What to Do With Your Gown After the Wedding

After your wedding day has been and gone, you have a couple of options regarding what to do with your gown. Do you want to keep it? Sell it? Donate it?

Sell it

This can be a little heart wrenching for brides, which is completely understandable seeing as it holds so many beautiful memories, but if you are a little strapped for cash post-wedding or lacking the storage space, selling your gown it a fantastic option. Sites offering second-hand wedding gowns are popping up everywhere and they’re a great alternative to selling on ebay.

We love the personal touch of Savvy Brides, a Sydney based company that offers brides-to-be the opportunity to visit their showroom, which means no weekends are spent waiting for brides to come to you and try on your frock. Savvy Brides look after all the nitty gritty details. Their impressive range includes labels like Mariana Hardwick and Monique Lhuillier, but their selling power isn't just limited to Sydney. Brides-to-be nationwide can purchase their gown through the website. 

If you’re looking to sell more than just a wedding dress, I Do Gowns is a one-stop shop for selling all bridesmaid, flower girls and mother of the bride fashion as well as wedding gowns. They take no commission and offer a flat rate so your dress stays up until it sells. Still-White also offer this service as well as having a tool to view how many brides have viewed your dress. Great for keeping track of how effective your listing is!

Re-Vamp it

If your gown is a sheath or a simple style that doesn’t scream wedding dress, why not transform it? You’ll give your gown a second life and get a new evening dress in the process. Altering the style of your gown will be a cinch for any good tailor. They can make it shorter, add some contrasting fabric or transform it with a fun frill. CLEO magazine ran a story in their January 2010 issue on revamping styles handed down from your mum, with some very clever results. Get inspired by these readers' creative twists on vintage gowns (click on image to enlarge).

 

Changing the colour of your gown is a quick and effective way to re-invent your gown. Changing the colour yourself can be a little scary considering the price you paid, but that’s where Culla Change comes in. This Sydney based company (don’t worry, they ship nationally) will dye your dress in a colour choosen by you from their huge range of shades and send your 'good as new' gown back. Added bonus: White fabrics dye the best.

Donate it

Knowing that your gown is not only going to another grateful bride but is also raising some much needed funds for charity is a fantastic reason to donate your gown. St Vincent de Paul Society have opened an entire section in their Abbotsford store dedicated to selling donated wedding dresses. Contact Abbotsford St Vincent de Paul, (03) 9419 7410 for more information.

Store it

If you’ve got the storage space why not hang onto your beautiful gown? You never know, it might be the perfect fit for your daughter or other family members one day. Fashion trends move in 20 year cycles so in a couple of decades it will be right on trend. Find a dry cleaner in your area to help you preserve your gown properly.

What will you do with your gown? Check out our wedding dress forum now and find out what other Knotties plan to do.

--- Alexandra Thompson