Thrifty Bridesmaid Dresses!

Weddings can be expensive....especially for the bridesmaids. The expenses associated with the bridal shower, bachelorette bash, bridesmaid dresses and accessories, and the wedding gift can easily exceed $1,000. It's a lot to ask of your closest friends and family, so do those lovely ladies a solid and don't make them wear a $300 dress that they will never wear again. 

Mismatched but coordinating bridesmaid dresses are trending now...not only does it allow your bridesmaids to select a dress that is comfortable, fitting their personal style, body type, and budget, but also adds real visual interest to wedding photos. 

Luckily for you, ThredUp, the biggest online thrift store, has just opened their online bridesmaid dress shop, appropriately dubbed "The Mismatched 'Maid". 

The brains behind The Mismatched 'Maid went ahead and categorized the dresses by color, designer, and style so online shopping is a cinch. There's even a "funky tie dye" category. 

The majority of dresses cost less than $50...sometimes much less than $50. There are several dresses currently available for just $7.99!

Consider shopping at ThredUp to go green and save green for your wedding! 

Happy Planning, 

Lizzie 

Photo Credit: KT Merry Photography. 

Weekend Wedding Reading...

Hi there and Happy St. Patrick's Day! Hope you have some amazing weekend plans filled with green beer and debauchery. ;)

Here are a few fun links from around the wedding web for your weekend perusal...enjoy!

Wedding advice...what would you do differently. From one of my favorite blogs, A Cup of Jo.

This dress in Big Sur Blue. $69 and it has pockets? Yes, please. Great for bridesmaids and wedding guests alike.

This would be a beautiful gift for your significant other. 

Need a wedding song? How about this one? So sweet.

The New York Times Weddings Section...trying to be better. 

Happy Planning, 

Lizzie

p.s. Hope everyone in the metro-NYC region and Hudson Valley survived the snow this week. The flower photo is a little reminder that spring is not far away! 

Photo Credit: Lizzie B., Hudson Valley Green

Weekend Wedding Reading...

Hello there! Hope you are enjoying this cold but sunny weekend. Here at HVG, we're staying hunkered down and are preparing for a potential blizzard on Tuesday!

Here are a few fun links from around the wedding web...enjoy!

Wedding dresses without the wait...love number 7! 

These upstate NY venues....some have been featured on HVG and some are new to me! 

A great decorating tip from Ina Garten. 

I wouldn't be brave enough to even attempt this...how about you?

Having a casual wedding? How about these for bridesmaid dresses? In love with the drifter grey. And that $59 price point can't be beat.

Happy Planning, 

Lizzie 

Sustainable Wedding Garb...and HVG's First Press!

I was recently interviewed by Lisa Iannucci, freelance writer for the Poughkeepsie Journal. Lisa has written several articles regarding sustainability and contacted me for her piece about sustainable clothing. Lisa's piece, titled Sustainable Clothing Gaining Popularity, was published in the April 29th edition of the Poughkeepsie Journal and yours truly is quoted in it! So exciting! 

This is Hudson Valley Green's first press. Wooohooo! 

When Lisa interviewed me over the phone, I was prepared. I had written notes and replayed what I was going to say in my mind over and over again. I was going to be well spoken and intellectual and funny and basically all around amazing. And then I actually got on the phone with Lisa and all of my preparedness went right out the window. 

I was so nervous. I stumbled across my words, I think I ended up rambling about things that may or may not have been related to the topic.  But in the end, I think it went okay! Check out the article and let me know what you think!

(c) Everyday Beauty

As I was preparing for my interview with Lisa (and by the way, she was really very nice), I jotted a few pages of notes (a.k.a. scribbles) about what I think sustainable clothing really is all about.

Sustainability is such a buzz word right now and I think it can really get overused; however, I do think you can make very real, very sustainable clothing choices. The key to sustainability is limiting your role in consumerism and making smart consumer choices.

(c) Hudson Valley Green....Lizzie's back and her mom's hands!

Here are some simple ways to be more eco-friendly when it comes to your wedding garb:

• Go Vintage (or just gently used). My mother altered my grandmother's dress for me and I was able to proudly wear a family heirloom on my big day. If you aren't lucky enough to have a family dress, check out chic vintage and consignment shops for beautiful dresses. Many have been worn just once and some may have never been worn at all! If someone in your family isn't a gifted seamstress, research quality tailors to have to dress fit to your size and style. And if your local second-hand shop doesn't have anything in stock, check out websites such as RecycledBride.com and NearlyNewlywed.com for gently used (or new!) designer dress for a fracture of the cost of a new dress. Remember, a reused dress is always more eco-friendly than a new, organic hemp dress.  

(c) Helen Neafsey...at the Greenwich Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Shop

• Go Organic. If vintage isn't for you, pick a dress made with organic or eco-friendly materials such as cotton, hemp, or bamboo. Visit websites such as Etsy.com (check out NaturalBridals) and AdeleWechsler.com for really beautiful eco-conscious gowns. 

• Go Old. Having bridesmaids in your wedding? I bet many of them have been in several weddings before. Ask your lovely ladies to wear a dress that they already own. They will save a bundle of money and will save you (and them) the hassle of choosing a dress, the fittings, and the gas to and from the tailor.

