedding dress

Who wouldn't want to wear a vintage wedding dress designed for Audrey Hepburn?

Lot 333, the ivory satin bridal gown designed for Audrey for her planned wedding to James Hanson in 1952 which never took place, is part of a collection of dresses worn by Audrey Hepburn, to be auctioned off in London on December 8 by Kerry Taylor Auctions.

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns , Events , News

Luxurious layers for a winter wedding

When Louise Broad joined our wedding directory we just knew that a winter bride's dilemma of how to dress in up layers to keep warm but still look gorgeous was finally solved. Just look at the pictures and say you don't agree!

Louise makes the most beautiful shrugs, shawls, wraps and hair accessories by fusing gossamer light silk and merino wools together creating the most beautiful ethereal fabrics. It's called nuno felting and it's all done by hand.

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns , Seasonal Celebrations , Shoes & Accessories

Motasem wedding dresses - so stylish ... and re-wearable!

Don't you just love shopping for that wedding dress! And if you don't like the idea of wearing something only once, why would you wear a wedding dress once? This seems to be a growing trend amongst contemporary brides where the 'wear-once' wedding dress just seems extravagant and a wanton waste.

We think Sabina Ali of Motasem has the answer. She creates flattering dresses for women to make them feel sexy and comfortable. Her wedding dresses have a timeless elegance and a bit of an edge. The video speaks for itself ...

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns

Low Impact Wedding Series - What to wear?

It was important to me that only natural fibers were used in the wedding party's clothing. This turned into a huge hassle. Eventually I revoked that rule. Between the mothers having difficulty and my bridesmaids complaining I told them to pick something they wanted to wear and just not tell me what it was made from.

WEDDING DRESS: I knew I wanted a really simple, not very formal wedding dress since the wedding was going to be outside in the morning. It also had to have straps. I work outside and no matter how much sunscreen I put on I was going to have a tank top tan line. I spent a lot of time searching eBay. I bought 5 different wedding dresses and really loved two of them. The one I wore for the wedding was 100% silk, it fit perfectly and didn't need a stitch of alteration. I resold the dresses I didn't want on eBay and I actually turned a profit. The cost for my dress was $88 including shipping.

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns , Grooms , Natural Nuptials , Shoes & Accessories

Green carpet glamour

It doesn't matter how much you try to justify it, but the wear once wedding dress seems altogether too extravagant and wasteful. And, amongst our brides, we've detected a growing trend for the cocktail style wedding dress where they want a design that's just right for a glamorous wedding but, after the honeymoon's over, they still want to wear their dress again and again.

Sabina Ali of Motasem, cleverly spotting this gap in the market, has developed a collection of beautiful dresses for the perfect day. With their fluid shapes, exquisite cutting, and trademark silky fabrics, her dresses are both glamorous and versatile. These timeless and understated, high quality, cocktail style wedding dresses are made with natural silks right here in the UK.

We aren't the only ones to notice Sabina's unique talent; two of her designs were seen sashaying down the red carpet at the UK premiere of the international hit movie "Twilight", starring Robert Pattison and Kirsten Stewart, and two more of her designs are to be on display at the British Library for the whole month of June.

This timeless and understated glamour means that not only brides, but bridesmaids, mother of the brides and guests can wear them to weddings and parties too. Prices start from £550 for wedding dresses, £175 for cocktail/day-to-evening dresses, and are available within 5 weeks.

Catch a slice of glamour and contact Sabina at Motasem to order your very own cocktail style wedding dress that's versatile enough to wear more than once and can be transformed into a chic party frock once the wedding's over.

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns

Even in white, you can Go Green

So says Lori at Conscious Elegance who got in touch to tell us how excited she is about her New 2009 Bridal Collection which is entirely hand made in the UK using organic and sustainable materials.

As well as her hugely popular wedding gowns, bridesmaid's and party dresses, Lori has added coats, wraps and shrugs to the collection making them a very versatile choice for those considering an autumn or winter wedding.

And now the whole wedding party can be decked out sustainably with the menfolk sporting ties or cravats made in her signature hemp/silk fabrics. They make great gifts for your best man and his ushers who will end up using them after the wedding day.

For DIY brides and dressmakers Conscious Elegance also sells hemp/silk and organic cotton fabrics in a wide variety of colours by the meter or yard.

Lori offers an open invitation for brides to visit the workshop to see the fabrics, try on floor samples and have personal fittings. Or you may prefer to have a visit in your own home. Just get in touch to find out more.

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns

Eco-luxe wedding gowns that won't cost the earth

GreenUnion's offering brides a new and exclusive range of ready-to-wear eco-luxe designer wedding dresses that boast ethical credentials as long as your arm.

