Franklin Dean
Wedding dresses are often the most expensive item of clothing a person will ever buy, and they can carry a lot of sentimentality. But what do you do with your wedding dress after the big day? There are several options to consider, including selling, donating, repurposing, or simply storing your dress. Some brides choose to sell their gowns on the second-hand market, either online or through specialist companies, to recoup some of the costs. Others may opt to donate their dresses to charities such as Cherished Gowns UK, which transforms wedding dresses into burial gowns for babies, or Brides Do Good, which supports projects to end child marriage and empower women. Repurposing your wedding dress is another popular choice, whether that involves turning it into a family heirloom, a christening gown for your children, or a brand-new piece of clothing that you can wear again. Alternatively, you could simply store your dress in a beautiful box or frame it as a unique piece of artwork to display in your home.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Keep the dress | Store it in a wardrobe, or box it up in a beautiful box or frame it |
| Re-wear it | Dye it, alter it, or cut it up and make it into a new garment, such as a skirt, a formal dress, lingerie, a clutch, a bra, a negligee, pillows, or a tote bag |
| Re-use the material | Transform it into a christening gown, a blanket, or a keepsake for your children |
| Sell it | Sell it online, or to a second-hand dress company |
| Donate it | Charities such as Cherished Gowns UK, Wish For a Wedding, Red Cross, Brides Do Good, and the Wedding Wishing Well Foundation accept wedding dress donations |
| Trash it | Have a Trash the Dress photoshoot, or wear it to a festival such as Holi or a Color Run |
Explore related products
Donate it to a good cause
Donating your wedding dress to a good cause is a great way to give back and help those in need. Here are some ideas for donating your wedding dress in the UK:
Cherished Gowns UK
Cherished Gowns UK accepts wedding dress donations and transforms them into burial gowns for babies who are born prematurely, too late, or too unwell. These gowns are then donated to hospitals and parents across the UK free of charge. Donating your wedding dress to this organisation can provide comfort and support to families during a difficult time.
Wish For a Wedding
Wish For a Wedding is another wonderful organisation that provides dream weddings for couples dealing with terminal illnesses. They accept wedding dress donations for terminally ill brides and work with suppliers and subsidised wedding services to create memorable experiences. Donating your dress to Wish For a Wedding can help bring joy and happiness to couples facing challenging circumstances.
Brides Do Good
Brides Do Good is a sustainable bridal boutique with a unique charitable concept. They accept wedding dress donations and use a portion of their profits to fund projects that aim to end child marriage and empower women globally. By donating your dress to Brides Do Good, you can support initiatives that make a meaningful impact on the lives of women and girls.
The Veterans' Hearing Foundation
The Veterans' Hearing Foundation is an organisation dedicated to supporting UK veterans with hearing loss, tinnitus, and mental health issues. They accept wedding dress donations, which they sell to fund their work. Your donated dress can help provide vital hearing aids and support to veterans in need.
Wedding Wishing Well Foundation
The Wedding Wishing Well Foundation supports those with terminal illnesses in planning and funding their dream weddings. They accept wedding dress donations, which are either gifted to brides in need or sold, with 100% of the proceeds going towards the organisation's work. Donating your dress to the Wedding Wishing Well Foundation can help create joyful memories for couples facing difficult health situations.
Donating your wedding dress to any of these organisations is a thoughtful way to give back and support those in need. Your dress can bring comfort, joy, and assistance to individuals and families during challenging times.
Sofia Richie's Wedding Dress: Cost and Designer Details
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Sell it on
If you're looking to sell your wedding dress, there are a few options to consider. Firstly, you could use a dedicated website for reselling wedding dresses, such as Sell My Wedding Dress, which also lists shoes, bridesmaids' dresses, and accessories. Alternatively, you could try selling your dress on a general resale website such as eBay. If you're looking to sell your dress to a physical store, bridal boutiques that sell second-hand dresses are an option, though they may have specific requirements for the dresses they accept.
When selling your wedding dress, it's important to consider the condition of the dress and whether any alterations can be made to make it more appealing to buyers. Some brides choose to sell their dresses before the wedding to justify the cost, so it may be worth considering selling your dress before the big day.
If you're not quite ready to part with your dress, you could also look at ways to repurpose it. This could involve turning it into a new piece of clothing, such as a formal cocktail dress or accessories like lingerie or a clutch bag. You could also dye your dress a different colour to provide more opportunities to wear it to events such as friends' weddings or galas.
