To keep, or not to keep

[nicole]

My wedding is 2 weeks tomorrow, and I've been thinking of what to do with my dress afterwards. I know I'm definitely bringing it back to the States with me, and the Bridal Salon I bought it from offers me a discount on Gown Preservation... But I dunno if I want to keep it or not. I mean, what am I going to with it? It's just going to be sat in a box till I die and someone else throws it out? I don't really like the idea of forcing it on any daughter or daughter-in-law I might have- it's a lace gown and might be out of fashion in X years time.

So I could sell it. There are whole websites dedicated to selling second hand wedding dresses. I was thinking, I have a silk belt which has a lace flower brooch attached; I could sell the dress but keep the belt and cut one of the back petals off to have set in a necklace, so I'd at least keep part of the dress.

I was sort of set on option number 2, but then my SO was very surprised I wanted to sell and now I have doubts.

So what do you think you'd do with your dress afterwards? Or ladies who have already got married, what have you done with yours?

[lademoiselle]

I'd want to keep mine. Don't think I could bear the thought of another woman wearing it! If I had a daughter one day I'd like to be able to show it to her too Can't say what would happen when I shuffled off my mortal coil, maybe I'd ask for my "treasures" to be put in a time capsule or something! But yeah, I know I'd hang onto the dress even though I'd only worn it once.

ETA: Good luck for your big day, I'm sure you'll look radiant

[ioanna]

I'm trying to remember what your dress looks like...
No wedding in sight for me, ad no wedding dress dreams yet, but i have a feeling i'd be a little emotionally attached to the thing, even though i'm definitely leaning towards option 2.

Is there any way it can be transformed? if you're going to keep it, might as well use it. maybe it can be dyed in navy or you can use the lace to do something else with it. the idea of keeping the belt and making a petal pendant are very nice too. and with the price of these things, it's not a bad thing to get a little extra $$ in for starting your new life together.. I guess, in the end, if i could re-use it i'd keep it, if not i'd make a little keepsake and save some room in my closet.

[Bluejay Belle]

I would want to repurpose it somehow (like make it a cocktail dress or dye it like ionna said!) or I would sell it, probably. I wouldn't want to spend the money on [a dress] I wouldn't use again...but maybe I'm all talk, seeing as I'm not even engaged.

[lyonsgirl]

I have no frigging clue what I'm going to do with mine, ha! Re-purposing my gown isn't an option for me. The buttons and the satin and the shape... just, wouldn't work so well - if at all.

I think I'll preserve it. Maybe I'll sell it down the road, but I think I'd like to hang onto it for a while. I know my mom still has her wedding dress, and she was married in 1975!

[Brieasaurus]

I'd want to keep mine when the day comes. My mom still has hers from her wedding and it's in a shadow box with other things from her wedding. I like it. I know that you can also do those "trash the dress" shoots, where you put it on and go in the ocean or some other dirty thing but then there's not much you can do with it afterwards besides throw it away. :/

[lucybelle]

I don't know what to do with mine, never thought about it really. It's knee-length and maybe if I had it dyed I could wear it again to somewhere fancy. Actually, that's not a bad idea. Wonder if you can dye silk... Google says yes you can! I'll dye it some fun color and then I'll wear it to someone else's wedding

My mom had her dress for a really long time. But just a few years ago she found out moths had gotten to it and just ruined it. I think she ended up throwing it away but was heartbroken. She held onto it even after her divorce. Her mom made her dress so maybe it was extra special to her.

[Zephii]

I still haven't gotten mine dry-cleaned. I don't know if it would even survive that, seeming I got it online for under $200 It's hanging in a bag on the back of my bedroom door, and that's it. I assume maybe my little girl can wear it to a fancy dress party or maybe debut in it if she's into that stuff. Or maybe for our 5 year anniversary Obi and I can get dressed up and get some updated photos with the kids. I always meant to re-sell it or give it away, but I felt so lovely in that dress I can't seem to do it yet.

