Provide Emotional Support All Day
Before you even go to a bridal boutique, check in with the bride and see how she is doing. Wedding dress shopping can be intimidating and stressful it is hard not to think about your budget and your physique, especially before going to a store and trying dresses on.
Reassure her that everything will work out in the end: you will find the best dress within your budget, and there are specialists whose job is to alter your dress to splendidly fit your body. Tell her that she is perfect the way she is and that she will look gorgeous in anything she wears.
Store The Wedding Dress In A Cool Dark Place
Once the wedding dress has been properly cleaned, it’s time to store it. Protect your dress from direct sunlight, which can quickly fade and turn the dress yellow. Remove it from the hanger, which can cause the heaviest dresses to become misshapen. Whatever you do, avoid storing your dress in a regular, zip-up plastic bag. Plastic like that holds moisture and can potentially discolor a wedding dress. The exception to this is acid-free plastic, which wedding preservation boxes are made from. Go with a professional wedding preservation box, or better yet, a wedding chest.
“An acid-free wedding chest that protects your gown from air and light is the safest way to store your gown for many years to come,” Conant says. “Breathable bags provide safe, short-term storage, but long-term hanging is not good for your gown.”
Have Someone Else Wear It So That They Can Enjoy All The Compliments
You must have dear one or two who would look good in your dress, but you cant find anyone.
You dont have to let it go into the recycle bin and get sold for $20 at a vintage store! Please give them your dress so that they can enjoy all the compliments.
The best part is that you will know the dress has been worn for someone who loves it. Plus, if they have a larger stature than you, your dress can be tailored to their body type.
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Preserve It And Pass It On
Last but certainly not least, preserving your wedding dress and passing it on to your children when they come of age is always a good option. Getting your gown professionally cleaned and preserved will keep your beloved gown looking just like it did on your wedding day, and you wont have to worry about how youre going to store it. Score!
No matter what you decide to do with your dress after your wedding day, you can rest easy knowing that the stressful part is over and you now have the freedom to do whatever you want with your prized possession! And if you decide to get it cleaned and preserved Love Your Dress is the place to go!
At Love Your Dress, weve been providing wedding dress cleaning and wedding dress preservation services for over 25 years. Our team of trained experts and our state of the art cleaning equipment are what allow us to offer the best wedding dress cleaning and preservation services in Canada. Contact us today to keep your wedding gown in your life for the long haul!
Trash The Dress Photo Shoot
For bold brides who are daring, perhaps a Trash The Dress session might be for you. These trendy photoshoots not only offer a unique experience but will leave you with even more amazing photos! Some brides may consider these photographs even more valuable than the dress! Take a look at some of these amazing Trash The Dress photo shoots below!
Go behind the scenes with photographer Scott McNamara to see some of his favorite trash the dress photoshoots:
Source: Trash The Dress Promo Reelfrom Scott McNamara on Vimeo
In conclusion, there are several ways to give your dress a new life! Whether you opt to buy a pre-owned wedding gown or a brand new piece of designer couture, dont let it wither away in your closet for all eternity.
Consider recouping a bit of your wedding investment by selling your dress, throwing a party with your closest friends, donating it to other brides in need, or using it as another great photo opportunity with your partner!
Now you know what your options are. So go grab that dirty wedding dress from the back of your closet and let it sparkle again!
Favorite Wedding Dresses from BHLDN
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Turn It Into A Unique Keepsake
Most wedding gowns are made up of so much material that the possibilities for repurposing are pretty far-reaching: You can do or have someone else do for you anything from using some of the material to make a christening gown if kids are in your future, to fashioning a decorative object like a pillow or Christmas tree skirt, to turning it into an accessory like a clutch or evening bag. If your dress had a long train, you could probably do a couple of these.
Preserve Your Wedding Dress
Want to save your gown for sentimental reasons? Your first to-do is to get your wedding dress cleaned and preserved to remove party stains and smudges, like mud on the hem from your barn reception or berry compote from your wedding cake. Wedding Dress Preservation by The Knot has you covered on that frontjust choose your package, ship your dress and we’ll take care of the rest. Having your gown professionally preserved also means that you can pass it down to someone elsesaving them the cost of buying a brand new gown.
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Make Your Daughter’s Rehearsal Dress
Some women store their dresses in hopes that their daughters will one day wear them. While this does work out from time to time, that is often not the case. Styles change and the bride usually has an idea of the type of dress she wants. Since moms dress is at least 20 something years old, there is a good chance that it will not look so appealing to the current bride.
Not only that, but it may need a lot of alterations. With all of this in mind, it makes the most sense to have a new dress made out of your dress. Your daughter may decide to wear it as her own wedding gown or it will work nicely as a rehearsal night dress. She may also choose to wear it to her reception or when leaving the venue. Knowing that it is not her actual wedding gown may take some of the pressure off and allow more freedom to make it something fun with a playful design.
Creative Things You Can Do With Your Old Wedding Dress
From meaningful keepsakes to fun-filled photoshoots, there are plenty of creative ways to put your wedding dress to good use!
