Does it take a special kind of bride to wear an alternative wedding dress? A wedding dress that isn't what you see in the wedding magazines and isn't sold in bridal salons? You know, the dresses that are handmade and sold on Etsy or vintage wedding dresses from a resale shop and upcycled into something different?

I used to think the only real wedding dress were the ones sold in a bridal salon. After all, I owned a bridal salon and I saw how the wedding dresses were constructed, fit and styled. Yes, I'll always love them, but I started seeing dresses that were handmade or upcycled and I thought....hmmm......they are stunning. And I began to get disenchanted with the mass produced big box wedding dresses,(no names mentioned but you know who they are). It's so boring to see the same dress at every wedding.

I began to admire the styling, the creativity and the UNIQUENESS of these independently designed wedding dresses. Who would think of some of the combinations of vintage doilies and antique hand dyed laces? These certainly aren't in the realm of traditional wedding dresses.

I have to admit, I'm in love with a lot of them. Many of them are one of a kind, no one else will ever have your wedding dress. Most are recycled or upcycled, which means they are green eco dresses. And many can be worn again!

So would you wear them? I think if I were getting married, I'd check out the alternative dress....(but I am married and not doing it again evahhh!!) before making my decision. Some of these dresses make the perfect reception dress.

How would you wear these dresses? With a face veil and a fascinator? With boots?

Barefoot like the hippie girls of the 60's?