JoyfulMama Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Three years ago I almost parted with my wedding dress. DH was horrified at the idea, and I kept it. Now, dh's opinion isn't in the equation, and I am thinking of parting with it again. Did you keep some fabric to make a ring-bearer's pillow? (I didn't have a ring-bearer in my wedding.) Fabric for a hankie? (For something old?) Did you donate it to a specific organization? I never understood why my mom kept hers when I was a kid. I didn't want to play with it, I didn't think I would ever want to wear it. She didn't think I would ever want to wear it. I just asked my dd10 what her opinion is on it. She doesn't ever want to wear it, as she never plans to marry (this is not a new thing - she's being raised to be an independent woman, much like her mother, who was also insistent she would never marry). ;) Yet she thinks maybe her sister will want to maybe wear it, as she wouldn't know these things yet, as she is only 5. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I donated mine to Salvation Army. I kept the veil:001_smile:. Some people make baptism outfits out of the dress and what not as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in FL. Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Donated mine as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary in VA Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Haven't done it yet, but I have a plan for mine. A dear friend who sews beautifully has taken a wedding dress and made a baby's christening gown out of it. She had enough left to make three clutch purses for the owner of the dress and her two daughters. The owner of the dress had consulted both of her dds and neither wanted to wear the dress. So now the dress has become a beautiful family heirloom. It really is gorgeous, with beading and lace all down the front of the gown! My friend is now working an another and seems to have a cottage industry in the making. She is willing to be an advisor when I do the same with my dress :001_smile: I know neither one of my dds wants to wear it, too '80s! But I am excited about the prospect of recycling it into a family heirloom! Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down_the_Rabbit_Hole Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 When we moved in January I was tempted to get rid of mine, but decided to keep it. I am going to cut it into quilt squares and along with my mom's wedding dress make a quilt for dd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snickelfritz Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I had a low key wedding, with a white, formal, suit-dress. My girls use it for dress-up. Could you cut down the fabric, somehow, and pack it up? I'm thinking of getting rid of the under layers, that are so fluffy. But, keep the top layer. Then, make a decision when both girls are old enough to make an informed decision. You've kept it this long, why not wait a few more years? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iquilt Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I keep mine because my mom made it for me, but when she ordered the fabric for it she ordered extra and gave it to me as an anniversary gift so that I could make a baptism gown without cutting her dress. I was surprised and delighted and all three of mine were baptized in that gown. If my dress hadn't been made by my mom I'm not sure that I would still have it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Funny, I just asked dh if he thought I should sell mine. It was my mother's and she only kept it because she knew I wanted to wear it someday. There are no girls in our family who would want it, and I can't see holding onto it in case a future granddaughter might want it. I will probably list it on craigslist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I donated mine, but it was to some organization that only took wedding dresses and made them available to people who couldn't afford a dress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 since I don't have a daughter and won't have anymore kids I'm kinda torn...my sister (who raised me) kept hers and I smile still when i go to her house and peek into her closet and see it there....I keep saying i'm going to have mine preserved but it's been 10 years and haven't done it yet..it's nothing fancy-just what we could afford at the time...have thought about donating or selling or just giving away but haven't.....not really sure what I'm going to do---have heard of some people making the ring bearer pillows or christening gowns...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-2-7 Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I gave mine to Goodwill. I'm not a very sentimental person that way. Although, I will keep a picture drawn by my kids forever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 My mother kept hers and thought I would wear it. I didn't. My first wedding dress is still with former in-laws who kept it for my daughters (that husband died) but niether of those girls wanted to wear it. Not sure what will happen to it, but I don't want it either. My second dress I donated to the Salvation Army. I didn't wear a dress to my third wedding, we eloped to Las Vegas. I wanted to get married by an Elvis impersonator at a wedding drive-thru, but DH did insist on a semi-traditional service. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 There are Jewish organizations that collect wedding dresses for brides that can't afford them. Is there something similar you could donate to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I kept mine the first 10 years then donated it . The funny thing is both my boys wish I would of kept it. They see our wedding pictures and tell me I should of kept the dress. My DH wishes I still had the dress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4everHis Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 For ALL of these reasons I 'borrowed' my wedding dress and gave it back to it's rightful owner. I never understood the purchasing, wearing a few hours then storing for a lifetime of a dress. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xuzi Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I cut mine up when DD was born and had a Blessing dress made for her. And because I was a larger bride, there's still plenty of material to make a Baptism dress for her when she turns 8. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 For ALL of these reasons I 'borrowed' my wedding dress and gave it back to it's rightful owner. I never understood the purchasing, wearing a few hours then storing for a lifetime of a dress. :001_smile: ME TOO. I borrowed a friend's wedding dress and then gave it back to her (after it was cleaned) after the wedding. NO REGRETS there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 You could sell it on ebay. I have a friend that bought a beautiful used dress. The fabric in mine is so beautiful and it will fit dd. She could make some stylistic changes. Or I'm liking making dresses for future granddaughters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joanne Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Current wedding dress to current husband (used 4 years ago yesterday, as a matter of fact!): I still have this. It's a lovely, white slip dress with eyelet overwrap. Traditional wedding dress from wedding to xh: I sold on ebay and purchased groceries. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I have no idea. It was just a $75 cream-colored summer dress (we eloped,) and I never really thought about it much. It must have been donated in the first few years of marriage. I would try to seel it on ebay and do something fun with the money. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-FL Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I know neither one of my dds wants to wear it, too '80s! Mary Even if someone doesn't like mom's dress as is, it can be re-made into something modern. My mom has done this as a profession. One time the mom's dress was so far gone (lace had rotted) that she had to attach the lace to pellum & then use it on a new dress for the dd. My cousin's dd re-made her mom's dress so much you would have never known it was the same. Depending on what was used, the lace can be very expensive. Add on beading or sequins & you've upped the price even more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I threw mine in the trash after my divorce was final. