You’ve had the best day ever wearing your wedding dress, but now your wedding is over and you’re married, what should you do with it? It’s completely normal to feel sad that you only get to wear your wedding dress once, we’re guessing it’ll be the most special outfit you ever wear!
Whilst the easy option is to put it in your wardrobe, it will just gather dust and you’re not really likely to get a chance to re-wear it, so, what can you do with your wedding dress after the wedding day? Hopefully we’ll help you find answer here…
ASAP After Your Wedding
Before you make any decisions on the future life of your wedding dress, take care of it. No matter how careful you think you were on the day, there’s a good chance it will have a few stains, especially around the hem. If you tackle this as soon as possible with a great dry cleaner it’ll be as good as new in no time.
Get in touch with a professional wedding dress cleaner – you can view reputable businesses HERE.
Once it has been cleaned check it over for any areas that may need fixed, loose beading, missing embellishment etc. Speak to your seamstress about any repairs before the wedding during your fitting to make sure they are able to give it the once over after the day.
With it looking as great as they day you got it now you should choose how to store it. You can use the protective cover you received it in or purchase a special bridal dress box which ensures the perfect storage conditions. For more advice on how and where to store your dress, head here: Storing your Wedding Dress: The Do’s & Don’ts.
My dress is looking fabulous, now what should I do with it?
We’ve got a few ideas for you…
Keep it
Quite simply if you want to, keep it! You may decide to keep it for sentimental reasons, to take out and look at from time to time, or to pass it on one day. You don’t need a reason to keep your dress, if that is what you want to do!
Display it
You might want to show your dress off, and why not?! There are options to frame sections of your gown, or you could simply display it on a mannequin, but be careful it doesn’t discolour or get damaged over time.
Sell it
Do you know WOL have their own fabulous pre-loved Facebook group? HIGM Preloved Wedding Stuff is a hugely popular group where hundreds of past brides have successfully sold their wedding dresses, as well as other pre-loved and unused wedding items. All clothing sold via the group must be dry cleaned or clearly stated in your ad if it hasn’t been. You are in charge of setting the price and settling the sale with the buyer, and HIGM take no selling fee. If you want to give your dress a second life, there isn’t an easier option in our eyes!
Tips for selling you dress:
– Have it in perfect condition, cleaned and any repairs made.
– Share great photos of your dress – many brides use their wedding photos (you can mask your face if you want to), whilst others use the professional images of their dress from the designers website.
– Include all the important information such as size, designer, colour etc.
– Choose a realistic selling price.
– Once you have posted be prepared for interest and reply swiftly.
Other ideas for your wedding dress include donating it to your local charity, upcycle it or create an occasion to wear it again! Whatever you choose to do with your wedding dress, don’t rush into your decision and make sure you are completely happy with what you decide.
Don’t know what else you need to do after the wedding? Check out WOL’s amazing podcast, Wedding Wednesday. In this episode Kelly explains exactly the newlywed checklist – What To Do After ‘I DO’ – enjoy!