Tailoring the Perfect Wedding Dress: A Guide for Brides
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Pass it down
Passing down your wedding dress to the next generation is a popular choice for many brides. You could consider saving your wedding dress for your children, godchildren, nieces, or other family members. This could be for them to wear at their own weddings, or for a special event like a christening. You could also repurpose the dress into a new outfit for them, such as a formal dress for a different occasion.
There are many ways to repurpose a wedding dress for children. You could turn it into a christening blanket or gown for your little ones, or a special outfit for them to wear. This could be a good way to pass the dress down to future generations and create a family heirloom. You could also use the fabric to create smaller items, such as dolls' clothes, or accessories such as lingerie or a clutch bag for yourself.
If you don't want to cut up your dress, you could save it for your children to decide what to do with it when they're older. They may want to wear it as it is, or they may want to repurpose it into something else. You could also pass down part of your dress to be sewn into their wedding dress, as some brides have done with their mothers' and grandmothers' dresses.
If you don't have children or don't want to pass the dress down to family members, you could consider donating your dress to a good cause. There are several charities in the UK that accept wedding dress donations, such as the Wedding Wishing Well Foundation, which organises and funds weddings for the terminally ill. Your dress could be gifted to a bride in need or sold to fund the charity's work. Another option is Cherished Gowns UK, which transforms donated wedding dresses into burial gowns for babies who are born too soon, too late, or too unwell. These gowns are then donated to hospitals and parents across the UK free of charge.
Sequin Dresses: Wedding Wear or Not?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Wear it again
If you're looking to wear your wedding dress again, there are several options to consider. You could turn your wedding dress into a new piece of clothing, such as a formal cocktail dress, a summer dress, or a skirt. You could also shorten the skirt and dye it a different colour to create a formal dress for different occasions. If you're feeling creative, you could even make accessories such as lingerie, a clutch, or a tote bag. Alternatively, you could save your wedding dress for a special occasion, such as your wedding anniversary or a fancy-dress party. You could also wear it to a festival, such as Holi, or a fun run, like the Color Run in London, where you won't mind getting it messy or colourful. If you're feeling adventurous, you could even try a ''Trash the Dress'' photoshoot, where you dress up and ruin the dress by paintballing, having mud fights, or taking a dip in the ocean.
Lulus Wedding Dresses: Quality Reviewed
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Turn it into art
There are many ways to turn your wedding dress into art. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Framing
Framing your wedding dress is a beautiful way to preserve it and turn it into a unique piece of art. You can choose to have your dress professionally framed or do it yourself. Consider the size of your dress and the space you have available when deciding where to hang it. You could create a feature out of it in your bedroom or bathroom, or even in a hallway or living area.
Repurpose
If you're handy with a needle and thread, or know someone who is, you could repurpose your dress into a new garment. You could turn it into a formal cocktail dress, or dye it a different colour to give it a new lease of life. You could even use the fabric to create accessories such as lingerie or a clutch bag. If you don't want to cut up your dress, you could turn it into a Christmas tree skirt, a tablecloth, heart-shaped Valentine's Day doilies, or holiday ornaments.
Donate
Donating your dress to a costume shop or local theatre is another way to give your dress a new life and turn it into art. It could be used in a production and bring joy to many people.
Display
If you have the space, you could display your dress as a work of art. Consider investing in a beautiful mannequin or dress stand to showcase your dress. This way, you can enjoy looking at it every day and it can become a unique feature of your home.
There are many ways to turn your wedding dress into art, and these are just a few ideas to get you started. With a bit of creativity, you can find the perfect way to preserve and enjoy your dress for years to come.
Galia Lahav Wedding Dresses: How Much Do They Cost?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
You could wear your wedding dress to a fancy-dress party, or to a festival like Holi, or a Color Run. You could also hold a wedding-themed cocktail party for your friends where you all wear your wedding dresses. Alternatively, you could trash your dress in a photoshoot, getting muddy on a farm, or rolling around in a field of flowers.
You could turn your wedding dress into a family heirloom by getting it professionally preserved. You could also turn it into a brand-new piece of clothing, such as a formal cocktail dress, lingerie, or a clutch bag. You could also use the fabric to create a christening gown for your children, or other wedding mementos for your child's wedding.
There are several charities that accept wedding dress donations, including the Red Cross, Brides Do Good, and the Wedding Wishing Well Foundation. You could also donate your dress to a costume shop or local theatre.
There are many options for selling your wedding dress on the internet, including specialist second-hand wedding dress companies, eBay, or Facebook.
