Speaking of wedding dresses... what did you do with yours? - YouLookFab Forum

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Speaking of wedding dresses... what did you do with yours?

Mander

(website)

Veteran

The Valentine's day thread got me thinking about this.

Those of you married gals who had a traditional wedding dress, what did you do with it afterwards? Mine is in an old suitcase under the bed, and I don't really have a clue what to do with it. In all honesty I think it is unlikely I will ever have a daughter, and if I do I really hope she is not as big as me. Sometimes I think about selling it, or making pillows, but it somehow seems heartless to get rid of it and, well, embroidered champagne satin pillows don't really go with my home decor.

What did you do with yours?

General

23 replies

Latest reply was from dizzys

rute

Veteran

Mine is with my mother! She kept it because she has such a big house full of closets!

Jjsloane

Veteran

I had it professionally cleaned and preserved (by a reputable company) which cost a pretty penny. It's in it's box in my storage closet, but I doubt my daughter will want to wear it. I am just not ready to part with it until she can make that decision.

Debora

Veteran

Mine is at my mom's. Poor mom, I have two sisters and she has all our gowns in a spare bedroom closet. I have a cousin who owns a dry cleaning business and she cleaned and preserved our gowns as a wedding gifts.

Anonymous

Mine is hanging on the back of my closet door. I guess I will hold it and see if my daughter wants it when she is older!

Raisin

Veteran

I sold mine! Lol, I do not like keeping useless things around, my family knows that...haha!

My dress was not like a real, beautiful wedding gown anyway, more of a white prom dress. I sold it to a girl who was getting married last minute to her boyfriend before he was shipped off to Afghanistan. It was so cute, she was broke and I think I sold it for like $50 (it was maybe $300 originally?), and she was over-the-moon happy. So I was really happy for it to go to someone that loved it and was so excited to get it!!

And also, unless you take care of them and package them really well, they will go yellow over time, so to me it was kind of pointless to keep. I have no girls, and even if I did, I don't think they would want to wear my dress, and I wouldn't even want them to. To me an item is not a memory. I'd rather look at a picture of me wearing it, looking happy, then have it going yellow in my closet! Lol, I suppose if I had paid 5 grand for it I might feel different. I think if I were only getting married now though, I would definitely rent a gown. A gorgeous, expensive gown that would be mine for just one day! PERFECT!

Kim

Veteran

I cut mine down to be my children's christening gown at their baptism. I *think* my sister has it now, but I'm now sure where it wound up. My mother made hers into a princess costume for me one Halloween! So we are not keepers around here either....

Hil

(website)

Veteran

I still have mine, but I keep meaning to make a plan and donate it to http://www.princessproject.co.za/. In fact, this post has inspired me to actually make a plan and do it!!! I've just sent an email to find out where I can deliver mine

Thistle

Veteran

I have mine hanging in a closet. It was made by a seamstress to fit me specifically. Not sure why I am keeping it other than t feels heartless to donate it.

It took us a long time to have DD, so my dress is 10 years old and she is one.

Maybe she would like a bit of the Italian lace on her dress as a memory, although I doubt she would want the whole dress. If she takes even a little after DH she will be much taller and thinner than I am.

Seamstress told me to keep it in a closet, no plastic, and the fabric she used would last longer. It isn't silk as silk doesn't travel well (we got married in Hawaii), so that might make a difference.

Atlantia

Veteran

I donated mine very recently to an organization that rents a room in the building I work. They have wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, decor, etc, all available to use for free for women who don't have the financial means to buy such things. Seemed like a good cause.
I didn't tell them I was divorced...hopefully that doesn't make it a bad luck wedding gown.
http://www.stanthonysbridal.co...../home.html

cheryle (Dianthus)

(website)

Veteran

Mine was in the closet and actually stayed there when I packed up my things and moved out. I have no idea what my ex-husband did with it but suspect his second wife had it burned in effigy.

Just kidding - we all got along well after the initial adjustment period.

Laurinda

Veteran

All that money for a one-day dress never appealed to me, not to mention thinking ahead to what I would do with it, so I decided to get married in a pretty sundress. I can wear it on our anniversary ;-). It is great to hear that there are so many ways to pass them on to gals who can use them!

