Wanna give your bridesmaids a chance to chime in on what they're wearing?

The Bite:
Ring 'em up with a color scheme, and let them choose their own gowns so that they can get more than just one use out of them. All those once-worn dresses take a toll on closet space and the planet.
The Benefits: 
  • Reusing. Just wearing a dress once isn't exactly eco-friendly; typical bridesmaid dresses are made from acetate or polyester - both petroleum byproducts that require a lot of energy to produce.
  • Not breaking their banks. Bridesmaid's dresses cost an average of $138 each, which adds up if you're like we are and everybody you freakin' know is getting married.
  • A dress they'll actually wanna keep.
Personally Speaking: 
Jenifer lost two puffy-sleeved, Easter-egg-colored bridesmaid dresses with giant bow sashes in a fire, but thanks to insurance got to replace them with dresses that don't make her look like she's going to an 80s-era prom.
Wanna Try: 
  • Give your bridesmaids a color swatch, and let 'em at it.
  • The Bridesmaid Party - send your dress to this org, and women in Afghanistan or Kenya will reuse it while you get $25 toward a $40 purchase from its online store.
  • FabSugar - more bridesmaid-dress recycling resources.
  • Portovert - green weddings megasite.
Heidi Janson

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