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Most earth-friendly guru's will agree that when it comes to green living one of the very best ways to do it is to recycle, recycle and recycle. You wouldn't think this could be applicable to a wedding dress, no matter how special an old gown might be. All the best will in the world might not be able to do something with your mother's 1960's wedding dress, or even the Flapper gown your great-grandmother wore.

Time can ravage fabrics and render them absolutely useless. But, rather than sighing regretfully and then putting that special family dress aside, take it to someone who specialises in restoring old gowns. In England, that someone is Heirloom Couture.

Even if the dress seems to be beyond repair, Heirloom Couture will take key components and details from the gown you bring them and make something new from them. It doesn't, of course, have to be a family heirloom. Any vintage dress you take to them can have new life breathed into it.

In this age of cheap mass production, it's wonderful to find ways to hold onto, and use, precious things from our past.

For many women, their wedding dress is the most beautiful (and often, the most expensive) dress they will ever wear. It is a dress apart, the ultimate dress, the one-day-in-a-life, one-of-a-kind dress. You'll have the pictures, of course. You'll have your memories. You might even opt to have your dress preserved, though once it's been put in its box, that dress will likely only sit on a shelf in a closet.

If you're looking for a different, creative way to preserve and display that dress, you'll be interested in the gown art of Stephanie London. Stephanie has been painting dresses for nine years, wedding gowns in particular for four. Working mostly with acrylic paint and pencil, Stephanie will create a piece of art that will recreate your gown in a way that can live permanently in a place of honor in your home!

via: GetMarried

Most of the buzz about the Kung Fu Panda premiere at the Cannes Film Festival revolved around a pregnant and glowing Angelina Jolie. However, there was another actress on that red carpet equally worthy of admiration.

Lucy Liu looked absolutely amazing in a white Cavalli gown -- a gown that would be just perfect for a bride. Here's why we adored it:

• Subtly sexy -- The deep, sexy v-neck mixed with the sweet lace makes for one fabulous frock.
  
  
• Gorgeous glow -- Sometimes girls with fairer skin shy away from wearing white, instead opting for a cream or champagne hue, but Lucy shows that those with pale skin can look amazing in white.
  
  
• Red carpet romance -- The soft curls of Lucy's hair paired with the feminine cut of the dress makes for a really romantic look.

If you're in love with this look as much as we are, read on to see how you can incorporate it into your wedding:

We thoroughly enjoyed the photo shoot montage from the Sex and the City movie (and if you haven't seen it, don't worry -- that's not giving much away). Our only complaint would be that we didn't get to see each dress long enough!

Well, that problem has been solved. Our friends at Harper Collins sent us a copy of the Sex and the City: The Movie book, and included in it is a fabulous picture of each dress!

For modern style with an African influence, try a wedding or bridesmaid dress from designer Therez Fleetwood. Fleetwood bases her designs on the idea that our culture today is a melting pot influenced by countries around the world and that a woman's gown should reflect her own unique personality and style. Inspired by color, shape and texture and incorporating details with beading, lace, and shells, she creates custom bridal designs for brides around the world. Whether you're looking for a strong African style or a way to express your roots more subtly, in Fleetwood's designs, you'll find shapes and cuts that are truly unmatched.

She said she didn't want to lose weight for her wedding. She said she was eating healthily, drinking loads of water and visiting the gym three times a week. That was all. Everybody agreed she didn't need to lose weight. Not with her lovely size 10 figure. But oh dear, lose weight is what she's done.

We're talking, of course, about Coleen McLoughlin. In the run-up to her big day the bride-to-be is hardly out of the news and her latest drama involved a sudden dash to New York for a refitting of her £100 000 (about $200 000) Marchesa wedding gown. With just two weeks to go until her wedding, Coleen suddenly discovered that her bust is smaller. Quelle surprise! Not. Considering that she's been working out with a personal trainer, and is stressed with the planning such an elaborate event, is it really any wonder that her figure has shrunk?

The meringue-style dress, with its 25-foot train, is supposed to be the focal point of the day and is her favourite aspect of the ceremony (perhaps a slight skewing of focus there, Coleen?), so it's not really surprising that the panic-stricken bride jetted off to NYC for alterations to the gown. And there she will stay for as long as it takes to put everything to rights.

Oh that every bride had the luxury of dropping her life to get just the right fit!

Interested in getting married in a vintage gown worn by a fashion icon? You could be in luck -- Jerry Hall is auctioning off the Antony Price white lace mini dress that she wore for her 1990 Fiji wedding to rockstar Mick Jagger for charity. And don't be afraid that it'll break the bank, because the guide price puts it between about $575 and $1000.