Tammam White is a unique bridal collection of eco-luxe designer wedding gowns created and hand crafted in House of Tammam's fair trade atelier in India. The wedding dresses are made with exclusively developed luxury eco fabrics including organic-certified wild peace silk, sustainable bamboo satin, and 100% organic fair trade cotton satin jacquard and linings.

Created with the bride's budget in mind the five piece range includes a hand embellished fishtail gown, a layered gown with detachable skirt, a simple cotton satin dress with silk sash, a full length coat dress and a satin cape. Prices range from £300 to £1100.

Click here to find out more and pre-order now for end March delivery.

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns , Shop

Oxfam Bridal Competition

Oxfam Bridal Store in Shirley, Southampton let us know about their exciting competition to celebrate 'Donate your Dress Month'.

Be in with a chance to win a gorgeously romantic break at Lyndhurst Park Hotel (or one of the other 17 hotels in the Forestdale Hotel Group) in the New Forest and take your preloved wedding dress along to the store before 5th March.

Oxfam Bridal's a great way to give something back. Your dress gets a second life and gives someone else a chance to buy something stylish and economical. And it helps less fortunate people to overcome poverty and suffering through the Oxfam programme worldwide.

You can find the Oxfam Bridal Store in at:

76/78 Shirley Hgh Street,
Southampton,
SO15 3NE

'Donate your Dress' month runs until the 5th March 2009.
The lucky winner of the romantic break will be announced on the 8th March 2009 at the Lyndhurst Park Hotel Wedding Fayre.

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns , Events

Little black dress

Christmas would never be the same without the LBD! It's always been said that the little black dress is a woman's best friend - it will never date. Bring it out every season - day to night the obvious choice when you're going straight out to a Christmas party from the office.

You couldn't do better than buy this gorgeous Enamore princess line dress from our Eco Chic Boutique. It's made from a sustainable blend of hemp and tencel and has a silkey yoke detail and a ribbon sash (or you can personalise it with your own belt and accessories). The fabrics are gotgeously soft and move satisfyingly with your body.

Apart from a must have Christmas party dress this would be an ideal bridesmaid's dress. After the wedding your 'maid will be able to dress it up or down for every sort of going out.

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns

Donate a dress

Help Liberian Ambassador Alpha Bird Collins and his wife Louise with their Liberian Wedding Dress Project, launched on their own wedding day a year ago, by donating your wedding dress to this worthy cause.

Believe it or not it is the aspiration of many Liberian brides to get married in white, but in this worn-torn land where a woman's daily wage as little as a dollar day, the dream is often out of reach. The West African country is in the process of recovering from 15 years of civil war and it now has a stable government with Africa's first democratically-elected female president, so there is an air of optimism in the country.

Alpha and Louise plan to take the dresses to West Africa where their local partners will loan them out to Liberian brides for a small charge to cover the costs cleaning and so on. And they're not stopping there - men's suits and bridesmaids dresses are welcomed with open arms. Funds are also being raised to help with transport costs when they take the clothes to Liberia.

Dresses, suits and bridesmaid dresses can be dropped off at St Cuthbert's Church, on Barnsley Road, any Sunday morning, and donations can be made payable to Action Love Liberia and sent to St Cuthbert's Vicarage, 7 Horndean Road, Sheffield, S5 6UJ.

Call Louise and Alpha on 0114 261 1605 for more information.

See Sheffield Telegraph for full story.

Posted in Green Wedding Charities , Dresses & Gowns

Vintage fashion fair

It's September, a month of wonderful things to do and go to. Over the next few days and weeks we'll be telling you what's on and where to go.

First off is the London Vintage Fashion, Textiles and Accessories Fair on Sunday 14th September 2008 at Hammersmith Town Hall, King Street, London W6.

There'll be over a hundred leading vintage fashion clothing dealers, from all over the UK and abroad who will be there to share their prized stash of highly sought-after wares spanning from 1800 to 1980. You'll be able to find handbags, linen, lace, embroidery, shoes, hats, gowns, chiffons, beaded dresses, textiles, needle work, necklaces, gloves, trimmings, fashion magazines, costume jewellery, feathers boas, compacts, combs, fans …… and all more competitively priced than in trendy shops and at auctions.

If you're looking for a unique or different wedding dress, a suit for your groom or some gorgeous and sustainably sourced accessories then this is the place to go. Check out their website for more information and to get a discount of £2.50 on the entrance fee of £5.00.

Thanks to Cooper Carras Photography for the gorgeous image.

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns , Grooms , Shoes & Accessories

Seven green ways to personalise your wedding day - Day 1

With a week to go before the Spring Equinox and Earth Day on April 22nd we thought it an appropriate time to highlight seven green ways to personalise your wedding day. So here goes for day one:

GO LOCAL
And order hand made, bespoke wedding outfits. A unique gown or suit made by a local designer/dressmaker or tailor can make your outfits really personal. Admittedly it's a more expensive option than off-the-peg or hiring, but you will want to look really gorgeous and more importantly you can make sure it's something you will both want to wear again.

