The Sustainable Bride Ireland
A Rent and Return service for Vintage & Sustainable Bridal Wear.
Sarah Fitzgerald the owner of The Sustainable Bride created this unique and niche business with the Aim of helping the conscientious Bride to be with Vintage and Pre-loved dresses and accessories. To also help with any sustainable wedding information She can give to help guide brides and grooms in the right direction and do so with a personal touch from her own bridal and 26 years of hospitality experience.
She got married in August 2019. She adored her Dress and so this story begins !
Sarah says “When it came to the dress shopping, I put it off and put it off until I could no more. I thought there simply was not a dress made for me out there. There was a very specific idea and image in mind and I also knew I did NOT want a New dress for many reasons. I had seen many a bride around me over the years just simply addled as what to do with their dress after the wedding. I was also adamant I didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg on the dress. We had many other things we deemed more Important to spend money for on the day and I had sustainability at the fore most of my mind with the dress and in all the wedding planning.
I knew I wanted a pre-worn, pre-loved, second hand, Vintage, locally or sustainably made or sourced. Whatever you want to call it, but I knew a new one did not suit my needed.
I eventually made an appointment at a local Vintage store and let the owner know the idea and look I was going for. She had 5 dresses ready for me to try on but before I even tried any on, I saw the dress that was going to end up being my wedding dress and knew at first sight it was the one!!
I was so grateful that someone even had the thought to resell, give away or gift this dress, to give it a new life and help me and my family make wonderful memories.
It was a vintage linen 1960/70’s dress by a New York Designer called Murray Hamburger. I have Four such dresses now collected, each as beautiful, different and as ornate as each other.”
And so, the Love affair with Her own dress and other similar Pre-owned, Vintage, Linen and unloved, hidden, boxed and forgotten wedding dresses had begun, along with sustainability in all forms.
The aim is to offer a Sustainable dress first and foremost. It might be, one of a kind, vintage, pre-loved, handmade, never used, locally made or sold, made with sustainable materials, sustainably made, or simply was not a wedding dress or product to begin with.
There can be no better way to use a sustainable dress and be a sustainable bride than to rent !
Re-use, Re-purpose, Re-home, Rent and Recycle are the best starting points to maintaining this beautiful and diverse world we live in and will make our stay here more beneficial to the next generation.
She really wants these beautiful and different dresses and accessories to have another go at life and not to be hidden away. They need to have more memories and help make many more brides make many more memories. They are all so beautifully made with so much love and care, with many made and even worn over 50 years ago, her own dress included.
The Sustainable Dress for the Conscientious and eco-friendly Bride will be available to Rent and Return to help make memories for other brides and families.
Sarah has her own take on the classic wedding saying……Let us be the start of your something old and new, something borrowed but forget the blue and let’s go Green !
Contact Sarah through the website or connect on social media through the links below
Let’s talk about flowers!
Let’s talk about flowers!
Flowers are de rigeur of all weddings, a trend that never diminishes. Now, more than ever before flowers are an essential piece for the 2021 modern bride.
Gold Wildflower Bridal Crown
When were flowers first used as part of a wedding? The history of the use of flowers in weddings dates back to a time immemorial. The bridal bouquet dates back to Ancient Rome, the bride carrying a bouquet was a symbol of new beginnings, fidelity and hope of fertility, Modern weddings mean flowers for visual beauty and a touch of romance in an abundance of ways such as blooming bowers, bouquets for the bridal party and taking looks to new heights when styling bridal hair particularly for the modern bride.
A key element in Saora Design bridal hair accessories are the delicate handcrafted flowers made from clay with a true labour of love. These clay flowers are made completely Irish made in studio petal by petal with a process of techniques developed over making thousands and thousands of flowers but once I started I couldn't stop! These flowers are hugely satisfying to make, I thoroughly enjoy the design and making process, working with pretty bridal materials and best of all seeing the finished result! A range of flowers of different sizes are available which are delicate like a china cup but very lightweight. Like anything handmade with such love; the finished piece radiates a certain seductive charm.
Handcrafted Rose hairpin
Many brides choose to style their hair by using fresh buds but if you are looking for something more durable, a piece that you will be able to dance the night away on your wedding night, keep as an heirloom and even wear again clay flowers are a good choice.
Whether you are looking for something beautifully bohemian, relaxed and pretty or perhaps you are the modern bride looking for a small, elegant piece the possibilities are endless.
These lightweight clay flowers can be incorporated into lots of different bridal hair looks. For drama and opulence a delicate array of blooms on a crown. For a look softly dramatic but demuringly delicate - chose the versatile hair vine, Clay Flowers can be mounted onto hairpins making incredibly versatile pieces that don't disrupt the hair. A Chic cluster of flowers scattered around a messy bun for an elegant look. Flowers on a bridal comb sitting on top of a veil for a classic look, the modern bride has the option of removing the veil for the evening time leaving the flowers in the hair. A tousled bridal braid with a hairvine weaved through, or loose curls with individual flowers organically scattered around the hair for a soft look.
It is without a doubt these romantic extras flowers will result in breathtaking photos before and after your wedding ceremony.
A few things to consider when choosing hairpieces for your finished bridal look - what kind of hairstyle would you like to go for? Do you feel more comfortable with your hair up or down?
What kind of finished touch expresses your personality? Are you a modern bride that dresses with simple clean lines and likes a statement piece to finish or do you like everything coordinating perfectly? What do you normally feel good or pretty in? What makes you feel pretty. Compile a pinterest board or a scrapbook of bridal hair inspiration, looks you like and these will help decide what finished look to go for,
I Hope this gave you some inspiration!
Happy bridal browsing
Carol x
Cara crown