Rhiannon Hendricks
There are many options for what to do with a used wedding dress. Some brides choose to keep their wedding dress as a memento, while others opt for more sustainable options such as selling, donating, or recycling their dress. Selling a wedding dress can be done online or through a consignment store, with the latter handling the legwork of finding a buyer. Donating a wedding dress can also be done through various charities and organisations, which may use the dresses to raise money for cancer programs, provide free wedding dresses to military members and first responders, or create outfits for bereaved families of newborns. Recycling a wedding dress involves repurposing the fabric into new items such as christening gowns, flower girl dresses, quilts, or home decor.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Sell it | Online, in-person at a bridal shop, or on consignment |
| Donate it | To charities such as Brides for a Cause, NICU Helping Hands Angel Gown Program, Brides Across America, Operation Prom, or Cinderella's Closet |
| Upcycle it | Dye it, turn it into a christening gown, a flower girl dress, a baptismal blanket, a tree skirt, a quilt, a purse, a scarf, a pillow, curtains, a tablecloth, a table runner, a napkin, a photo album embellishment, a shadow box, a teddy bear, a handbag, a clutch, or a piece of jewellery |
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What You'll Learn
Sell it on consignment
If you're looking to sell your wedding dress on consignment, there are a few options to consider. Firstly, you can choose to sell your dress online or in-person through a consignment shop or bridal boutique. Selling your dress on consignment can be a great way to make your wedding dress more sustainable, as well as recoup some of your investment.
Online Consignment
If you're looking to reach a wider audience, selling your wedding dress online may be a good option. Websites like Nearly Newlywed, an online marketplace, can help you sell your dress by handling buyer interactions and shipping. To get started, you'll need to submit your measurements, a description of your dress, and photos. Keep in mind that online selling may come with a waiting period before your dress is sold.
In-Person Consignment
If you prefer an in-person experience, local bridal resale shops and consignment salons are a great option. Hand-Me-Gowns Bridal, for example, is a consignment bridal shop in South Jersey that specializes in selling pre-owned wedding dresses. They offer a fast and authentic experience, taking care of the selling process for you. When selling in-person, you'll have the opportunity to discuss the resale value of your dress with professionals and may even be able to sell it directly to the salon.
Pricing and Commissions
When selling your wedding dress on consignment, the pricing and commission structure may vary depending on the seller. Typically, consignment shops will sell your dress for a discounted price, such as 30% less than the original retail price. After the sale, the profit is often split between you and the consignment shop. For newer dresses, a 50/50 split is common, while older dresses may result in a 60/40 split, with a higher percentage going to the seller.
Condition and Preparation
To ensure your dress is ready for consignment, it's important to consider its condition. Most consignment shops prefer dresses in "like-new" condition, and some may require professional dry cleaning before adding the item to their inventory. Additionally, factors such as age, brand, style, size, and demand will influence the selling price.
By choosing to sell your wedding dress on consignment, you're not only giving your dress a new life but also contributing to a more sustainable future.
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Donate it to charity
Donating your wedding dress to charity is a great way to help someone in need. It also has benefits for you, such as more closet space and a tax deduction. There are many charitable organizations that accept wedding dress donations, each with a different mission and cause.
Brides Against Breast Cancer is a nonprofit organization that resells gently used wedding gowns to raise money for breast cancer awareness and early detection. Brides Across America is another nonprofit that accepts wedding dress donations. They pass on the dresses for free to military, first responder, and frontline healthcare brides at Operation Wedding Gown events twice a year. Adorned in Grace is a faith-based organization with a mission to bring churches together to fight human trafficking through awareness, prevention, and restoration. They accept donations from bridal shops and brides and provide other brides with new or gently used items. Brides for a Cause is a nonprofit organization that collects and resells wedding dresses to raise funds for various local and national women-focused charities.
Before donating your wedding dress, ensure that it is clean and in good condition. Some charities offer to clean the dress for you for an additional charge. It is also helpful to label the box with information about the dress, such as the size, brand, year purchased, and original price. Many organizations have specific criteria for accepting donations, so be sure to research and contact them in advance.
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Turn it into a christening gown
Turning your wedding dress into a christening gown is a great way to preserve the memories of your special day and pass them on to the next generation. It is also an eco-friendly way to ensure that the dress is used more than once. Here are some tips to help you with this transformation:
Plan and Prepare:
Firstly, decide on the design and pattern of the christening gown. You can choose to create the pattern yourself or work with a designer to finalize your design plan. Consider the amount of fabric you will need and the specific design elements you want to include. If you plan to use embellishments or add-ons from the original wedding dress, make sure to keep them safe during the deconstruction process.
