Sustainable Wedding Dresses & Accessories

Good afternoon lovely people and what a gorgeous one it is too. Finally some consistent sunshine although, lets be honest, the temperature could be a bit higher couldn’t it!

Gracing your screens on this beautiful Tuesday is a sustainable bridal fashion shoot put together by the lovely Sam of Peach Portman Photography, a brand new member to our awesome wedding supplier directory, and featuring eco-conscious suppliers who are all trying to do their bit to look after and protect the gorgeous planet we are living on.

Sustainability is something we feel incredibly passionate about, especially since we became properly woke to the world of social justice back in June 2020. The links between racism, and the exploitation of marginalised communities, within the fast fashion industry for example is huge and we all know how damaging the fast fashion industry is on the planet. If you don’t, then I highly recommend you watching this Instagram live with Patchwork and Birdsong London: The Value of Labour And What It Costs.

Now is the time, more than ever, to start making more eco-friendly choices in every aspect of our lives and wedding planning is certainly one of them. From choosing eco-conscious suppliers (like the ones we are featuring today) to making the choice to not use single use plastic on your wedding day – there are so many simple ways you can start to look after the environment when planning your wedding and this shoot is such a great example of some of them.

Sam put this shoot together to…

…create a soft, innocent and bohemian look using sustainable design and production choices. I wanted it to be timeless, pure and created with handmade techniques where possible.

The super chic and stylish bridal dresses and jacket are supplied by Hera Vintage – a wedding brand who ethically sources vintage pieces as well as recycling discarded quilted fabrics and turning them into amazing bridal jackets. We ADORE their jackets. Hera Vintage also supports sustainable slow fashion and all of their pieces are handmade in the UK getting another thumbs up from us! Add to them dried flower specialist Fauxtanical with their gorgeous headpieces, decor and stationery made from recycled paper and bridal portraits immersed in nature and you have a shoot that most definitely fulfills what Sam was hoping to create.

Sam shares with us more details on the Spring and Summer looks she explores and the suppliers who helped make it happen.

The inspiration behind this shoot was to create a soft, innocent and bohemian look using sustainable design and production choices. I wanted it to be timeless, pure and created with handmade techniques where possible.

The theme was very much the beauty of the sea and the grassy beaches of Suffolk. The neutrals of the sand and stone with blue/ green colours of the plants mirrored in the stationery and venue decor pinwheels. The clothes needed to be free and create soft movement in the wind. Soft white natural fabrics which dance in the wind.

I split the shoot into a late spring look and a soft flowing look for a hot summer day.

The flowers in particular Karon and I wanted to experiment with using succulents. Karon did such an amazing job and the crown and bouquet had such a beautiful use of these.

I chose Hera Vintage to supply the clothes because Louise creates such unique and ethically sourced hand made pieces, such as the off the shoulder dress we featured. It reminds me of simpler times a sort of innocence. Louise also sources unique vintage pieces such as the one we featured with its stunning high neck and fan cuffs for our spring look. This is a vintage piece from the 1970’s made from a silk cotton blend jacquard fabric, with crotchet details on the neck and beautiful sleeve detail.

Spring Look…

Hera Vintage lent us this beautiful high neck 19070’s dress for this look. We paired it with dried flower statement head bands. We featured a beautiful handmade quilted jacket by Louise at Hera Vintag, It was made using the most traditional quilting methods. So warm and so nostalgic. It kept out the spring crisp air perfectly.

Casey at Fauxnatical created the perfect crisp white dried flower head bands which seem to represent a crisp chilly spring day so well. Casey creates beautiful pieces which are totally modern and yet so elegant. Casey created two headbands . One from dried Ruscus flowers and the other so cute with little flowers known as bunny ears.

Summer Look…

This off the shoulder dress was handmade by Louise at Hera Vintage. It was gathered at the shoulder line and waist to create the amazing fluid movement you can see in the photos. It is made from sustainable sources of bamboo silk and stitched in organic cotton with biodegradable elastic. It is designed with longevity in mind. It can be shortened or re-dyed. There is a movement called the 30 wears challenge and it is designed with this in mind. It will be made available in vintage lace also.

The flowers were to reflect the sea so Karon at Meadows and Mulberry Weddings in Sheffield used an amazing combination of Succulents and real flowers. Its so unique, I love the fact you have to almost do a double take to see them. The succulents nestle Iin such harmony with the other flowers. The crown is so detailed with tiny little succulents woven in so intricately. The whole look is totally unique.

As a reception look for summer we chose one of Louise’s vintage pieces. A 1950s Harrods evening dress. The crystals and beads catch the light so well and the tailoring is so typical of the elegant cut you’d find in the 50’s.

Reception Decor Ideas

Amy at The Joy Eclective made some beautiful hand made marbled pin wheels for this shoot. These are perfect wall decor for your reception. Amy recreated the feel of the ocean perfectly with her stunning blue marbled paper. Amy often looks for ways to produce sustainable designs and uses recycled paper for her pinwheels.

Her company The Joy Eclectic is an alternative wedding design company providing bespoke props, decorations and styling accessories for nontraditional, eye-catching weddings. That includes backdrops, signs, installations, table plans – all of the details that bring a wedding to life.

Founder Amy is a practising installation artist with over 10 years experience in immersive theatre design and prop-making. Working with eco-friendly materials and processes is key to her approach and has led to the development of her hero product – marbled paper pinwheels.

The pinwheels are made from Amy’s original marbled designs, printed on recycled paper. Biodegradable and recyclable; they are made entirely of paper with a bamboo hoop on the back (which also makes it super easy to
hang on any wall).

Stationery…

Lastly Celia at Pen and Fold created the most amazing stationary. Celia used recycled coffee cups to create these beautiful designs. Celia uses laser cut technology to produce the delicate patterns for her stationery. Her intricate patterns reminded me of so many patterns from nature. They are so unique and so elegant.