One of Granny's friends got dressed in hers every year and took photos, but I think that's weird. I've known people who keep it so they can be buried in it too

[Jazi]

My mom had her dress for a really long time. But just a few years ago she found out moths had gotten to it and just ruined it. I think she ended up throwing it away but was heartbroken.

^^ freaks me out! I want to keep my dress but the idea that it could get eaten by moths just makes me think it's worth more to just sell it...

Side note - I pulled out a shirt of my SOs out of the wardrobe the other day and noticed 1 tiny hole that had browned edges that looked like a burn mark.. and right next to it was another tiny brown mark that hadn't made a hole, it's right in the middle of the back of the shirt where your shoulder blades would be so I highly doubt it was a burn mark.... Have NO IDEA what it is but your post made me immediately afraid that I could have clothing moths/carpet beetles

I still haven't gotten mine dry-cleaned. I don't know if it would even survive that, seeming I got it online for under $200 It's hanging in a bag on the back of my bedroom door, and that's it. I assume maybe my little girl can wear it to a fancy dress party or maybe debut in it if she's into that stuff. Or maybe for our 5 year anniversary Obi and I can get dressed up and get some updated photos with the kids. I always meant to re-sell it or give it away, but I felt so lovely in that dress I can't seem to do it yet.

One of Granny's friends got dressed in hers every year and took photos, but I think that's weird. I've known people who keep it so they can be buried in it too

I wore one of the bridesmaid dresses from my mums wedding to a fancy dress party - I actually still have the bridesmaid dress AND her wedding dress in a bag somewhere because I was going to repurpose them, the bridesmaids dress I especially wanted to remake because it is a gorgeous blue silk (very 80s lol) but the fabric would make an awesome skirt/dress. She kept the bridesmaid dress/her wedding dress for me I guess, to show me/if I ever wanted them, seeing as she got divorced from my dad when I was 5 and she was completely fine with the idea of me pulling them apart.. She is now remarried to my stepdad and has kept her dress

I also don't think it's uncommon for people to have their dress laying around somewhere needing dry-cleaning my friend got married 2 years ago and still hasn't dry cleaned hers!

by the way - creepy to get buried in your wedding dress

[mllebamako]

I've been talking about this with my mom recently. I have 3 different wedding dresses in various closets.
1. My religious wedding dress (Malian). It was white with pink and gold embroidery. I had it dyed for a friend's wedding and the dye-lady took some liberties and dyed it orange. So now it's pretty hideous. I'll have to see if I can dye it again.

2. My civil ceremony wedding outfit (Malian). It's white with blue and gold embroidery. I will probably also get this dyed to rewear...but I definitely need to find a new dye-lady

3. My American wedding dress that I never got to wear This is the one I am struggling with, obviously. My parents bought it for me while I was in the States 2 years ago and my SO and I were planning on doing the fiance visa. Well, plans changed and we ended up getting married here. Now my mom wants to sell it, which I know is the smart thing to do... I mean, I'm never going to wear it, right? But it is so beautiful and I really loved it and it makes me sad that I never got to wear it.

So, back to topic....if I were you, I'd wait until after the wedding to decide. You might find that after having worn it, the answer may come much more easily to you.

[digitalfever]

This isn't a romantic idea but you can always vaccine deal your dress. Buy the storage bags for clothing and it'll have a little nozzle that the vacuum will go into and it will seal it. Nothing can get to it.

[lyonsgirl]

This isn't a romantic idea but you can always vaccine deal your dress. Buy the storage bags for clothing and it'll have a little nozzle that the vacuum will go into and it will seal it. Nothing can get to it.

[nicole]

lol I'm think autocorrect? I think she meant vacuum pack

Yeah I think I might wait till after to decide... but the thought of someone else re-using it is way better than storing it and discovering it's been attacked by moths etc later on. I don't know if I can dye it as it has white beading on it, which would actually be a crime to take off as it's so pretty! I could ask a seamstress though- I've never owned a formal gown really, just a prom dress which I think I gave to a charity shop right afterwards.