What Are You Planning To Do With Your Dress?

vulpiepop · April 2015

I've been married for almost a month now (it still feels like the wedding was yesterday) and I still haven't figured out what to do with my dress. I haven't even found a dry cleaner yet (mostly because I've been so busy).

I love my dress so much and my mother-in-law put so much time into the alterations and adding the halter strap that I don't want to just put it away forever. Nonetheless, I'm considering getting one of those preservation kits. I'm also considering having it dyed and made into a cocktail dress so that I can wear it again but I'm afraid something bad will happen to the dress if I decide to do that. So I've just been going back and forth...

What are you ladies planning to do with your dresses after the wedding?

huskypuppy14 · April 2015

I've been married 9 months, and it's still in my closet. I have to get it preserved. I should do that soon.

lurkergirl · April 2015

In my dreams: Beautifully preserve it along with my shoes and place it in a huge shadow box that will then be displayed in my massive dream closet.

In reality: Probably cram it back into its bag, shove it in a closet, forget about it for a few years, pull it back out one day with hopes of preservation only to find it's a ruined, wrinkled, crinkled, not savable mess.

JCbride2015 · April 2015

I have considered selling my dress. Is that totally weird? I don't think I'd ever really do it because Fi would have a cow.

dolewhipper · April 2015

vulpiepop yay for March brides!

I want to do the same as lurkergirl's dream, still trying to figure out how to do it without spending $1k

ETA: and don't worry, I havent done a thing with my dress. still shoved in the bag from the morning after the wedding.

lurkergirl · April 2015

dolewhipper said:
vulpiepop yay for March brides!

I want to do the same as lurkergirl's dream, still trying to figure out how to do it without spending $1k

ETA: and don't worry, I havent done a thing with my dress. still shoved in the bag from the morning after the wedding.

It's not so much the $1k that's at issue (okay, it totally is), but it's the $20k+ I need for the closet that's a problem...

theartistformerlyknownas · April 2015

I'm living every girl's dream: 6-month dirty dress shoved into a garment bag and hanging from a pipe in the basement.

Haven't decided on anything beyond that.

southernbelle0915 · April 2015

JCbride2015 said:
I have considered selling my dress. Is that totally weird? I don't think I'd ever really do it because Fi would have a cow.

I've considered selling mine. I even listed it and some girl contacted me about it. I got cold feet. I keep thinking I'm going to make it into baptism gowns for kids or whatever but I can barely sew. I should sell before it goes out of style.

mrsdee15 · April 2015

In my dreams, this

But considering my closet right now can barely hold my regular clothes (and is beyond small), that probably won't be for a while.

chibiyui · April 2015

I too want to do the "Put dress in giant ass frame and hang it" dream. But I have to wait until we build to do that.

Not because my closet doesn't have room, it does. I just can't justify dropping that dough on it before we're in our like, home home.

Also. that thing would be a bitch to move. I ain't doing that.

My dress is hanging on the back of the closet door, still needs to be cleaned/perserved.

Cookie Pusher · April 2015

Mine are getting donated. That's some precious closet space they're taking up, and there are so many more practical things I could use it for.

emmaaa · April 2015

Mine is still hanging in the garment bag. Sadly, it'll probably stay there.

ShesSoCold · April 2015

I cut the hangie loops off the dress the day of the wedding so they wouldn't come out. So it's kind of laying in its bag in my mom's screened porch. Ideally I'd sell it but it was off the rack to begin with and I made a lot of alterations.

sarahufl · April 2015

David's Bridal had the preservation kit on sale for $89 right after my wedding, so I went for it. I still have no idea what I want to do with it in the long-term, but I figured I should at least get it cleaned and taken care of THEN decide.

89 bucks didn't seem so bad.

flutteringinfl · April 2015

I was thinking about having mine cut and dyed and turned into a cocktail dress. We'll see how feasible that is after the wedding.

wandajune6 · April 2015

sarahufl said:
David's Bridal had the preservation kit on sale for $89 right after my wedding, so I went for it. I still have no idea what I want to do with it in the long-term, but I figured I should at least get it cleaned and taken care of THEN decide.

89 bucks didn't seem so bad.

I used the same deal. It probably would have gone right back into the bag but my friend (accidentally) spilled a glass of red wine down the front. I planned to donate it but bring myself to do it yet. It's now boxed up and packed away in the attic crawlspace. I love the shadowbox idea but, given that my dress is the size of half of our biggest closet, that's not happening.

peachy13 · April 2015

I was all about donating mine after my wedding, but... my grandmother came with me shopping and bought my dress for me. Then she passed away a few weeks later. Buying the dress together was the last thing we did so I think I'm going to go the preservation and store away route.

amelisha · April 2015

I'm wearing mine out partying in Vegas after the wedding, so if it's still in good enough shape to clean and donate, I will so that someone else can wear a poofy white dress on her wedding day if she wants. If it's too trashed, my girlfriends and I want to wear our wedding dresses out to the bar one night at home, and I'm guessing it'll have to be tossed after that anyway. But I only spent $100 on it and I'm not sentimental about stuff so yeah.