Last month my husband and I celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary! We celebrated by taking a long overdue trip together to Mexico, where we relaxed, got matching sunburns, and enjoyed each others company. At one point we got to reminiscing about our wedding day, which sparked a conversation about the fabulous 80s fashions we had our whole wedding party sporting. My wedding dress in particular was packed with iconic 80s details, like a drop waist, poofy sleeves , and a huge lace bow for good measure. 🙂
More Ideas You’ll Love
I still have that dress, and reminiscing about it got me thinking about ways I could put it to good use. Ive kept it mainly out of sentimentality, but 30 years later, it feels like a good time to do something with it other than just keep it in storage. So I started looking around online for inspiration for things you can do with an old wedding dress, and I found a lot of great ideas! I put together a list of some of my favorite ones, and Im excited to share that list with you today. Now I have so many great ideas of things I can do with my wedding dressif only I could just pick one! 🙂
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Create A Christening Gown
You dont always have to wait until your future children get married before you share a piece of your wedding gown. Just like silk and lace in white lends itself to an easy transition into lingerie, it just as easily can be transformed into a christening gown for your future children. You will likely save the outfit your child wears to his or her baby dedication anyway, so why not make it extra special by making the gown from a keepsake piece? This could be used for generations on to create a memorable tradition for your family. Instead of just using the dress, you can also incorporate the veil. Most wedding veils are naturally about the same length as a christening gown. If you are specifically making the gown for a baby girl, go ahead and add all the beads and rhinestones you want as well.
Make A Jewelry Display
If your wedding dress has lace, use it to make a custom jewelry display that youll be able to admire every day! It looks great, plus it will help you keep track of smaller jewelry items like earrings. Get the instructions and details on making a lace jewelry display at HeartHandmade.
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Upcycle The Wedding Dress
The wedding dress is made up of several elements and details. You can use them to create other items like lingerie or select some parts to modify your existing clothes.
There are many craft ideas that you can make from the materials and embellishments of the wedding dress. You dont need to be an expert in sewing and arts to make gorgeous jewelry or even decors.
For example, some parts of the wedding dress can be used to decorate your artwork, such as journals and cards. You can even use the fabric for flower bouquets.
How To Handle Second
Worried that you didn’t choose the absolute perfect dress? Here’s advice on how to avoid dress regret and ease your anxieties.
In a world where there is an entire television franchise based on shopping for wedding dresses we’re looking at you “Say Yes to the Dress” brides feel a lot of pressure to make sure theyve chosen the absolute perfect wedding dress. Unfortunately, that leads to a lot of women with wedding dress regret: fretting that they have made the wrong choice of bridal gown. Wedding dress regret often occurs when brides let their shopping entourage over-influence the decision for which wedding dress to purchase. Other times its because they rushed into the choice of wedding dress, whether due to a great sale or buying the first dress that looked good.
Having to purchase the bridal gown months before the wedding leads to plenty of time to second-guess your choice. For brides who have had to postpone their wedding day due to Covid, the wedding version of buyers remorse wedding dress included can be devastating. What once may have felt like the perfect choice may now be questioned due to style changes or even a new wedding date or venue.
However, all of the above is just advice on how to avoid wedding dress regret. But what if the regret has fully set in? If you are saying to yourself, “I hate my wedding dress… What do I do?” luckily for you, we have tips for brides experiencing that phase of dress regret while wedding planning as well:
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Pay Attention To The Label On Your Dress
This is one label you don’t want to ignore. Look for any specific dry cleaning directions it might have, such as “Dry Clean Only with Petroleum Solvent.” Whatever it says, listen to it, and make sure the preservationist or dry cleaner you choose has the appropriate cleaning solutions for your wedding dress.
Donate It To The Mary Madeline Project
Speaking of donating, the has been suggested to me over and over and over again by blog readers.
The Mary Madeline Project doesnt use the dresses to raise money for a specific cause instead, volunteers use wedding dress fabric to make itty-bitty burial outfits for stillborn babies.
I cant even imagine how it must feel to be in that situation, but Im sure the last thing on those parents minds is finding an outfit to bury their baby in. I know this ministry is meaningful and important to SO many families it would be a great use for your old wedding dress.
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Donate Your Wedding Dress To Charity
Many organizations all over the country accept wedding dress and apparel donations. For example, Brides Across America gives wedding dresses to military brides in need. Every Girl’s Dream in Michigan accepts both wedding gowns and evening wear for brides-to-be facing financial hardship, while Operation Prom and Cinderella’s Closet will take wedding and bridesmaid dresses to help dress low-income students for their prom. Brides for a Cause will accept your donation, resell your dress and use the proceeds to raise money for different causes. Another idea is Angel Gowns or Baby Gowns for Eternity, which turn wedding dresses into gowns for stillborn infants. If you don’t have a specific charity in mind, think local and inquire at your nearest thrift store the shop may be in need of a white gown restock, in which case, you’ll make a lucky, local bride-to-be very happy in the near future.
How Long Will It Take To Sell
Again, depending on all the details, your dress may sell right away, or in a few months. This is because what brides are looking for changes seasonally, and can depend on the designer, price, size, and style of your gown. Most of the online platforms dont require that you re-list your gown, so you are free to wait as long as it takes to sell!
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Turn It Into An Art Project Paint On Some Of The Fabric And Turn It Back Over To Make Something New
Turing it into an art project may be a good idea, especially if youre not looking to recycle the dress. You can paint on some of the fabric and then turn it back over to make something new. The idea is to recycle the dress without taking away its original form.
Dye it If youre not looking for a new project, but want to give your wedding dress something new and exciting, try dyeing it! You can use food coloring or RIT dye that comes in every color imaginable to get an effect of your liking. Just be sure that theres no acetate with your fabric to not ruin any prints on the inside.
