Attire & Accessories Forum

Did you keep your wedding dress

Hi, 
I'm debating donating my wedding dress after the wedding, but a small part of me worries I may regret it. What did you do after you wore your dress? Are there any other brides considering donating their dresses? 
«1

Re: Did you keep your wedding dress

  • I've said a number of time on these boards that I wish I had donated my dress 33 years ago. I had it preserved. Of course it is out of style now and DD didn't want to wear it. She did wear my veil. Simple veils don't really go out of style and can be easily reconfigured. I would say donate the dress, preserve the veil.
  • I'm getting married soon (no personal experience) but almost all of my friends who have gotten married before me have kept their gowns and displayed them in a shadow box. The got the dress professionally cleaned and then ensured that the glass was UV resistant. They look awesome in a bedroom or large walk in closet.
  • I kept mine.
    What did you think would happen if you walked up to a group of internet strangers and told them to get shoehorned by their lady doc?~StageManager14
    image
  • ei34ei34 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    I kept mine.  No idea what its future holds (and I'm sure DDs won't want to wear it) but I just haven't wanted to part with it yet. 
  • SP29SP29 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    I tried to sell mine twice, with no luck. Currently it's hanging in its garment bag in my closet. Still debating on what to do with it. I have no desire to get it preserved, nor do I think my possible future daughter will particularly want it. if I find a good place to donate to, I'll probably do that at some point.
  • I kept mine from 40 years ago, and I wish I hadn't.
    httpiimgurcomTCCjW0wjpg
  • CMG why do you wish you did not keep it?
  • I kept mine thinking I might have a daughter who would wear it. I did have a daughter but realize she probably would prefer to have her own dress.
  • edited August 2016
    I currently have mine, but I just connected with an organization that will take your dress and make it into little outfits for preemie babies who have passed so the parents don't have to go shopping for a funeral outfit for a baby smaller than a doll. They are set up with various hospitals around our state, and I'm looking to set them up with mine bc we have clothes to dress our babies in the immediate aftermath, but not for the funeral itself. 

    As a NICU RN, I can't think of a better thing to do with a dress that's been sitting under my bed for the last two years. 
    I heard about this organization as well. And Wish Upon A Wedding collects dresses for terminally ill brides. These were two of the organization I was considering. 
  • My sister in law used a lot of the fabric of her gown to have christening dresses made for her twins.  I'm sure the gown isn't usable, but it's a nice thought.
  • It's hanging in my closet in the farmer bag three and a half years later. Part of me wants to get rid of it. The other part of me thinks it'd be sweet to do what H's mom did, which is put it on every anniversary for H. 
  • CMGragainCMGragain member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited August 2016
    debbeau said:
    CMG why do you wish you did not keep it?
    My wedding was 40 years ago.  The dress is in a box, wrapped in muslin, and is in good condition.  It has sleeves and a high neckline.  My daughter is much taller than I am, and she hated it.  She wanted her own dress.
    I have cancer, and I do have a limited life expectancy.  What the hell is my family supposed to do with my out of style wedding dress from 1976?  Burn it?  It is currently taking up storage space.  I haven't been able to fit into it since 1980 (first baby), so wearing it is out of the question, not that I would consider ever wearing it.
    I should have donated it to charity while it was still in style.  Then it would have had a purpose, and some other 1970s bride could have enjoyed wearing it.  When I feel nostalgic about my wedding, I look at my wedding pictures.  Wow!  I was young and thin!
    httpiimgurcomTCCjW0wjpg
  • CMGragainCMGragain member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited August 2016
    It's hanging in my closet in the farmer bag three and a half years later. Part of me wants to get rid of it. The other part of me thinks it'd be sweet to do what H's mom did, which is put it on every anniversary for H. 
    ...and she could fit into it?  I envy her! Well, my DH couldn't fit into his old tuxedo, either.
    httpiimgurcomTCCjW0wjpg
  • @CMGragain, you may still be able to donate it to a program that makes gowns for infants that die.
  • I kept mine, mostly because I'm lazy. But I bought mine pre-owned so I didn't have a lot of $$ invested in it. I actually just hung it in the closet after it being half wadded up for over a year after the wedding. If it had been one that was more in the current lacy/mermaid trend I might have tried to sell it but heck I tried to sell my beaded belt and hairpiece and they never sold so I think I'll just keep it all for my niece to play dress up one day. 
  • CMGragain said:
    debbeau said:
    CMG why do you wish you did not keep it?
    My wedding was 40 years ago.  The dress is in a box, wrapped in muslin, and is in good condition.  It has sleeves and a high neckline.  My daughter is much taller than I am, and she hated it.  She wanted her own dress.
    I have cancer, and I do have a limited life expectancy.  What the hell is my family supposed to do with my out of style wedding dress from 1976?  Burn it?  It is currently taking up storage space.  I haven't been able to fit into it since 1980 (first baby), so wearing it is out of the question, not that I would consider ever wearing it.
    I should have donated it to charity while it was still in style.  Then it would have had a purpose, and some other 1970s bride could have enjoyed wearing it.  When I feel nostalgic about my wedding, I look at my wedding pictures.  Wow!  I was young and thin!


    Thank you for thinking of this. I have both my late grandma and late mom's wedding dresses and I have no idea what to do with them but I can't just throw them away.

    I offered my grandma's dress to my cousin who is getting married in October and she'll be the first grandkid to get married after Grandma died. She's uncomfortable opening the box or cutting some off to sew into her dress or bouquet or something.