Maggie0829 · April 2015

Mine hung dirty for just over a year when I finally took it to get cleaned and preserved. I should have sold it but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Now it is probably too late seeing as I got married almost 4 years ago so my dress is now "dated" haha.

I still want to chop off the train (it is covered in crushed organza flowers) and fill a shadow box with it and use it as art for a wall in my house. But just like I couldn't bring myself to sell it I can't bring myself to take a pair of scissors to it.

So instead my dress is in its preservation box and shoved in a corner of my walk in closet and is now being used as a shoe rack.

vikinganna87 · April 2015

The responsible thing would be to sell my dress but I'm too sentimental. I get really attached to my clothes, especially dresses and skirts.

Mine's been cleaned and preserved. I envision taking it out every few years and trying it on. Maybe in about 10 years I'll have it shortened and wear to a party, unless I end up with a daughter who may want to wear it for her wedding.

I really like @amelisha 's idea of getting together with friends and all of us wearing wedding dresses out to the bar one night. I would totally do that --- as often as we could get away with it.

@vulpiepop I think your idea of dying your dress is great. If I were you I'd take it to a few different tailors and get their opinions. If they don't think it can be done right, there's your answer. A reputable tailor will refuse a job if he/she doesn't think the outcome will be good. What material is your dress? Can you include a photo?

blabla89 · April 2015

There's a cleaner in my neighborhood that does cleaning and preservation for a really good price, so I'll get it cleaned and preserved in a box until I decide what to do with it. Maybe get the girlfriends together and have a dinner party in our wedding dresses or something. Idk.

littlepep · April 2015

I don't want to preserve my dress. I want to take it out and wear it whenever I want. Wednesday wine night? Seems like a great occasion for a wedding dress.

charlottesmom0626 · April 2015

I spent way to much on my dress (we budgeted for it and cut some other things because I loved it so much, but still, it seems ridiculous to spend that sum of money on a dress) so I feel like the responsible choice would be to sell it, but I would love to frame it..

I think after the wedding I'll get it cleaned and then probably list it. If it sells for a good price, great. If it doesn't or I get cold feet, I'll hang onto it until I figure out if I should donate it or frame it.

kvruns · April 2015

What exactly does preserving a dress do?

kaitlynmichelle · April 2015

I'm probably going to go hiking in it (so long as it fits) for an anniversary to get more epic pictures. Or something equally fun. It is already dirty and ripped, and no way am I paying a ton of money to get it cleaned or preserved. I also can't bear to part with it so it's hanging behind my bedroom door.

vikinganna87 · April 2015

@kvruns This is what I found online: prepare for long-term storage by making sure the item is free of dirt, stains and any other foreign matter that will discolor or otherwise damage the fabric over time, then store it in an environment that will minimize damage from light, temperature and humidity changes, mildew and mold, and insects.

littlemushroom · April 2015

My mom took my dress to be cleaned the week after the wedding. They asked if we wanted to preserve it and we said no. When we went to pick it up a week or so later, they couldn't find it. They looked for 20 minutes and eventually said they didn't know where it was.

Another employee said they were going to check one last place. The cleaner had preserved the dress and packed it in a box, even though we hadn't paid for it. So nice! Now the box is stored at my parents' house.

theartistformerlyknownas · April 2015

littlemushroom said:
My mom took my dress to be cleaned the week after the wedding. They asked if we wanted to preserve it and we said no. When we went to pick it up a week or so later, they couldn't find it. They looked for 20 minutes and eventually said they didn't know where it was.

Another employee said they were going to check one last place. The cleaner had preserved the dress and packed it in a box, even though we hadn't paid for it. So nice! Now the box is stored at my parents' house.

OMG my heart stopped for a minute thinking they lost your dress.

Fairyjen1 · April 2015

I'm chopping off the train and turning it into a fairy costume for Halloween. Just add wings!

My mom is a professional costumer for theater. My dress is a 1930's style so it will probably end up in a show somewhere.

kaitlynmichelle · April 2015

Fairyjen1 said:
I'm chopping off the train and turning it into a fairy costume for Halloween. Just add wings!

My mom is a professional costumer for theater. My dress is a 1930's style so it will probably end up in a show somewhere.

I've also considered this, making it into a fairyor princess costume. A coworker's wife had a princess birthday party for their daughter and was dressed in her wedding dress as a princess. Apparently it was a huge hit with the kids.

kvruns · April 2015

Thanks @vikinganna87 I've just never understood the difference between just getting it cleaned and storing in a box. Sounds like preserving is a more special container to make it last better vs just a random bag

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