• Go Black. If having your bridesmaids be color coordinated is important, ask your girls to wear similar black dresses of their choosing. A little black dress never goes out of style and can be worn multiple times to several different functions. Already own a LBD? Perfect! If not, your bridesmaid can purchase a dress that fits their shape, style, and budget AND can be worn again. That's a Win-Win in my book. 

(c) Hudson Valley Green

• Get creative. I was lucky enough to inherit some truly stunning strands of cultured pearls from a family member. Because many of the strands are a bit too long for my taste, I have been taking them to Beads of Westchester, located in White Plains (Westchester Co.), to have the extra pearls transformed into earrings for my friends and family. The lovely women at Beads are so talented and it costs virtually nothing to have the pearls redone into new pieces. By reinventing an old piece of jewelry into several new ones, I get to share a family heirloom with my loved ones as beautiful gifts and I save a bunch of money. Unfortunately I didn't think of this for my wedding but I wish I would have! Pearl earrings would have been perfect gifts for my bridesmaids. 

(c) Hudson Valley Green

Happy Planning, 

Lizzie

Pure Citizen

Way back in January I decided that 2012 was going to be my year of living more sustainably...making small changes to everything from my food choices to my driving habits. As part of this goal, I am attempting to make some modifications to my shopping habits as well. Like any normal, warm-blooded female, I enjoy shopping - to an extent. Keep me in a mall for too long and I develop hives. True fact. Not really...but I will get cranky. 

But there's a problem, eco-friendly clothing can be pricey. The forward-thinking, sustainably-minded part of me say "Yes, I want this organic, bamboo, super soft, made in America t-shirt", while the cheapskate frugal part of me says "WHAT? $55 for a flippin'  t-shirt? Are you drunk!!??". So there's my problem (and I'm sure lots of you experience the same sort of "sticker shock", too).

But I think I have found a solution. Drum roll, please....Introducing Pure Citizen.

I managed to stumble across Pure Citizen's website last week and I am crazy excited about it. Pure Citizen is a flash sale site, offering deep discounts on all sorts of sustainable items including clothing, beauty products, and jewelry. All you have to do is to sign up to become a member (it's free so do it now!). Each day I get an email from the amazing team at Pure Citizen which outlines the fabulous bargains offered. Not only can you score amazing deals, Pure Citizen gives you an opportunity to donate some of your "savings" to various charitable organizations. 

I have seen some really beautiful products on this website. The folks at Pure Citizen have come up with an easy visual coding system that allows you to see what makes the item eco-conscious or ethical (small color-coded icons indicate  "handmade", "organic", "fairly produced", "recycled", "cruelty-free", etc). This makes the website incredibly user-friendly, too. 

It might be a perfect place to purchase some bridesmaid gifts (think eco-friendly shirts, yoga pants, lotions, and other potions). Or maybe even find a totally rockin' bridesmaid dress...or stock up on some "green" soap....or find the perfect upcycled necklace for your big day, all while saving some serious dough. The possibilities are endless. Me likey. 

Check it out and let me know what you think! 

Happy Planning, 

Lizzie 

p.s. Happy 1st Birthday to the Hudson Valley Green blog! 

27 dresses???

I have been a bridesmaid for several weddings - think Katherine Heigl in that movie 27 Dresses. Some of the dresses have been amazing and some, well, not so amazing. Looking for an alternative to that dreadful bridesmaid dress decision??? Look no further....here are a few ideas for you!

KH's closet in 27 Dresses

• Have your bridesmaids been in LOTS of other weddings? Let them reuse a dress and go for a multicolored bridal party look. Owning a dress that you only wear once is totally not eco-friendly.

• Black is such an amazing color on everyone. Let your girls pick out their own little black dress (try to go with a similar fabric, like satin or silk). They will pick one that fits their body type and budget and they will definitely wear them again and again...even if it's not made out of organic cotton. :)  Plus black looks pretty awesome in wedding photos!

Mr. and Ms. HVG and the wedding crew - take a look at how the black dresses look great on all!


• If you are dead set on having a style- or color-coordinated wedding party, how about one of these super cool and casual dresses from Patagonia? Patagonia is a forward thinking, eco-conscious company that has so many environmental initiatives that I can't even begin to describe them fully - check out their green ways here. Order online or visit one of their stores (two are located in NYC).



How about this super cute dress? Perfect for a casual beach or backyard wedding (the dress in black has a more formal look to it)...

Patagonia's Morning Glory Dress in Coral (other colors available such as black...)

Or this Bandha dress? Wayyyy cute.

 

Patagonia's Bandha Dress (available in multiple colors)

Ohh, I forgot to mention the best part - these dresses are right around $80 and are so great for travel (with their wrinkle resistant fabric), your girls will be so thankful! Check out Patagonia's website for other great dress options.

Happy Planning,

Lizzie

**A shout-out to Rachel, a dear friend of mine, who selected the Morning Glory dress for her girls....we all looked fabulous in the dress AND wear them all the time. Double yay!