If you’re in the middle of planning a wedding and want to go as green as possible, one easy area to implement your green attitude is in your attire. The right dress should make a statement about who you are, so by wearing an eco-friendly gown, you get to express your taste, personal style and committment to the Earth.

While I’ve never purchased a wedding gown myself, I have trekked to all kinds of bridal boutiques with my girlfriends in search of the perfect dress. In doing so, I’ve seen how difficult it can be to find a dress that is flattering, affordable, stylish and produced in an environmentally-friendly manner. Because of this, I’ve taken some time to research eco-options for wedding dresses. Keep in mind that I don’t have any personal experience with the dress designers listed, so before you make any big decisions, make sure you do further research on your own!

Dubbed as “eco-couture” by the designer, the wedding dresses on the Annatarian website are custom made by Anna Mkhitarian. Working closely with her clients, and within the principles of “eco-effectiveness,” (the concept of creating industrial systems that emulate healthy, natural systems), the designer builds wedding dresses out of recycled, vintage and remnant fabrics including bamboo, organic cotton, and peace silk.

Designer Anna Mkhitarian encourages her brides to get involved in the design and development of their dresses, and is happy to incorporate a bride’s favorite fabrics into the the dress. Looking over the gowns on the Annatarian site, it’s clear that the designer enjoys creating gowns that are elegantly simple,? as the dresses spotlighted are all lacking in extensive ornamentation and embellishment. Photo by Annatarian

LA-based designer Deborah Lindquist has made quite a name for herself when it comes to eco-conscious wedding gown design. Designed using reclaimed, re-purposed and recycled fabrics, Lindquist’s dresses are both stylish and environmentally-friendly.

According to her website, Lindquist works with recycled cashmeres, re-purposed kimonos and saris, and vintage silk scarves to create gowns for her brides. With an eye towards all-things sustainable, Lindquist also uses hemp, organic cotton and organic wool in crafting her one-of-a-kind gowns. Lindquist’s dresses have a romantic, feminine air about them, with an emphasis on details. Lace, beadwork, and ribbons embellish her creations and give the gowns an air of elegance. Photo by Deborah Lindquist

If you’re looking for a custom-designed wedding dress, and you have strong ideas about the basic structure you’re looking for, you may want to consider ordering an Olivia Luca dress. Using the interactive website, brides-to-be design their own dresses online by working their way through the Olivia Luca dress design tool. Brides are presented with options as to the bodice, length, fabric, color, size and trim that they want for their dress, and the artists at Olivia Luca build the creation to order. In terms of ecological impact, the dresses are hand-made to your specifications, and Olivia Luca uses sustainable and organic fabrics including hemp, soy knit, silk, organic cotton and hempcel. Olivia Luca also uses fiber-reactive, low-impact inks and dyes that meet the Organic Fiber Association’s Fiber Procession Standards.

Because the dresses created by Olivia Luca are essentially made using standard patterns, the final products tend to be similar in nature. Have no fear however, the dresses on the designer’s site are all beautiful, and individually crafted for each and every bride. One thing I really like about the dresses I saw is that most of them have little bits of color incorporated into their designs. And if a bride wants to move completely away from a white gown, she can choose to have her dress made from any number of muted pastels. This site – and the concept – is different and fun – just make sure you leave at least 12 months before you need your dress if you want to have the artists at Olivia Luca design it for you. Finally, if you’re looking for custom-crafted bridesmaid dresses, Olivia Luca makes those too! Photo by Olivia Luca

Other sites that carry eco-friendly wedding dresses include:

The Bridal Garden offers pre-worn couture wedding dresses.

Fancy Wedding Center is a Brooklyn-based shop that rents wedding dresses and other wedding attire.

ANGeLRoX builds custom wedding gowns using sustainable and renewable fabrics.

Threadbare Creations offers handcrafted bridal gown and accessories made from all natural fibers.