There will be a talented dress maker living close to you who can create a beautiful made-to-measure wedding gown tailored especially for you using organic and natural fabrics. Some may offer a couture collection to choose from, others will work to your own design. Find talented and affordable wedding dress designers and makers in our directory.

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns , Inspiration

Awards all round!

We're delighted to have discovered that GreenUnion partner Conscious Elegance has walked away with the Environmental Agency/North Tyneside Business of the Year Award for 2007.

The judges decision was immediate and unanimous, due to the fact that Conscious Elegance is a completely green enterprise. The company strives for 100% sustainability, from the fabrics to the recycled packaging materials. No factories or sweatshops here and CE makes a point of sourcing from other small businesses, especially those that allow mums to earn an income while staying at home with their children. We like that!

Founder and designer, Lori Del Genis says, 'Conscious Elegance is all about making easy choices that have far-reaching effects. Being eco-conscious can also mean thinking outside of the corporate box. For example, we offer fabric choices for vegan brides who wish to support their values with a wedding dress that's every bit as gorgeous as they would see on the high street."

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns , News

Vintage trend

There's a huge trend to go vintage this year and wearing it on your wedding day's perfectly eco chic. The London Vintage Fashion, Textiles and Accessories Fair being held this Sunday in Kensington, London has heaps of gorgeous dresses and suits to choose from. Arrive early and snap up a delicious little number for yourself or get your groom gorgeously kitted out in a retro suit.

My advice to brides is to wear brand new shoes with a vintage number to keep it right up to date and grooms will look so on trend with a snappy new shirt, preferably made in organic cotton, and a colourful tie or no tie at all.

Sunday 13 January 2008 from 10am to 5pm
Olympia Hilton Hotel, Kensington High Street, London
Admission £5.00 (Early entry: 8am - 10am £10.00)
Image: Vintage Wedding Dress Company

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns , Grooms

Looking for a unique wedding dress or vintage groom's suit?

Eco chic brides and grooms should get along to the London Vintage Fashion Fair this Sunday 14 October between 8am and 5pm at the Olympia Hilton Hotel, 380 Kensington High Street in London.

A great idea to show your individuality and know you won't see any other bride in the same wedding dress is to wear vintage, the ultimate and chicest form of recycling!

The fair offers an extraordinary collection of exhibits from circa 1800 to 1980. You will find an abundance of vintage clothing, textiles, handbags, linen, embroidery, shoes, hats, textiles, beads, trimmings and costume jewellery. You never know you may just find that elusive wedding gown or groom's suit you've been dreaming of for your eco friendly wedding day.

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns , Grooms

Organic Fortnight - Wedding Dresses

There's been a lot of talk lately about organic clothing on the high street and, while quite a few of the big names are paying lip service to the idea by stocking mini ranges of organic cotton, mostly at the casual end, there are some dedicated top designers producing fabulous ranges using organic fabrics.

So what's available to the eco chic bride wanting to use organic fabrics for her wedding attire? Not a lot to be honest, if you want to go the conventional dress route. This is, in part, due to the lack of certified organic fabrics which will give the style, cut and drape expected of a wedding dress.

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns

Trash the dress ... or not

Image by Hollye Schumacher Photography from Trash the Dress

Ever thought what you'd do with your dress after the big day?

I have a confession to make, my gorgeous hand made dress is in the attic. Because it's not a typical wedding dress, I thought I'd dye it and my shoes an interesting colour and wear them to parties and balls in the future or, at least, my daughter would want to dress up in them and dream of her marriage to a handsome prince.

Sadly, the parties didn't call for such a frock and we weren't blessed with children so my beautiful wedding dress still languishes in the attic, and now I've grown out of it. But I'm still not sure I can give away this very tangible memory of one of the happiest days of my life.

So what will you do with yours?

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns , Photographers

Recycle your wedding dress and exchange it for everyday clothes

If you think you won't wear your wedding dress again, how about indulging in a bit of recycling at Whatsmineisyours, where you can sell or swap your clothes for others on the site. A new wedding section has just been added to the site, so its quite small at the moment, but give it time and numbers will swell.

They have a fabulous selection of vintage dresses which would suit a bridesmaid or a bride who's looking for an unconventional outfit for her wedding like this stunning original 1950s tulip style evening dress.

Also on the site there's a detailed guide to buying vintage for your general knowledge. Buy and swap to your heart's content happy in the knowledge that you can come back and recycle time after time.

It would be good to see a bit more vintage and interesting menswear on the site too, for those alternative grooms who don't want to hire the conventional wedding suite or leave a huge footprint on the earth.

Posted in Green Wedding Dresses & Gowns