Whether conventional or irreverent, the wedding dress is a focal point of most weddings. Brides search high and low, toiling over every detail to find the perfect dress: one that is flattering, stylish, and falls within budget. The green bride is no exception, except for the fact that she does not wish to add to Mother Earth’s carbon footprint with yards of fabric (most bleached with toxic chemicals) for the dress, train, and other accessories.

Although an expanding market, searching for an eco-chic wedding dress can be challenging. Here, check out five of the most popular green wedding gowns, all available on greenbrideguide.com.

1. Organza Cotton Ball Gown

The one-shoulder ball gown with a softly dazzling feather headpiece adds subtle drama and channels Old Hollywood silver screen glamour. The Organic Cotton Ball Gown is designed with fluffy layers of organic cotton and tulle. The vintage buttons in the tulle flowers on the bodice have a quietly dazzling effect. This gown is perfect for the bride seeking a lightweight, frothy wedding dress that’s oh so much fun to wear.

Organic Cotton Ball Gown, The Green Bride Guide

2. Garden Dress

Guest blogger: Rosanna Casper, co-founder of Idojour.com, a new wedding website where brides, grooms, family and friends can purchase a stylish and affordable mix of beautifully curated pieces. Designed to make wedding planning all the more inspiring and enjoyable, Idojour offers accessories and apparel for your wedding weekend, complemented by both inspirational and practical content. Rosanna oversees content, among many other things, and makes sure that everything comes together beautifully on the site.

Here, Rosanna shows how to incorporate your dog or cat into your wedding day.

All of you pet lovers out there will agree that your little furry friend is a part of the family, and it seems only natural to want to include your pet on your special day. However, working with pets presents it's own set of challenges, from venue restrictions to their general unpredictable behavior. From must take photos to apparel and other décor ideas, here are our favorite ways to incorporate your dog or cat into your wedding day.

1. To-Die-For Apparel: 
Many will argue that dressing your animal up in cute clothes is plain wrong, but on a special occasion like your wedding, how can you resist some of these adorable accessories?

Throwing a formal wedding? Dress your dog in a doggie tuxedo! For a more casual affair, have him wear a preppy bowtie. 

Who doesn't love a mermaid? Here, a few of our favorites from the runways: Peter Langner, Ines Di Santo and Kenneth Pool. This silhouette is ideal for the voluptuous bride: think Kim Kardashian, Sofia Vergara, Salma Hayak. This silhouette highlights feminine curves and is super glamorous!

When selecting a mermaid, you want to make sure the the flare of the skirt is wider than than the bodice; this gives the illusion of making your torso appear smaller.

See more of our favorite mermaid gowns!

—Naima DiFranco

Guest blogger: Emma Arendoski, founder and CEO of Emmaline Bride, The Wedding Guide for the Handmade Bride, a website dedicated to all things handmade for weddings. Launched in 2009, the site has grown into the leading online voice for handmade weddings. Emma's mission is to empower her readers to support handmade through the use of handcrafted wedding items for all parts of the wedding planning process.

Here, she shares an excerpt from her first book, The Handcrafted Wedding: More Than 300 Fun and Imaginative Handcrafted Ways to Personalize Your Wedding Day (Sellers Publishing, October 2012).

Photo Credit: © 2012 Eric Boneske Photography

With thoughtfully planned details and fun activities for guests, your wedding celebration will be the party to end all parties, one they’ll remember long after the last song is played.