Eco-friendly Weddings | UKbride

I talked to Lori DelGenis from Conscious Elegance, a dress maker who specializes in wedding dresses made from organic, sustainable, recycled and recyclable products. She explained to me how her business has become more and more popular. "This summer season has been so busy. As more people are being educated about environmental issues, more brides are conscious about sourcing environmentally friendly dresses."

"I mostly use a hemp silk satin," explained Lori. "The hemp makes it extremely durable so it can be washed and easily recycled. I also find that using a bamboo weave, which is lighter than hemp, is very popular." When I asked about the material Conscious Elegance uses she said, "whenever I make a dress, I always check that the cotton is organic and has certified fair trading standards. Many brides often want part of their mother's dress, for example, to be incorporated into their own." Interestingly, Lori revealed that some brides find their dream dress in second-hand shops like Oxfam. "Often" she says, "they only need minor changes to make the dress fit perfectly. I think it gives the dress a bit more character, having a story behind it."

More brides are conscious about sourcing environmentally friendly dresses.

Similarly, it looks like an increasing number of brides are looking for ethical jewellery. After films like Blood Diamond, which was released in 2006, awareness about mining and fair employment standards has risen. Speaking to Tania from 'Oria Jewellery' the ethical jewellery industry has grown massively over the last few years. Oria themselves, source their silver from Bolivia and gold from Argentina where the precious metals are mined in a socially responsible way. "We focus on supporting small-scale, fair trade companies which have good working conditions, pay decent wages and don't use child labour."

We also chatted to Nancy from the 'Real Flower Confetti co.' who specialize in biodegradable confetti. She explained that over the 10 years from when the business started up their natural confetti has become more and more popular. "Not only do people want to keep the traditional custom" says Nancy "but they want a natural product. And as concern for the environment grows, so does the interest in products such as ours." Since many enues have banned paper and rice confetti the dried petals are an environmentally friendlier choice. "Delphinium petals, which are about the size of your finger nail," says Nancy "are the most popular because they are gone the next day."

And finally, as an idea for wedding favours, fair trade chocolates are becoming increasingly popular. With such a massive range of ethical chocolate companies to choose from such as Simplyfair or Green & Black's Organic you are sure to find one that tickles your tastebuds.