CoutureSF is a San Francisco-based eco-friendly custom wedding dress designer.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Tara Lynn Makes Wedding Gowns And Wearable Art

Weddings are a huge industry in the United States – with 2.4 million couples spending an average of $20,000 on their weddings, for a national annual total of $7.2 billion according to The Knot. With so many people sinking so much money into their nuptuals, I thought I’d track down some green wedding options for those looking to apply their eco-principles to this most important of days.

For an all-purpose site dedicated to supplying nearly-weds with eco-options, check out Portovert. Dubbed the “Gateway to Greener Weddings,” Portovert is packed with links to environmentally-friendly vendors for all-things wedding including attire, flowers, transportation, ceremonies, receptions and honeymoons. When I started looking around the site, I was focused on finding eco-dresses, and was impressed by the selection of different options available. If you’ve never looked up eco-wedding options before, I’d recommend you start at Portovert and go from there. You can also find out what’s new in eco-weddings by following the Portovert Blog.

Canvas & Clover is another all-purpose wedding blog that’s directed toward, “the green girl wearing white.” This blog provides a variety information about where to find eco-alternatives including beauty products, honeymoons, rings, food and fashion. While Canvas & Clover isn’t a guide per se, it is packed full of links to eco-vendors and helpful tips on how you can green your day.

Eco Chic Weddings is a blog and a book by author Emily Anderson. Anderson defines the need to plan a wedding according to your lifestyle, and states that her site is more about creating sustainable events than it is about living an “eco” life. I like the philosophy behind Anderson’s site – part of planning a wedding should include conserving resources (on every level), and not simply spending money, buying stuff or wasting time because it’s for your big day. Check out this blog if you want to learn more about throwing a sustainable wedding that matches your lifestyle.

My Eco Chic Wedding is a green resource for couples planning environmentally-friendly weddings, and offers a selection of planning tools and ideas to get any green couple started. Although their vendor directory is still relatively small, and the shopping section of the site is listed as “Coming Soon,” the site offers interactive tools and galleries that provide the kind of inspiration and motivation couples need to get their green ideas off the ground.

Ethical Weddings is a site for those looking to throw a fair trade, green, organic, local, eco-friendly, cruelty-free, recycled wedding! Couples looking to go green on their wedding days can ask experts for advice, explore real-life ethical weddings, and take in tips on how to pull off their own eco-events. Based in the UK, the suppliers listed on the site might not be what US couples are looking for, but the site offers a range of otherwise useful information to get the eco-conscious prepared for their big days.

Green Elegance Weddings is an, “up-to-date online resource for planning the environmentally and socially responsible green wedding of your dreams.” The site is packed full of useful tips and tools meant to help couples plan the green wedding of their dreams. With resources for helping people plan their ceremonies, select eco-invitations, find environmentally-friendly apparel, and book honeymoons that don’t hurt the Earth, this site contains a wealth of information for anyone looking to cut down on their carbon footprint.

The Green Bride Guide is a wedding site that provides advice, links to real-life green weddings and a comprehensive list of eco-retailers. Also available as a hard-copy resource guide, The Green Bride Guide (whose name I love, by the way) is filled with practical, usable advice to couples wanting to lesson their impact on the planet as they join together in matrimony. Personally, I was more impressed with the eco-products available on this site than I was on any of the other sites I visited – make sure you check it out if you’re looking for eco-options!

Weddings can be hugely complicated, or relatively simple affairs depending on the preference of each bride and groom. It’s easy to forget our green attitudes when we throw parties or events, but with so many weddings taking place every year, it’s becoming increasingly more important that we make these special days green. If you make basic eco-choices, such as selecting invitations made from recycled materials, recycling any bottles and cans trashed on your big day, and serving locally-grown, organic food, you will be making an impact – and a statement – on this most special of days. Remember, by going green you can start your married life by showing your friends and family that you love your planet as much as you love one another! Good luck with the planning process and feel free to drop me a line if you know of any green wedding resources I may have missed here!