Your wedding day has passed and you’ve started writing thank you cards, putting away the gifts and are ready to begin your new life as a wife, but you still have that wedding dress taking up quite a bit of space in your closet. Maybe you don’t quite know what to do with it after the big day. You’re not alone! 

This article will go over some of the best ways you can reuse or repurpose your dress, so you can get the most out of the money you spent on your gorgeous gown. From preservation to donation, you have many options you can choose from and there’s no right or wrong way to repurpose your dress. Hopefully this article will help either cinch your idea or give you a new one you may never have even thought of.

Ways to Repurpose Your Dress

Alter the Dress

This idea is fantastic for those who want to keep the memory of their wedding going and don’t mind getting a little creative with it. If you don’t feel like leaving it in the back of the closet, you can recycle your gown into a whole new piece of clothing that you can wear on special occasions — such as your wedding anniversary — to make it a little extra special. You don’t need to know how to sew to do this either. Find a qualified seamstress or alteration specialist and look online for ideas and inspiration for your gown’s evolution. 

Sell the Dress

Maybe you want some extra money for the honeymoon or to help put in for a down payment on a starter home for you and your hubby. No matter the reason, you can always sell your dress for extra dough after the big day. There are tons of online resources and apps you can choose to sell your dress, such as Still White or Nearly Newlywed, just to name a few. Consignment shops can be great too, just check the percentage rates of all your options before you decide on a venue. 

Make a Keepsake

If you want a more sentimental, but crafty choice, turning your dress into a keepsake is another route you can take. From pillow cases to quilts, you can turn your dress into anything you want with a little ingenuity. Resources like  Pinterest have dozens of creative ideas to make sure you can be reminded of the happiest day of your life every day with a piece of decor or even jewelry made from your beautiful gown. 

Preserve It/Pass It Down

Not interested in cutting up your dress or selling it? No worries, there’s plenty of services dedicated to the preservation of wedding dresses. These services clean and preserve your dress for as long as you’d like. Preserving the dress will keep it in impeccable condition and allow you to pass it down to a daughter or granddaughter when the time comes. 

Since your dress will be professionally preserved, it will look and feel like the day you got married. There are DIY preservation techniques you can do as well if you want to skip paying for preservation, just make sure they are backed by good reviews or your lace could age and yellow over time.

Donate the Dress

If you want to pass on the feeling you had on your big day to someone who may not be as fortunate to buy such a dress, you can always donate it. Organizations like Brides for a Cause, which sells your dress and uses the funds to give to specific charities and Brides Across America, which donates the dresses to military and first responders, are great accredit organizations you can feel good about donating your gown to. There are plenty of options for donation and you can choose whichever feels right to you. 

“Trash the Dress” Photoshoot

Some make it tradition to do a “Trash the Dress” photoshoot after the wedding, which is basically where you can take photos in wild and fun places you normally wouldn’t dare go with your dress. It’s a fun way to memorialize the dress in photos while having a good time and of course, you don’t have to destroy the dress if you don’t want, you can just muck it up a bit more than you would on your wedding day. Go as crazy or as tame as you want with the photoshoot, it’s another chance for you to immortalize the dress before it gets stored, donated, sold or whatever else you choose to do after.

Let’s Get You Into Your Dream Dress!

Hello Beautiful!

Let’s Find Your Dream Dress.

At Sposa Mia Bridal, our hand-curated collection of Bridal Gowns will steal your heart, with a mixture of price point and styles we provide a unique selection of gowns and accessories that is elegant, timeless and romantic.

To schedule your visit, please give us a call at the boutique or take a moment to complete our appointment request form. We will get back to you as quickly as possible to confirm the details!