Anonymous

Mine is hanging in the closet, I want to wear it for my 50th anniversary (only 27 yrs to go).
@Kim- making a christening gown is a very cool idea!
@Mander- I think you should just go for it- pillows would be great, not heartless more of a tribute.

Claudia

Veteran

Mine's hanging in my old bedroom closet at my mother's house. I suppose when my daughter gets married we'll take it out and have a good laugh over it (appalling 1980's pouffy bridal gown). In the scheme of wedding gown costs, this was a fairly inexpensive one and I have no sentimental attachment. My mother's on the other hand, was a more traditional and timeless looking gown. That one my daughter may want and I care about for sentimental reasons.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Mine is boxed up in a spare closet -- I had it cleaned and boxed up after the wedding, and it's been in that box ever since (10 year anniversary coming up in June). I should get it out and try it on, now that it would probably fit again.

I had it specially made, so it may be hard to part with it. No daughters to pass it down to, so that's not a reason for me to keep it. I think I would have a hard time letting it go.

Emily

Veteran

Errr... I had mine clean and boxed and now it is in a spare room. When I had it cleaned the dry cleaning lady gave me serious side-eye and told me it would NOT come clean - we had our (beautiful!) photos taken in a wooded area, and that meant some dirt. I never actually looked at it after it was cleaned, haha.

Maybe I'll shorten it to wear to my 50th anniversary (good call, Tracina). You can still show leg in your 70s, right?

Sarah A

Veteran

Mine is folded in a cedar chest. Interestingly enough it is a gold brocade that my mom got at a fire sale (i mean literally the boutique had a fire and was closing!) for us kids to use as a dress up dress when were were probably 11 or 12. My sister remade the bodice for it to be my wedding dress. I am guessing when my little girls get big enough to wear it for dress up they probably will.... full circle and all that.

Aziraphale

Veteran

Mine's in a cardboard box on the top shelf in my closet. I think. I haven't looked at it since I boxed it up.

What I have looked at, and let my daughter play with, is the awesome tiara. I still love it. I don't know if you can tell from my wedding pictures, but it's kind of a deconstructed cluster of diamond-like rhinestones and pearls. It was nearly as expensive as the dress (mind you, the dress was not particularly expensive...the fabric was not real silk), and, predictably, made me feel like a princess.

ironkurtin

Veteran

I got married in a naughty Betsey Johnson number. It is in storage for my peanut in case she ever wants to wear it.

lynne

Veteran

I still have mine, hoping that maybe a niece will want to wear them. I can't bring myself to get rid of them. I lent one to a friend for her wedding and she had it professionally cleaned and boxed. The other is just hanging in the closet.

Laurie

Veteran

Mine is in the attic, boxed and preserved for the last almost-20 years. I have no daughters but like others, I can't imagine parting with it. I just like knowing i have it.

A few years ago my Mom pulled out her dress after probably 48 years of marriage (they're at 52 now). She hung it outside on the clothes line to air out, and both she and my Dad reminisced and told some stories about their wedding day. She probably could have fit into it, by the way. She didn't know what to do with it, so she took it to the cleaner to have it boxed.

The cleaner had a fire the following week, and everything was lost! Mom ended up getting a couple of hundred dollars from their insurance, which is probably 4 times what she paid for it. And now the dress is forever gone, after storing it for all of those decades.

My sister and I never even thought about wearing it and I doubt either of us would have been able to squeeze into it anyway. But, I have had numerous friends who did wear their mother's dresses down the aisle for those with daughters who are wondering whether to save it.

Anonymous

I donated mine to our church's thrift shop a few years ago.

Irene

Veteran

I haven't got married yet ut we keep my mom's in the closet. It was a beautiful simple late-victorian inspired dress -no frills or big skirt. Gorgeous. She always says that she saw the dress windowshopping and then my grandma, who happened to be a seamstress, made one specially fit for her. Problem is, I don't have my mom's body proportions -she has a higher waist and longer legs- so it doesn't fit me and never will (I've tried).

dizzys

I have been pondering this lately. My dress was cleaned and stored. It is in a box. but I have been thinking about pulling it out and doing a trash the dress photoshoot. I am not sure it fits any more as I have lost weight.....Is this crazy? Some one could surely use it right? I am too old for a glamour photoshoot.......but I would love to celebrate 15 years of marriage and the lost weight.

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