Brides Against Breast Cancer
Support the fight against breast cancer through Brides Against Breast Cancer. This nonprofit is dedicated to providing early cancer awareness and detection programs as well as reducing the environmental impact of wedding dress manufacturing. The organization resells pre-owned wedding dresses at affordable prices, using the sales proceeds to help breast cancer causes.
Accepted items: Wedding dresses of 35 years in excellent condition and bridal accessories.
How to donate: Use the donation form on the website, email, or contact client service directly to receive shipping instructions.
COVID-19 update: The organization continues to accept wedding dress donations through the mail and is relaunching its online store in early 2021.
Make Sure To Include Photos
The most important thing you can do to market your dress is to include quality photos, advises Richardson. Include photos from your wedding so brides can see how it photographs and envision how it might look on their own big day. Plus, most gowns look better on a body than they do on a hanger. If you dont feel comfortable showcasing your wedding photos, make sure to include some shots of the dress on your body so other brides can get an idea of how the fabric lays.
Whats The Point Of Keeping It
Everyone I talk to who hasnt donated their wedding dress says one of the following things to me:
- But there are so many memories attached to it!
- I couldnt imagine anyone else wearing my dress
- I want to wear it again someday to renew my vows
- My daughter might want it for her wedding
- If I get rid of my wedding dress, my marriage would be doomed
My response is always the same: think about the purpose of your wedding dress.
Didnt it serve its purpose on your wedding day? Does it serve any actual purpose now? Or are you attaching memories to a thing youre not actively using or enjoying?
And no, the once-a-year decluttering of your closet, when you fondly fawn over the dress in the very back, doesnt count.
Because even if your wedding dress has been carefully preserved and sealed in a box, but never pulled out, worn again, or enjoyed, is it really that important to you?
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Give The Gift Of Your Gown
Your wedding gown was perfect, but admit it: You haven’t thought much about your dress since the post-reception dry cleaning. Most of us are guilty of sticking our wedding dress in the back of a closet and forgetting about it. Sure, you can always keep it around for sentimental reasons Or you could make the generous choice to donate your wedding dress to an awesome cause!
Hotel Shattuck Plaza | onelove photography
Your donation can help a family or bride in need, while also giving your dress new life. And if that’s not reason enough to gift your gown, donations are also tax deductible.
Donate your dress to any of these nationwide organizations, and they’ll put it to great use:
- Adorned in Grace: Resells donated gowns and accessories, with all proceeds used towards preventing sex trafficking and helping sex trafficking victims.
- Forever Angels of Virginia: Turns donated wedding dresses into free infant gowns for babies who have passed away in the NICU.
- Brides Across America: Provides gowns for military and first responder brides that are burdened by financial hardships like deployments.
- Brides Against Breast Cancer: Donated wedding dresses are made affordable for others, while helping fund breast cancer causes.
- Brides for a Cause: Sells donated dresses to raise funds for various women-focused charities.
And of course, you can always donate your wedding dress to a local Goodwill or Salvation Army.
You already said “I Do.” Now you can proudly declare, “I Donate!”
Ways To Repurpose Your Wedding Dress
If you find that your wedding dress doesnt meet the donation criteria of a few charities, transform it into something new! There are plenty of creative ways to repurpose your wedding dress.
Reuse the fabric for creating home decor and cherished keepsakes, such as pillows and baptism gowns for your children. Need new formalwear? Alter or hem your gown into a fun cocktail dress. If youre not a fan of cutting up the dress, consider using it as a photo prop for your newborn. Lastly, you can use the buttons, beads, and other trimmings to make DIY jewelry and accessories!
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Fill Out Your Tax Donation Receipt
Thank you for your donation to Beccas Closet, a 501 non-profit organization . The clothing will be donated to high school students who cannot afford to purchase formal attire for their homecomings and proms, and who would otherwise be unable to attend these events. The donor received no goods or services in return for this contribution. Beccas Closet can provide this receipt as substantiation for contributions only on the date of the donation. This document will serve as confirmation of your donation. See your tax preparer about requirements for donation tax deductions. Beccas Closet may not establish or confirm value, amount or inventory of donated goods. Beccas Closet only accepts merchandise in good used condition. Complete the section below and keep this document for your tax purposes. Please list items donated or attach a separate invoice:
Beccas Closet welcomes donations of new and gently worn long and short formal dresses in all sizes, especially small sizes and large sizes . Please! No wedding gowns, business wear or everyday clothing! Not sure if your dress is appropriate? Check out some guidelines listed below.
Help Fight Human Trafficking In Arizona By Donating Your Wedding Dress
We are in the early stages of launching a new Adorned In Grace Bridal location in ARIZONA! While the climate will be a bit hotter than our Pacific Northwest locations, the mission will be the same: helping brides find their dream dress for less, while empowering women and fighting against sex trafficking and exploitation!
You can be part of this mission by sending dress donations to our team in Arizona!
Also Check: Wedding Planning Spreadsheet Free
The Best Wedding Dress For Your Shape
- It is helpful if you have your gown cleaned before you send it, or if you provide a donation to help clean the gown
- If you require a tax receipt, include self addressed, stamped envelope for the nonprofit to mail one to you
- Remove the gown from preservation or storage box and slim down the package as much as possible. Often shipping is calculated by both weight and dimensions of the package
- You might consider attaching a note for the lucky new owner sharing a personal story about your wedding dress or wedding day
A bride with a wedding gown from a Brides Across America event at Brickhouse Bridal in Houston
Mailed or In Person Donations United States
Adorned in Grace Donations benefit Compassion Connect based in Portland, OR., which raises awareness about the problem of human trafficking, funds outreach events and training for the prevention of human trafficking, and provides support for rescued victims of sexual exploitation in the area. Also accepts: formals, petticoats, veils, accessories, and other wedding items. Dresses may be mailed to or dropped off at the Adorned in Grace boutique in Portland, OR.
