No, we’re not talking second weddings here, but – celebrations over, vows made – what to do with the dress! For hopeless romantics, the wedding dress is an item that often gets stashed into a wardrobe in the hopes that a future generation will wear it, but the reality is that by then styles have usually changed, the dress has yellowed and the last thing that bride-to-be wants is your old dress.
Being more open-minded, there are loads of fun possibilities. The most obvious is to restyle it, alter or dye it – so that it’s wearable by you on other occasions – think cocktail dress, LDB, turned into a two-piece or dyed and teamed with a denim jacket for trendy look.
Another possibility, and a good cause, is to donate it to a charity that sells dresses to raise funds. For those good at sewing, refashioning it into a christening gown for your future children holds sentimental value, as does turning it into a teddy bear or soft toy (or toys) for those future children too. It doesn’t have to be used by a baby though – think fairy princess outfit for a young daughter, a First Communion Dress for those who are Catholic, or a flower girl dress for someone special.
For people with an eye for art, it can be used as a “canvas”, either for a painting, the background for a scrapbook of your wedding photos and memorabilia, or used to cover your wedding albums. We also love the idea of turning it into a patchwork quilt for your matrimonial bed, complete with matching pillowcases perhaps, or into a table cloth (again patchwork) for special occasions.
You could, of course use it in a “trash the dress” photo shoot, or share it with others in the form of luxurious gift wrap.
