Clothing

Ceremonies, such as weddings, call for ceremonial clothing, different from what you would wear in everyday life. Something special is appropriate, but it needn't be something you will never wear again.

It is usual for the bride to have her own new dress, but for the groom to rent his formal wear (a good practice for rarely used items).

Wedding dresses can be very expensive and their design generally prevents them from being worn a second time. Most in the more affordable range are made from synthetic fabrics that are not renewable or biodegradable. There are several ways to get around this.

One is to simply choose a nice dress of a style that can be worn again. It's fun to have a new dress for a wedding, but there's no reason not to wear a dress you already own and love. My first wedding dress was simply a mid-calf length white cotton dress in a flowing style. It was new for the wedding, but I wore it many times after and still have it in my closet today. And it needn't be white. Any color is fine, particularly if you are having a small home or garden wedding.

You can also choose a style that looks like a wedding dress for the wedding and can be transformed into an evening gown to wear again later. I made my dress for our second wedding from natural champagne-colored silk, embroidered with a vine and flowers pattern. I made my veil from 100% cotton scrim, a transparent fabric used to make curtains. The dress was a plain strapless sheath that can be worn again as it is, and the veil becomes a scarf or shawl to wear with it.

Or, you could purchase a once-worn "vintage" wedding dress, or a second-hand modern wedding dress. Thrift stores often have wedding dresses for sale, and they sometimes appear in classified ads. You may also want to consider wearing your mother's or grandmother's wedding dress, if they still have it and it is in good condition.

I have also seen brides wear wedding dresses from their own ethnic backgrounds. If your family heritage is something other than English, do a little research and see what brides wore in your country of family origin.

For this wedding, my groom wore his own short sleeve khaki cotton shirt and khaki cotton shorts. We perked up his ensemble with a new white bow tie, purchased especially for the occasion, but which can be worn again. This was fine for a Florida backyard wedding, as shorts are allowable formal wear in the tropics.

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