When the party is over...
Your wedding day has passed, you've finished opening gifts and cards and you are slowly packing away the most magical day of your life. It is such a strange feeling to have your wedding day over! There's nothing else to plan, no deadlines to be made nothing more to stress about...but what about your dress? What do you do with your dress?
For some people the decision is easy and simple and for others it isn't. If you are stuck with what to do, here are some options and ideas to hopefully make it easier:
HOARDING
Okay so fairly obvious but there is nothing wrong with just keeping the dress. Yes, it will take up room and you will probably end up doing absolutely nothing with it but it's all about the memories. I am fairly attached to my dress and has been sitting in the closet in it's bag (unwashed, we're not talking about it okay, I'm lazy) for the last two years. One day, I would love to show my daughter what my dress looked like and play dress ups and do all of that fun stuff I'm sure your own mother thought of as well.
Obviously I would recommend having it dry cleaned (do as I say not as I do) if you are doing this. It can be a little pricey depending you the volume of the dress and the details but if you find a good dry cleaner they will also store it all up for you in a box so that it stays safe as you hoard it.
SELLING
The economy is sh*t - we all know this I'm sure and we have all seen the costs of planning a wedding. Spending thousands on a dress that you are wearing once and then holding onto it seems super pointless to a lot of brides. Solution? Try sell it. Be realistic when setting the price for your dress if you are planning on do it directly. Take into account the alterations that have been made, any damages or stains that have happened and do your research on what other people sell that designers dresses for. A really good website for this is StillWhite. StillWhite is the largest platform for selling wedding dresses but do keep in mind that they charge you for the listing - however, your dress will be made available to brides all over the world. You can also use sites like Facebook Marketplace etc, if you don't want to be charged a fee. Another option is to sell to a pre-loved/second hand boutique. You won't get as much for your dress but would be the easiest and fastest option as long as your dress is in good condition.
TIP: If you are thinking of selling your dress make sure you get photos of you in the dress on your wedding day without anybody else and without your flowers or any other obstructions.
DONATING
A selfless act and a brave one at that would be the choice to donate your dress. To give away a gown that either you brought or someone else brought for you is definitely a tricky one. For those wanting to go down this route, there are many companies and charities that would welcome your dress. One of my favourite charities for this would be Angel Gowns. A beautiful charity that use the fabric in wedding dresses/attire to make angel gowns for babies who have sadly passed away. Other charities such as My Wedding Wish who provide weddings for the terminally ill, Salvos, Good Sammies are all amazing entities with a good cause.
TIP: Sometimes these charities can get inundated with donations so please check their websites and socials to make sure they are accepting donations.
RE-PURPOSING
Not ready to part with your dress but not wanting it to sit in a dark closet never to see the light of day? Try turning it into something that you CAN and WILL wear again! Some great options for this is either cutting it up from a long dress to a little mini dress or even just dying it to be more wearable. I always thing of how cute it would be to wear a little mini dress/cocktail version of your wedding dress for your anniversaries that follow. Have a chat to a dress-maker/seamstress and get their take on taking your wedding dress and making it into a more wearable outfit!
TIP: If you plan on DIYing a dye job - please, please check what material your dress is and find the correct dye for that material. Trust me, it will end bad if you don't use the right one.
What you plan on doing with your wedding dress is 10000% up to you and there is no rush to make a decision and no judgment at all. Want to list that bad boy a day after your wedding? Do it. Want to hoard it and force your daughter to wear it on her wedding day only for her to laugh at you and tell you how ugly and dated your dress is? Absolutely! As long as you don't regret it, it can't be a wrong decision.
x
