Is it possible to shop ethically for your wedding dress? Is it even something you have thought about? As we start to see customers and designers taking a more thoughtful approach to purchasing and designing, can we shop ethically for our wedding attire? Today I’m giving you some ideas to approach your dress shopping with an ethical eye.

There are bridal designers out there that are paving the way in ethical sustainable bridal wear with out compromising on design . www.sanyuktashrestha.com is one such designer along with Minna http://www.minna.co.uk/ and company’s like reformation https://www.thereformation.com. Although the lovely Little White dress shop stocks sanyuktashrestha gowns you will have to do some research into designer and stockists or travel to the Uk to find your dress

Ask- when starting out on your dress hunt don’t be afraid to ask and research designers you like for information on there ethical practices. The ethical bridal industry is young and you may find it hard to find a 100% perfect company but any move towards a conscious purchase is good in my book.

Upstyling a wedding dress is a lovely thoughtful and sustainable way to find your dress. A heirloom gown or second hand dress can be reworked and made exclusively yours with the help of a good dress maker or designer. Taking a preloved dress either from a family member or wonderful sites like Once Wed can be the answer to both a budget and style conscious bride

Picking an Irish designer to produce an exclusive dress for you with ethically fabrics and sustainable practice in mind is another very good option for a conscious bridal. You would not only meet your ethical goals but have some input into the style and design you wish to have for your dream dress. Of course that would be a product I would happily undertake here at Sarah Foy Couture. But a quick google check will find you other great Irish designers that would happily help you create your dream dress

My own ethical journey has been sporadic at best on till this last 18 months. Between a house move and the onslaught of children’s toys into the house I turned firstly to a great podcast The Minimalists, which started me on a series journey to change my purchasing habits. Over the last year I have read and watched some great resources that really help me understand more clearly the effect fast fashion is having on the world. Still far from perfect, I have certainly had a big change in my attitude to everything I purchase. That mind set certainly doesn’t change when I think and purchase for my brides. As all of our dresses are designed and made in my home studio they are certainly ethically produced. However, the move to more sustainable fabrics may take a while longer I now have a select of organic silks options for brides to be and on the hunt for new and exciting alternatives for our fabrics.

As other aspects of our business evolve, I hope to continue to think and purchase as ethically as possible from our packaging to stationary. I also firmly believe that supporting other Irish businesses is essential to staying sustainable and ethical within Sarah Foy Couture.

I have shared many an early morning start with Stacey from Making Faces Gorey. Collaborating on creative shoots with a super talented make up artist is a must and Stacey ticks all the boxes. Beautiful person inside and out, fun to have with us and a magician with a make-up brush. I am so delighted to share this interview with you all, looking behind their business, how their creativity works and what inspires them day to day.

Who is your bride?

The Making Faces bride is the bride who stays true to herself and is confident in her natural beauty. Our style of work is very classic and polished and all our brides seem to gravitate towards that clean, pretty, radiant finish that we love to create. Make-up trends come and go but you can't beat that beautiful traditional bridal glow that has stood the test of time.

When do you feel most inspired/creative?

With running the risk of sounding cliche, my brides inspire me. Their natural organic look, along with their personal style, their own ideas and the style of their wedding always inspires me. Every bride I have ever met has shared her own individual visions, not only of their bridal make-up, but their whole wedding and I love hearing about them! I learn so much from every bride I meet and that in itself inspires me.
Imagery and design also inspires me. I have always been so attracted to the creativity, colours and artistry involved in creating imagery and I could honestly spend hours scrolling pretty images on Pinterest, blogs and in magazines.

Photography by Tara Aherne Carton house shoot -126.jpg

How do you feel meeting a new bride to be?
Honestly, I feel both excited and nervous. Excited as I get to chat about weddings and design a beautiful bridal make-up for a new bride to be, but also a little "butterfly-ish" as I really want to accomplish her perfect vision and make sure she is 100% happy. After working with brides for 12 years, I'll admit I still get a little nervous before meeting a new bride but I feel that this is a good thing as I know it's because I want to do everything I can to make them happy and feel amazing on their special day

What do you like to hear from a bride?

"Whatever you think will suit me" is the best attitude a bride can have when visiting me for their trial. As I mentioned previously, I love meeting a new bride and exploring their visions, however what they see in an image might not transfer the same into real life or with their look, so I encourage them to trust my judgment, my product knowledge and my experience of colour theory and then we can create magic!

How did you get your calling?

Funnily enough, I was going to be a primary school teacher and I never thought I'd end up in the beauty/wedding industry! I realised very quickly that teaching wasn't going to fulfil my creative side and I made the decision to do a make-up artistry course to "fill in my time" before I figured out what I was going to do with my life. I started out working at a make-up counter in Brown Thomas and then very quickly realised it was the one to one client/bridal path I enjoyed and set up my little makeup studio in Gorey in 2006. 11 years later, with my wonderful sister Apryl and the super talented Aisling by my side, I have never looked back and still enjoy every minute of what I do!

I love you guys in Making Faces Gorey. Thank you so much for sharing this insight into your business and way of thinking. I still get those little butterfly's when meeting new brides too.

Check out more of their work at www.making-faces.ie. Any make-up related questions you would like to ask the experts? Pop a comment below.

Making Faces Makeup Studio
Esmonde Street
Gorey
Co Wexford

makingfacesgorey@gmail.com
www.making-faces.ie
www.facebook.com/MakingFacesGorey
053-94-84448