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyNellen Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I stuffed it into the big red donation box. I was sick and tired of moving it :001_smile: I guess I am not so sentimental :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virg Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I adore my dress and don't think I could ever get rid of it! :) If I was though I heard of this awesome charity that took donations so low income people could get married in a dress they would love. I don't remember the name though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Inna* Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I never had a wedding dress. ;) (We got married in Vegas, wearing casual outfits) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I lost mine in a house fire. I wish I still had it. I think I would have kept it forever so my dds could have it remade or whatever. I wore my mom's veil when I got married. I have also heard of a group that will take them and give them away or sell for a low price to low income women. Can't remember the name though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 We wore shorts and t-shirts labeled bride and groom (with a picture of a ball and chain on the back). We still have them and I plan to wear them next year on our 15th anniv. Lara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I have the bodice of my gown. My sister took the skirt and train from my dress and put it on the bodice of the one she picked out. She and mom asked if they could do it, only after they had done it. I was a little upset, I had only been married 6 months before they hacked my dress apart. I had wanted to make it into a Christmas tree skirt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I rented mine. :D And I'm very glad I did! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melinda in VT Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I rented mine. :D And I'm very glad I did! :iagree: This is what I did. I don't have to store it or feel guilty for giving it away, and I got to wear a dress I couldn't afford to purchase. I married into a tall family, and there's every indication that my only daughter will be several inches taller than I am, so there's no question of her being able to wear any dress of mine anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Mine is sitting in storage at my parents' house. When I was younger our church had a great mother/daughter dinner which featured a fashion show of women and girls modeling the various wedding dresses that were hiding in closets. It was at least 100 years of dresses and a great deal of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Donated mine to Goodwill. Hopefully, I blessed some bride. I'm not very sentimental. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Mine was a navy blue maternity dress. No emotional ties to it. :) Gave it away to a local thrift store I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Inna* Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 Mine is sitting in storage at my parents' house. When I was younger our church had a great mother/daughter dinner which featured a fashion show of women and girls modeling the various wedding dresses that were hiding in closets. It was at least 100 years of dresses and a great deal of fun. What a lovely idea! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCJessieRN Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Wore mine 10 yrs ago and it's in a bag hanging in our garage. I just.can't.part.with.it! Even though I'm obviously NOT taking care of it! Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renthead Mommy Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I ripped out all the seams and used it for a christening outfit for my son. And yes, it was a christening 'outfit' not a christening 'gown'. For one reason my non practicing Jewish/Agnostic with a Catholic father husband said "You aren't going to put him into some sort of fancy dress are you???" :svengo::eek: And secondly because we had a small, super casual, quickie backyard wedding (but the kid didn't show up for 6 years - totally blew that theory so many people had! LOL!) so it was just a off the rack nice ivory dress, but it was A-lined and the panels wouldn't have been wide enough to make anything like that so it was just a little jumper outfit with a jacket. But even if I'd had a fancy expensive gown, I probably would have cut it up, unless I knew someone who needed it. I never would have been able to just let it hang in a closet an not serve a purpose somewhere. My mother held on to her wedding dress. She divorced my dad when I was 6, and remarried Lord Voldemort (It just fit him SO perfectly!!) when I was 13 and she still had it. I think she held onto it out of guilt and peer pressure of the time. She got married in the late 60's, so it was nothing anyone would want to wear (especially ME!). She got over it a few years later and let me try it on for Halloween senior year, but by then, well my library was larger than hers ever was! Freshman year, when I was 'less of a reader' I probably could have worn it (and it would have been awesome!) but by the time she pulled it out for me, (aka when I needed an awesome senior costume), my books wouldn't fit her bookshelf and I couldn't zip the thing up. She got rid of it after than. Often dresses like that, meaning out of style one are used for parts for other dresses, which I kind of like. I'm all for recycling stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I have the bodice of my gown. My sister took the skirt and train from my dress and put it on the bodice of the one she picked out. She and mom asked if they could do it, only after they had done it. I was a little upset, I had only been married 6 months before they hacked my dress apart. I had wanted to make it into a Christmas tree skirt. Why don't you hack hers apart, make a Christmas tree skirt out of it, and ask after? :) I wore my aunt's gown from 1954 and until recently my daughter had laid claim to it. I don't think the style of my mom's 1960 dress would suit her better and I'll bet she got tired of moving it and packed it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AHASRADA Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 My mom made mine, and it still hangs in the closet of my old room at my parents' house. Honestly, I have no idea what I might do with it in the future, never thought to ask my dd if she would want to wear it. But, we are sentimental people, and although I don't have a strong desire to keep it, it seems strange to think of getting rid of it, since it isn't taking up valuable storage space or anything. At the time of our wedding, my mom used some extra cloth from my dress to make a throw pillow as a keepsake for MIL, since she couldn't be at the wedding. I have no idea if she still has it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I would have liked to have been able to do something with it, but we had it stored in a closet that backed a bathroom. The pipes burst, and the dress was completely ruined. :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AvasMom Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I just asked dd if she wanted to wear mine and she said no way. She says its "too glittery and looks like My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding" and she wants one like Kate's instead. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlmiraGulch Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I don't know why I've kept mine (I've been divorced 5 years!) but this thread prompted me to go take a look at it. Just for fun, my soon-to-be-15-year-old daughter tried it on. It's just barely too big for her, and just barely too long. I'm about an inch taller than she is and was only about 5 pounds heavier than she is now when I got married. How fun that was! She made it clear she would never wear it. I think she was worried I wanted her to. Maybe I'll get it cleaned and try to sell it. Or donate it. Regardless, I don't think my new husband will be happy having it hanging in our closet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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