Deconstruct the Wedding Dress:
Carefully take apart the wedding dress, being mindful not to damage the fabric. If the dress has not been professionally cleaned and shows signs of discolouration or soiling, consider having it dry-cleaned before proceeding. However, if you intend to use only small portions of the fabric, you may choose to clean only the sections you plan to use.
Sewing the Christening Gown:
Follow your chosen pattern or work with a professional to construct the christening gown. Use smaller pins to avoid damaging the fabric, and centre your pattern pieces accordingly, especially if you're working with specific design elements. Sew with the gathered side on top when attaching gathered sections to flat pieces, and avoid sewing over pins. Remember, it's okay to make changes as you go, and you have plenty of fabric to work with!
Final Touches:
Complete any final steps such as hand-stitching, hemming, sewing on buttons, or adding any remaining embellishments. You may also choose to have the christening gown professionally dry-cleaned, especially if you plan to store it for future use.
Remember, this project is meant to be cherished, so take your time and enjoy the process of transforming your wedding dress into a beautiful christening gown.
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Create a patchwork quilt
If you're looking to create a patchwork quilt from your wedding dress, there are a few options to consider. You can either make the quilt yourself or have it made by a professional service.
If you're a quilting novice, it's recommended that you start with smaller projects, like placemats, before moving on to baby quilts and then bed-sized quilts. You can also search for tutorials online or look for quilting classes offered by local guilds or fabric stores.
Before you begin, it's important to assess the fabric of your wedding dress. Is it machine washable or will it require dry cleaning? This is an important consideration if you plan to use the quilt regularly. If the dress is antique or fragile, it may not be suitable for a quilt, and you may want to preserve it in a shadow box display or as a wall hanging.
When creating your quilt, you can incorporate other fabrics with sentimental value, such as your partner's suit or tie, a bridesmaid dress, or your mother's wedding dress. You can also get creative with the design by including embellishments, lace, and beading. If you're cutting up the dress yourself, it's a good idea to save some pieces of each material to test different needles, threads, and batting. This is especially important if your dress is made of satin, as it can snag easily.
If you prefer to have your quilt made by a professional service, companies like The Patchwork Bear can guide you through the process. They will work with you to create a custom design that highlights the unique features of your dress. The cost typically includes labor, materials, design time, and customization, with an additional fee for shipping.
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Dye and restyle it
Dyeing and restyling a wedding dress is a great way to update your gown, save some money, and ensure you get more wear out of it. It's also a chance to express your personal style and create something unique.
Before you begin, it's important to determine the direction of your project. Do you want to add a wash of colour to a white dress, dip-dye it, or go for a deep, dark colour like black or royal blue? The more saturated you want the colour, the more dye you'll need. You can also get creative and use paint splatters to add a bold statement to your dress, like Starla Little, who added purple, green, blue, yellow, and orange paint splatters to her white wedding dress.
Next, you'll need to choose the right type of dye for the fabric. If your dress has cellulose fibres, such as cotton, linen, or rayon, a fibre-reactive dye is best. For protein fibres like silk, wool, angora, or cashmere, an acid dye is more suitable. Synthetic fibres and blends will react best with a dispersed dye. Weigh your dress and lay down a plastic cover to protect your surfaces.
If you want to keep a memento of your original dress, consider cutting off a small piece of the fabric before dyeing. This way, you can add a little loop of the original fabric to the inside of the dress.
When it comes to choosing a colour, think about shades that you love to wear, especially for occasion wear. You could also opt for a darker colour to disguise any marks on the dress. If you're dyeing your dress to wear to another wedding, consider a chic and refined shade that will work well for fancy dinners and parties too.
Finally, you can restyle your dress by cutting and altering it to create a new silhouette. You can shorten it, add belts or ruffled embellishments, or separate the lace from the lining and reattach it once it's been dyed.
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Frequently asked questions
Some ways to creatively repurpose a wedding dress include:
- Dyeing and modifying it into a mother-of-the-groom dress.
- Creating decor or accessories such as a tablecloth, table runner, curtain, homemade napkins, or a handbag.
- Transforming it into a christening gown, flower girl dress, or baptismal blanket.
- Making a patchwork quilt using the gown and other memorable elements from the wedding.
- Donating it to a local theatre or performing arts program to be used in productions.
You can sell your used wedding dress online or through a consignment store. Consignment stores will typically price 'like-new' wedding gowns at around 30% off the original retail price.
There are several charitable organizations that accept wedding dress donations, including:
- Brides for a Cause
- Operation Prom
- Cinderella's Closet
- NICU Helping Hands Angel Gown Program
- Brides Across America
