This article is part of my Vegan Wedding Diaries. For tips on planning your own ethical big day, check out the rest of the series.

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This post contains affiliate links to shops I regularly use and support.

One Dress, Two Ways

What I especially love about this dress is the convertible puff sleeves that can be worn up, over the shoulders, or scrunched down for an off-the-shoulder look. You’ve probably seen me wear it both ways on Instagram and YouTube already!

Linen > Cotton

I’ve mentioned a few times here on The Purist Life that I’m making an effort to buy linen over cotton when I can. Why is that? Because conventional cotton is a massive water guzzler! Organic cotton production can use less water. But even that doesn’t compare to the small sips of water than linen can thrive off of.

Embracing Wrinkles

So here’s some real talk for you: if you’re going to commit to wearing linen, you need to embrace creases and wrinkles. Don’t even bother trying to fight them, you’ll lose that battle real quick. Point in case: I steamed this dress to perfection, and on the drive down I did my best to sit in a way that wouldn’t introduce wrinkles to the fabric. (Picture sitting on the edge of the seat and holding the seatbelt off your lap.)

As you can see, there are a number of creases across the dress. And, to be honest, this really doesn’t bother me. But I know for some people, pressing garments can be an obsession. Linen has its own agenda, so just go with the flow!

Breathe Easy

Another reason that I love linen for warm weather is how breathable it is. Knowing that our engagement party would be in the peak of summer, the last thing I wanted to worry about was sweating. Linen is one of the most breathable fabrics. Despite its structural-look, this dress feels like I’m wearing nothing at all.

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Our Engagement Party Details

I also want to quickly share some information about the food and flowers at our engagement party.

Vegan caterers and bakeries

Savory foods were catered by the all-vegan food service company UpBeet Foods. (Not pictured, but we had quite the spread of vegan sandwiches, wraps, buffalo cauliflower bites, and seasoned sweet potato fries.)

These decadent (and eye-catching) desserts are from Sorelle and Co. Our cake was banana flavoured with the creamiest whipped caramel frosting. I also picked up a box of mixed deserts that I personally love from this bakery! The donuts, mini-loafs, tarts, and cupcakes were all well-received. Dusan and I both adore Sorelle and Co because everything on their decadent menu is dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, and soy-free. And yes, their entire food menu is vegan. (They do more than desserts!) Last year, I even included Sorelle and Co in my list of best vegan spots for brunch in Toronto. Sorelle and Co is the perfect destination for bougie high tea too!

Local, sustainable flowers

These beautiful, local flowers come from WildNorth Flowers, who works exclusively with Ontario-grown blooms. Keeping with the theme of sustainability, I chose to purchase my flowers from a company that works with local farmers. Paying extra for out-of-season flowers is always an option, but realize that they often have to be transported in for custom arrangements. If you are trying to be sustainable for your wedding, opt for local flowers and greenery.

As mentioned in my previous post, I didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg on floral arrangements for our wedding (or engagement party). So, my tip to you is picking bouquets or arrangements that are readily available on the florist’s website or in the shop. For WildNorth, I ordered the hand-tied bouquet in “soft” colours, available on their website. Yes, that means I don’t know the exact contents of my bouquet until the day they are delivered! But I trust their design judgment and love the element of delightful surprise when they finally arrive.

WildNorth arrangements are beautiful. And because their choice of foliage and flower combinations is a little unconventional, people always ask where I got them.

Get Your Own L.W.L.D.

Have I sold you on the idea of a little white linen dress? I purchased mine from Reformation. (And some of you helped me pick it out on my Insta-stories a few weeks back!) You can follow my journey to their boutique in Yorkdale, and also hear my thoughts on Reformation expanding their production to China, on this YouTube vlog.

Here are little white linen dresses from conscious brands that I love: