Bride Chic

The bride in the tea-dyed hemp and silk gauze dress above was ahead of her time. Years back, she wanted to know every material that went into the making of her dress. Fast forward and this is becoming more rule than exception. Since more brides are going custom or buying wedding wear in green-alternative boutiques, there's not only a need to know what materials go into the making of a dress but also who is making the piece and where. As one bride put it, "I couldn't stand up and make such an important commitment, knowing in my heart any part of what I had on my body might have been put together by prison labor or in a sweat mill. It just goes against everything I believe in."Going Green can mean wearing a dress in natural fibers: organic cotton, wool, linen, silk, and of course, hemp. It helps to have a knowledge of the natural dying process and thinking through what impact toxic dyes might have on the environment. Here are some questions to ask: Is that silk I lov...