If you're into going green for your wedding then the hardest part is finding a compromise between ethical choices and practicality, especially where transport is concerned. What is a bride to do when rain threatens and you have to get to the church on time?
Thankfully iChauffeur offer just the right hire service. Their Lexus Hybrid car is the next best thing to a horse and carriage, or a stroll to the church of course. Running on electricity and petrol the car is a great way to get just the right balance. Find out more form the iChauffeur website. [via Bridalwave]
If like Katie you're planning an eco wedding, finding a dress can be one of the toughest decisions you make. For many brides to be, a truly unique gown means bespoke and if you want to do the eco, ethical options, this design house offers just that. Sussex based Gaiahouse's service offers a design consultation with cut and fabrics to suit, a minimum of six fittings with the final one within 14 days of the wedding. If you can't wait, there's also a ready to wear collection made from 'peace' silks and mixes.
This traditional strapless A-line dress has a gorgeous pleated diamond pattern on the full skirt. Find it in the bespoke section. [Via Bridalwave]
Related: Hemp wedding dresses by Threadhead Creations
Our own bride-to-be Katie Lee writes:
Let's not beat about the bush: when it comes to your wedding day, it really is all about *you*. But there's no reason why the happiest day of your life (or one of them, at least!) has to come at the earth's expense. At least, that's what I think.
This year, after 12 years together, and 8 years of happily living in sin, Al and I finally decided it was time to get our act together and get married. But since we're both a couple of eco-bores, we thought it was only right that we try to do the whole thing with minimal impact on the environment. I'll be sharing all my experiences here in this weekly column, so if you've got any suggestions or can provide any personal experiences, please do leave me some comments - or contact me on shinykatie[at]gmail.com - I'd love your help!
Continue reading >>
You carry an eco-friendly tote when you're in the supermarket aisles but what about when you're walking up the aisle? Your 'bag for life' isn't quite going to cut it on your big day...
Love Eco have come to the rescue with this Big Eco Clutch Bag, which got Bridalwave's seal of approval today as perfectly suitable for a wedding. You'll fit all your wedding essentials in here (makeup, tissues, mini bottle of gin) and few will guess at how green the bag really is: its buckles are vintage and the leather comes from remnants from the furniture industry and they're lined with bronze silk. £49.99 at Love Eco.
Ladies: We are now in a leap year, which means it's your chance to 'pop the question' on 14th Feb! (If you believe all that superstitious nonsense, of course.) So if you're dreaming of a 2008 wedding, why not check out some of the green bridal goodies you can do the deed in over on Bridalwave?
Today, they feature these stunning Te Casan shoes. Available in nude satin, with a bow over the toe, only 60 pairs of these 'Gem' shoes will be made in each size and they would look great with jeans later or dressed up with a pale summer suit too.
Related: New Eco Shoe range from Natalie Portman | Hemp wedding dress from Threadhead Creations
If you want to walk down the aisle with your head held high, you'll need to make sure you're wearing a dress that you're truly comfortable in. So, in addition to not eating a whole bar of Green & Black's every evening between the dress fitting and the run up the wedding, you might also want to try buying a dress which comes from an ethical supplier.
For London based brides-to-be, Wholly Jo's in Uxbridge offers dresses made from "peace silk", hemp and organic cotton. They also offer alterations and restylings for those who would rather recycle a dress than buy a new one. Gaiahouse in Sussex offers dresses made from peace silk, as well as a range of ready to wear dresses. Conscious Elegance in Durham makes all its dresses with 100% SKAL certified organic cottons and pesticide free silk and hemp/silk blends, with plans to offer cruelty free silk very soon. They also allow you to send in measurements and buy a dress without visiting the shop.
Related: Hemp wedding dress from Threadhead Creations | Recycled denim Watters wedding dress for DIFFA | The Dressmarket: second hand wedding dresses
Want to make sure you don't get the requisite garish pair of socks and large box of non-vegan chocolates for Christmas this year? Fed up with people forgetting your birthday? You could do a lot worse than making your way to the award-winning Natural Collection website. Once you're there, you can browse the fabulous range of products and make yourself a Gift List filled with deeply desirable eco-friendly treats.
With goodies ranging from beautiful items of fairly traded jewellery to handy and affordable eco-gadgets, and from eco-friendly baby accessories to green accessories for the office or study, I defy anyone not to find something they want on this site. Start securing yourself a Cool Yule now, and ward off the mouldy old Quality Street and the nasty socks before they're even a twinkle in the mother-in-law's eye!
digg this | del.icio.us this
| 
Stumble It!
