Conscious Bridesmaid Dresses

The Search for Ethically Made bridesmaid dresses

I really think the title of this post should be… “Conscious Bridesmaid Dresses or the lack thereof”

When I began wedding planning (about a year and half ago) I was determined to find ethically made bridesmaid dresses for my girls. I knew exactly what I wanted, a mix of light and medium blue shades and long dresses. I wanted them to be able to select their exact dress and get a style that would work for their body type and I wanted them to be ethically made.

Who knew that would prove to be so darn difficult to find! And I am good at finding ethically produced things that align with my style preferences, heck that is partially why I started this blog to begin with because I love finding those things! I began searching everywhere, googling everything I thought might actually get a hit. Reading the about sections and sustainability sections on websites for the designers I liked. I even emailed specific companies that just carry pretty long dresses that are sustainable and asked about their upcoming spring prints (which of course they aren’t going to share with a random girl emailing them). And after tons of time searching I started to realize that the options aren’t really there…

Dresses from left to right: Show Me Your MuMu, Azazie (reused from previous wedding), Jenny Yoo, Lis Simon Bridal Gown, Jenny Yoo, Jenny Yoo, Azazie (also reused)

Photo credit: Cynthia Rose Photography

my bridesmaid dresses

In the end I made it work as best I could and was still able to achieve the look I wanted, those are my girls above and while I am a little biased I think they look awesome!! Because getting the look I wanted all through the same designer with the ethical standards I was looking for proved to not be that simple I ended up going a different route, two of my bridesmaids had been in another friends wedding the year before and wore a color similar to what I was looking for. They were both up for re wearing those dresses which is probably the most sustainable option out there. So I then worked the rest of the color pallet around what they already had. One of my lovely ladies was expecting a baby boy and was 7 months along at the time of the wedding so options for her were already limited and we went with a Show Me Your MuMu dress from their maternity collection that looked great on her and took away the stress of finding the perfect size not knowing months or weeks in advance what size she would need.

From there the rest of the group went with Jenny Yoo dresses that were easy to pick colors that went with the rest and achieved the look I wanted. While Jenny Yoo is not known for fair trade practices or focusing on sustainability, their website does state that their gowns are made in factories visited by their team and that have been certified and passed the Workplace Conditions Assessment (WCA) which is a social compliance audit aligned with industry standards and best practices to improve working conditions in supply chain ensuring no child labor is ever used. They also recycle and repurpose unused fabrics and donate dresses to Church Street Bridal, a Virginia based salon who’s proceeds benefit the YWCA’s Domestic Violence Prevention Program and Sexual Assault Response Program.

So while my approach ended up being a mix of designers with varying levels of ethical standards, I was conscious of the decisions we made and did my best to align those decisions with my values without having to sacrifice the style I wanted. And since so much thought did go into these choices I figured I would also share some of the other ideas I’ve had and the handful of companies I did find who have ethically made and sustainable options.

conscious ways to do Bridesmaid dresses

• Again the most sustainable option out there is to reuse dresses that the group already has! You know the line… “Oh this is a bridesmaid dress you can actually wear again” says everyone, but in reality it rarely happens. Before asking your friends to purchase a new dress it is worth asking around for what colors and styles the group already has.

• Poshmark is another great way to find great dresses that have only been worn once, are in good condition, are less expensive and would otherwise be tossed and never used again. I am in a wedding this coming April, I knew I wanted the Jenny Yoo Inesse dress in Evening Blue. I was able to find my size and the color I wanted on poshmark only worn once with minimal alterations. I got it for $85, it fits great and the dress will get another wear!

• Rent the Runway is another good idea and they now offer regular, long and petite lengths in a lot of their dresses. They have a ton of special occasion and bridal party options that can be rented and reserved in advance.

Ethically Made & Sustainable Bridesmaid Dresses

While I didn’t end up going with one designer that fit all of my needs, here are a few options I did find…

• Reformation - they have a wedding collection and specifically bridesmaid dresses that are really pretty and could have worked in my color scheme. I do love these dresses and honestly the main reason I didn’t go this route myself is because they are also really expensive (ranging from $268-$428). While I am all for paying for items that fair wages were paid to workers and quality sustainable materials were used to make… I am also all about investment pieces and I couldn’t bring myself to ask the girls to pay that much for a dress I know they would only wear once, or two times if lucky. I will likely purchase one of these as an investment piece for myself down the road but didn’t want to put that ask and expectation on my friends.

• Amour Vert - you could luck up and find something you like at Amour Vert. Their options tend to be shorter lengths but they do often have pretty spring colors and prints starting in March/April time frame. You’d need to shop well in advance or close in as their offering and color pallet is normally more seasonal.

• Symbology - offers a section with bridesmaid dress options. None of these fit the look I was going for with my bridal party, I would be more likely to pick one of these for more everyday wear but these could be really good if you are going for a more casual look. They are also priced more inline with traditional bridesmaid dresses and range between $140 and $225.

• Christy Dawn - now has an occasion section that has some possible bridesmaid dress options. Also if you haven’t ordered from Christy Dawn before and need some convincing or have questions about the dresses before committing checkout the review I did from my purchase. The only thing I would caution you on with using Christy Dawn for bridesmaid dresses is that you would have to order quickly after seeing something you like as their business model is based on deadstock fabric and they quickly sell out of styles and won’t likely bring that same print or color back in soon.

If you have had any more luck than the handful of finds I had please comment below or shoot me a note, because I am still dying to find more! Slash I haven’t ruled out ethical bridesmaid dresses being my new business plan!!