First comes love, then comes a ring, and then there’s a wedding to plan! We all know that’s how love stories tend to go. But what if you are a bride who cares about whether or not your bridal products are ethically made, fair trade products or not?
Planning a conventional wedding is not for the weak. But planning a fair trade wedding takes double the determination and strength. Fair Trade Wedding products are becoming more and more available to the general public, but it still takes a lot of research and time to create a dream wedding with all or mostly ethically created products. Brides in general are turning more and more to handmade products, which makes a Fair Trade wedding not only an important step in ending slavery, but a trendy one as well.
It may be a lot more complicated than a trip to David’s Bridal, but for those of us who have a heart for Fair Trade and ethical products, the reward is more than worth the extra time and effort.
In an effort to make your Fair Trade wedding planning as easy as possible, I spent hours digging through the web for some of the best resources I could find on ethical weddings. If you are a bride to be or hope to one day plan a fair trade wedding of your own, this post is for you!
1. Fair Trade Wedding Dresses
Of all the details of the wedding day, many girls dream the most about the wedding dress. When you start thinking about how most wedding dresses are made, there is a lot about the industry that goes against fair trade ethics. Making your own dress may not be an option for most brides, so I was happy to find several designers who create stunning gowns in an acceptable price range. At the top of everyone’s list was Celia Grace. Not only are the gowns beautiful, but she takes efforts to source all her materials from places that align with fair trade values. Katherine Feiel and Lena Dress are two more custom bridal options that create truly fair trade gowns.
When you buy a dress that is custom made and fair trade, the price is higher than a dress off the rack at David’s Bridal. Not all of us have the ability to swing $2000 for a dress, even if it is worth every penny. That’s why I was glad to see that brides for a cause still offers a large selection of donated gowns for purchase. I believe that buying used items is better for the environment and is much better than buying first hand if you cannot afford hand designed. You can browse their selection of gowns here.
2. Ties & Accessories
Finding Fair Trade products for the groom is a little bit more challenging. Thankfully, renting tuxes and suits is still the way many grooms go!
But if you are looking for some good, ethically made accessorires for your groom, I found several places that make ties, cufflinks and more to add that special touch to the groom’s wedding day get up. Whether you are more of a bow tie lover or a regular silk necktie fan, there seems to be a selection that would fit almost any occasion. Check out People Tree for an ethically made white shirt, and get more ideas for accessories of all kinds from Celia Grace on Etsy
3. Conflict Free Jewelry and Rings
You know that saying “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”? While nothing sparkles like a diamond, many diamonds are obtained from slave labor and violence. If you are shopping for a ring for your special day, it’s important to take time to know your sources and make sure that any diamonds you purchase don’t support an industry that causes so much pain to other people. Thankfully, when it came to jewelry there were a lot of options out there that offer conflict free diamonds and fair trade friendly jewelry. I found nothing but good about Brilliant Earth. Leber Jewelry and Do Amore both offer gorgeous, ethically made rings as well.
4. More Fair Trade Suppliers
Of course, there’s a lot more to fair trade than wedding dresses, bow ties and conflict free jewelry. If you want to find more resources for every part of your big day from flowers to food, I found this fair trade directory for brides had some great leads and places to start looking. You can click here to Search for more fairtrade wedding resources. I also signed up for updates from Celia Grace and received a free eBook of wedding resources in a tidy, easy to read format.
5. Fair Trade Wedding Registries
But what about after the wedding? If you care about having a fair trade friendly wedding, you probably care about what kind of products fill your new home. I looked up some of my favorite Fair Trade sites and was delighted to find that many of them offer gift registries of some sort–some specificially for weddings!
I love the culture and colors in fair trade home goods. And what a beautiful way to start your new life as Mr. & Mrs with an effort to care about how our fellow humans around the world are treated and employed.
There are dozens of sites you could look into, but here are a couple that I really enjoy browsing.
Have more Fair Trade Wedding Resources?
I’m always on the search for more fair trade resources to add to our collection. I would absolutely love to hear from you if you have a favorite that I didn’t mention here!
About Chantel
Lover of sunshine, chacos, fireflies, pretty nail polish and cute summer skirts. Wife to Scott. Mama to Charlotte. Virtual Assistant.
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