Washington, D.C. December 16, 2010--- Eco-Beautiful Weddings online magazine and blog welcomed guests to the Decatur House Museum last evening for a celebration of the publication’s first anniversary. The event, sponsored in part by Cotton Incorporated, featured a fashion show that unveiled the new Fireflies Collection of bridal gowns from The Cotton Bride, the country’s first atelier of hand-sewn, cotton bridal gowns. Eco-Beautiful Weddings and The Cotton Bride also officially launched their joint “Are You A Cotton Bride?” contest.

“More and more couples are expressing their commitment to the environment as they commit themselves to one another,” says Katie Martin, editor-in-chief of Eco-Beautiful Weddings online magazine and blog. “It’s a really beautiful thing.” Martin predicts the trend will continue, with the general public taking inspiration from high-profile green weddings such as that of Chelsea Clinton this year, and the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton next year.

Whether the bride is a royal or a regular citizen, she and her gown are the focal point of any wedding day; and Martin says selecting a wedding dress made from natural fibers is an obvious opportunity to make the occasion green.

For Chris Kole, the designer behind The Cotton Bride, cotton is the natural fiber of choice. “Cotton inspires me,” says Kole. “It is so comfortable and comes in so many different forms, it is a mystery to me why more bridal designers haven’t taken advantage of it.”

The inspiration behind Kole’s latest collection, Fireflies, was a cotton gauze from Italy. “It was so light, so magical, it made me think of fireflies; and from that the collection was born.”

The “Are You A Cotton Bride?” contest invites entrants to visit the Eco-Beautiful Weddings blog and explain why they are a cotton bride. Three lucky brides-to-be will be chosen to receive a custom-tailored bridal gown from The Cotton Bride collection.

Cotton bridal gowns and dresses may become a new trend. According to responses to the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle Monitor™ survey, 7 out of 10 women say they would consider cotton as a fabric for their wedding apparel.

Cotton Incorporated, funded by U.S. growers of upland cotton and importers of cotton and cotton textile products, is the research and marketing company representing upland cotton. The Program is designed and operated to improve the demand for and profitability of cotton.