Options for Once Worn Bridal Gowns
Today's Brides Have Choices for Gown Preservation and Future Use
Both traditional and non-traditional brides should consider personal preference planning for wedding dress donation, re-use or preservation.
So much time and effort goes into the selection and planning of your bridal gown. But once the big day has come and gone, many of those beloved gowns end up crumpled in a ball at the bottom of a garment bag, easily forgotten in the haste of getting away to the long-awaited honeymoon and quickly disregarded in the overwhelming adjustment to life as a married couple.
But like your wedding photos and video, your wedding gown is a precious keepsake from your special day. Even if you choose not to preserve your wedding dress in the traditional sense, there are still other options you can choose, which are better alternatives to abandoning your beautiful gown in a dark corner of the closet.
Preservation
Traditionally, many brides choose wedding gown preservation, in which bridal gowns are thoroughly cleaned to remove spots and stains, pressed, shaped, wrapped in acid-free tissue and most often folded into an acid-free box with a window in which to see the gown. Wedding gown preservation offers protection from yellowing, permanent creasing, mildew, mold, light and dust.
Revamp the Dress
If you are daring and a little non-traditional, find a creative way to revamp your wedding gown. Use pieces of the fabric for other designs, or revamp the entire dress into another bridal gown for a friend or relative. You can even alter the gown into an evening gown for yourself depending on the style of dress you have. Other options include making the dress into a christening outfit or baby bedding for your future children.
Donate to Charity
If you aren’t super sentimental and have a big heart, donating your dress is always a generous gesture. The Making Memories Foundation asks brides to consider donating their wedding gowns to their Brides Against Breast Cancer division. The Foundation repairs, restores and resells the dresses, with proceeds from the sale helping to grant wishes and memory making events for women and men who are losing their battle with breast cancer.
Another alternative is the I Do Foundation. You send them the dress, and they sell it through their consignment partner and donate 20% of the proceeds from the sale of your dress to the charity of your choice. The remaining funds go to support the I Do Foundation’s ongoing work to encourage charitable giving at weddings.
Trash the Dress
A more daring approach is a new trend called Trash the Dress. Don’t be too offended just yet. It’s actually a unique opportunity to have another photo session after your wedding in which the bride (and sometimes groom) pose again in their wedding attire in a very non-traditional setting. Most of the photos are in settings somewhere outside the normal element and yes, the dresses can get a little dusty and dirty. However, sessions are about creation, not destruction. So iif care is used, these memorable and distinctive photos can still be shot while protecting the gown, allowing it be passed along to charity if the bride so chooses.