Brides Across America Donations to this nonprofit provides wedding gowns to military brides in need. Dresses must be newer than 5 years old. Also accepts: veils, tiaras and accessories. They do not accept petticoats or undergarments. You must contact BAA for donation approval of your gown before you ship it to their offices!
Mailed or In Person Donations Canada
Where To Donate An Old Wedding Dress
If you got married recently or a few years ago, there is a high chance that you are left with one token. You do not need to hold on to your wedding dress. Usually, brides spend a large amount of the wedding budget on their attire.
Most brides will only wear this dress once, hoping there will be another chance, which is not the case. If you are looking for ideas for where to donate an old wedding dress, we have got some options for you.
Think how amazing it would be if a bride that is underprivileged gets to enjoy your expensive bridal gown too. If you donate the dress, it can help a family or bride in need and make you feel better. Another cherry on the cake is donations are tax-deductible.
Many non-profit organizations collect wedding dress donations and distribute them to brides in need. They also sell them at lower prices. Not just a bridal dress, bridesmaid dresses, and flower girl dresses can also be donated. You can even donate bridal accessories.
Before deciding where to donate an old wedding dress, make sure you have your receipts and other purchasing documentation related to the wedding accessories so that you can determine the fair market value. Some charitable organizations recycle wedding dresses as well. Many charity institutions act as a middleman, so you do not have to think about where to donate old wedding dress.
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Find A Ontario Charity That Will Pick Up Your Clothing Donations & Other Household Items Donations
Donate clothes and other household items in Ontario. Charities such as Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and more will pick up your donations for free.
Donationtown.org is currently integrating all of the Ontario donation pick up charities and service areas into our database. For now, we recommend you contact one of these great Ontario based charities to schedule a donation pick up:
How To Donate A Wedding Dress
If you are planning on donating your wedding dress, be sure to check if the organization is currently accepting donations. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, some charities are not accepting wedding dresses until further notice, or have implemented certain guidelines when it comes to donating. Keep in mind that many organizations will also require that any dress and/or wedding accessory be professionally cleaned prior to donating.
Read Also: What To Wear To A Beach Wedding In September
Donating A Dress The Ecological Choice
Donate a dress to charity and you wont simply be helping a young woman enjoy one of lifes memorable moments ñ youll also be helping the environment. A dress that can be worn a second or third time around means that fewer reusable, recyclable items are heading off to the overflowing landfills. Donate a dress to charity and make your good deed count twice!
Ways To Donate Your Wedding Dress
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Not sure what to do with your wedding dress collecting dust in your closet taking up precious square footage OR those bridesmaid dresses the bride swore you could wear again but never will? Consider donating it to one of the ten charities below. Its important to note that, overall, donating your wedding dress will most likely come at an additional expense to you many of the shops require dry cleaning or at least an additional monetary donation that also doesnt include the cost for shipping your dress to the non-profit if you dont live in the area and some even want a self-addressed stamp envelop to send you a tax donation receipt. The upside to the extra financial burden is that your dress will eventually make someone very happy and the sale proceeds will go towards various causes, plus youll be practicing eco-feminism because you wont be sending your dress to sit in a landfill.
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Where Can I Donate My Wedding Dress For The Military
Brides Across America gifts wedding gowns that are at most five years old to military brides. They may also accept unique or vintage gowns that are still in style. To donate your gown, you will first need to fill out a form describing your gown. If accepted, they will send you donation instructions.
Where I Chose To Donate My Wedding Dress
UPDATE DECEMBER 2017: I just learned from a reader that Cherie Amour has changed its policy and no longer accepts wedding gowns older than 10 years old.
I would have been thrilled to send my dress to any of these charities, but many of them have strict guidelines about the dresses they will accept. In most cases, my dress was considered too old .
Lucky for me, I came across Success in Style, a charitable organization based in Maryland whose mission is to help women and men in crisis become self-sufficient by gaining employment. SIS provides free business attire, fashion advice, and interview counseling to its service recipients.
Cherie Amour sells donated wedding dresses to fund Success in Style.
Unlike many of the other charities, Cherie Amour does not require you to clean your dress prior to shipping it. Believe me when I say this is a huge plus, since I probably spent more on cleaning and preserving my dress than most brides spend on their actual dress!
Although I think of my gown style as timeless, the fact that its 16 years old makes it outdated in the eyes of most charities.
Cherie Amour is the only charity I found that accepts outdated gowns. They have volunteer designers/seamstresses that will banish those puffy sleeves from your 1995 gown and transform the dress into a contemporary style.
How fitting that Im headed out today on my wedding anniversary to ship my dress to this awesome charity . Before I head off, I snapped a few photos for posterity:
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Donate Your Wedding Dress To Our Charity In Columbus Ohio
Donate your used wedding dress after the special day and help our Columbus area charity lend support to valuable kidney disease awareness and prevention programs throughout Ohio. National Kidney Services works with the National Kidney Foundation to reduce the prevalence of this debilitating illness. All of the proceeds generated from your wedding dress donation, or your donation of other used clothes and household items, goes directly to this non-profit health organization.
Not only can you donate your wedding dress to our charity, but there are many other ways to reduce waste and do some good deeds both before and after your wedding. Consider:
- Donating used bridesmaidsdresses to NKS
- Giving flowers to local hospitals or nursing homes after the ceremony
- Taking leftover food from the reception to local food banks or homeless shelters
- Donating wedding decorations and extra party favors to NKS
- Printing your wedding invitations on recycled or plantable paper
- Asking guests to make charitable donations in your name instead of giving material gifts
*To the fullest extent allowed by law