She'll be auctioning off a number of other items of clothing, including a kimono that was a wedding gift from Jagger, a brown mink and fox fur cape Hall purchased with her first modeling paycheck when she was 17, and many gowns by designers like Vivienne Westwood and Gianni Versace.

The proceeds from the auction will benefit the homelessness charity Emmaus, and Hall is making an attempt to find a balance between raising as much money as possible and making the auction accessible to everyone who might be interested.

Yes, we know we've urged you to order your wedding dress with plenty of time so you can get alterations made without rushing -- and we stand by that. However, if you order your dress (or buy it off the rack) WAAAAY ahead of time, there is one danger -- what if you decide you don't like it anymore?

This post at Weddingbee describes Miss Canary's trepidation at trying on her dress, which had hung in her closet for 10 months. She was quite concerned that she wouldn't like it anymore.

There are some unfair things about the bridal industry. For one thing, you'll probably wear a size (or two, or three) up from what you normally wear. Then, to add insult to injury, if you end up in a plus size gown, there's a good chance you'll incur a plus size charge. This depends on the designer, of course, but some designers charge quite a bit more for sizes over 16.

That doesn't mean plus size brides don't have options, though. Check out Torrid's line of bridal gowns for women of a certain size -- they're affordable and stylish, and they could be exactly what you're looking for. Check out the gallery to see what they're offering.

We knew that Jenna Bush planned to wear an Oscar de la Renta gown for her wedding this Saturday to Henry Hager. We had also heard the buzz that it was a "simple" dress, but Oscar de la Renta isn't exactly known for "simple" designs, so we've been dying to see the dress.

As it turns out, it was fairly simple in terms of the cut -- it was a curve-skimming v-neck gown with a very short train. However, the cut was the only thing simple about it -- the detail of the organza gown was extraordinary. It was a perfect dress for her outdoor wedding and reception at the Bush family's Prairie Chapel Ranch -- not overwhelming, but undeniably gorgeous.

Jenna accessorized her gown simply, wearing lovely quartz earrings and a few small, white flowers in her hair. She opted against wearing a veil (which is a smart thing to consider for an outdoor wedding -- wind can make wearing a veil difficult), and carried an understated bouquet of white flowers, which complimented the beading and embroidery of the gown.

Stella McCartney has confidence, that's for sure. When talking to People magazine about Scarlett Johansson's recent engagement to Ryan Reynolds, she said, "I'm definitely doing her wedding dress. She doesn't know it yet."

Okay, it might not be confidence -- it might be a sense of humor. The designer, who designed Madonna's dress for her wedding to Guy Ritchie in 2000, went on to describe what she imagined for Scarlett: "You know, some kind of didgy, black thing. Latex! Latex for Scarlett!"

While we're pretty sure there won't be any latex involved in the dress (though we're sure many of her fans would love to see it happen), we're dying to know what she chooses to wear. She's made several questionable dress choices for the red carpet in the last few years, so it'll be interesting to see whether she's learned from these mistakes or simply continues to feel invincible.

We know it doesn't sound pretty, but we're pretty sure you know exactly what we're talking about when we say armpit flab. It's impossible to keep track of the number of times we've listened to brides and bridesmaids complain about that little bit of skin (or fat, or pudge, or whatever you want to call it) that creeps over a strapless dress near your armpit. It's not particularly flattering, but it happens to most women.

A post at FitSugar gives instructions for an exercise that targets that specific area -- the Lying Peck Fly. If you're really concerned about that area, give it a try.

Oscar de la Renta's 2008 bridal collection reiterates what it is that makes the de la Renta name synonymous with Old Hollywood glamour: these gowns are over-the-top elegant, with lavish embellishments and huge silhouettes. They are classic extravagant bridal attire, the kind that every little girl dreams of wearing, and every grown up girl aspires to afford.

In the face of a recession, Jenna Bush's decision to have Oscar de la Renta design her wedding gown is an important statement about money and power and place of couture in our economy. We love the idea of the designer gown, created by the designer himself; we love the idea of a style that is simultaneously timeless and of the moment. And perhaps just now, when we are watching the price of gasoline rise and rise and rise, we love the idea of a gown that is entirely frivolous and beautiful and not intended to be utilitarian at all.

Fall 2008 will see the return of a classic, sleek minimalism in women's clothing, with the return of the sheath dress and various other pieces inspired by the Kennedy White House era. And while your wedding day is not necessarily a minimalist occasion, designer Lara Helene has created a line of dresses that are both simple and exquisite.

The lines are classic and traditional, but the detailing is innovative and exquisite. For the bride who wants to shine on her wedding day without looking like a gigantic cotton ball, these gowns are the perfect option.