    I need to get the ball rolling on donating mine. The burial gown organizations I've seen all say they don't need dresses right now. Because of that, I'd like to donate mine to someone like PP mentioned, terminally ill, or an organization along those lines.

    Image result for someecard betting someone half your shit youll love them forever
  • I kept mine thinking I would do something crafty or use a piece as part of my kid's baptism outfit.....never did either. Then I was like "oh, I'll save it for future kids", but then I remember that 99% of people I know want their own wedding dress, not their mom's. So I will probably donate.
    *********************************************************************************

    image
  • My Husband and I are almost identical in chest size so he re-used my gown as a funny cross-dressed Halloween custom the year we got married (after the wedding of course!) Since then it has been hanging in my closet awaiting its fate.  I did want to donate it at first but then a small part of me said to keep it.  I dunno, maybe one of these days I will donate it for repurposing...it is already considered "out of style" compared to what I see today and its only been two years.
  • CMGragain said:
    debbeau said:
    CMG why do you wish you did not keep it?
    My wedding was 40 years ago.  The dress is in a box, wrapped in muslin, and is in good condition.  It has sleeves and a high neckline.  My daughter is much taller than I am, and she hated it.  She wanted her own dress.
    I have cancer, and I do have a limited life expectancy.  What the hell is my family supposed to do with my out of style wedding dress from 1976?  Burn it?  It is currently taking up storage space.  I haven't been able to fit into it since 1980 (first baby), so wearing it is out of the question, not that I would consider ever wearing it.
    I should have donated it to charity while it was still in style.  Then it would have had a purpose, and some other 1970s bride could have enjoyed wearing it.  When I feel nostalgic about my wedding, I look at my wedding pictures.  Wow!  I was young and thin!


    Thank you for thinking of this. I have both my late grandma and late mom's wedding dresses and I have no idea what to do with them but I can't just throw them away.

    I offered my grandma's dress to my cousin who is getting married in October and she'll be the first grandkid to get married after Grandma died. She's uncomfortable opening the box or cutting some off to sew into her dress or bouquet or something.

    I need to get the ball rolling on donating mine. The burial gown organizations I've seen all say they don't need dresses right now. Because of that, I'd like to donate mine to someone like PP mentioned, terminally ill, or an organization along those lines.

    Girl, not true! I'm donating my dress and a coworkers dress this week to an organization in Illinois that makes burial gowns! Let me know if you want the link to their fb page. They have pick up sites / people all over Illinois (mainly in the suburbs). 
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    image
  • ernursej said:
    @CMGragain, you may still be able to donate it to a program that makes gowns for infants that die.
    If it had been satin and lace, I would do that, but it was polyester taffeta and illusion.  I don't think that would work for their purposes.
    httpiimgurcomTCCjW0wjpg
  • CMGragain said:
    ernursej said:
    @CMGragain, you may still be able to donate it to a program that makes gowns for infants that die.
    If it had been satin and lace, I would do that, but it was polyester taffeta and illusion.  I don't think that would work for their purposes.

    I'd check it out before ruling it out. I've been surprised by lots of things in my life.
  • CMGragain said:
    It's hanging in my closet in the farmer bag three and a half years later. Part of me wants to get rid of it. The other part of me thinks it'd be sweet to do what H's mom did, which is put it on every anniversary for H. 
    ...and she could fit into it?  I envy her! Well, my DH couldn't fit into his old tuxedo, either.
    Yes! H said she stopped doing it at some point, but he remembers her doing it when he was middle school age after she had had him and two siblings. 
  • I love my wedding dress, I can never donate it. I wear it whenever I get a chance. My wedding gown was not typically a bridal gown so I can wear it for parties or my friends wedding.
  • My mother's wedding dress survived being folded up in a paper bag and sitting in a cedar chest for decades. I pulled it out ten years ago and a friend turned it into a work of art. It has photos of her as a girl, her wedding picture, and a photo with her parents on their 60th anniversary. One of her long-sleeved gloves holds tiny roses that were on the dress, and the "pearls" were harvested from the dress too. The abundance of purple is a nod to Mom's favorite color. It hangs in my living room.
  • That is so cool! I need to learn to sew.

    The cleaner screwed up my Mom's dress and left it permanently stained. This would be a perfect way to salvage it.
  • I plan on donating mine. I've done the same thing with all my prom dresses, bridesmaid dresses, etc and it was great. So nice to enable another woman to enjoy her special day.
  • We got married in January and mine is in the bag in the closet still. Not sure what I'm going to do with it but my bridesmaids and I have a date with our future selves to wear them out all together one of these years. Yes, we have pulled the "Friends" thing and called each other while drinking wine and sitting in our dresses.

    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • I'll probably keep mine. My mom kept hers and I'm using her lace for my veil. Since my dress has almost identical lace, I'll probably keep it around in case I ever have a daughter that wants to do something similar.
    Wedding Countdown Ticker
  • My first wedding I had a beautiful lace gown hand made by my aunt. Ten years and one divorce later, it's hanging in a closet at my mom's. No way I'm using that lace for christening gowns for my children with my new husband (that was the plan for it originally when first husband and I were still married). I looked into donating it to a group that provides gowns for military brides, but they won't take it because (while it is still very much in style) it is 10 years old and it was custom made (no designer info, even though I copied a Monique Lhullier gown). I'm going to keep looking for places that will take it. 

    My my second wedding dress was a knee length, white lace sundress. I can absolutely wear it out for a nice dinner, and no one will think I'm in a wedding dress. So this one is a keeper, just like the guy. 
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards