Do you still have your wedding dress?

[rocassie]

I do have mine.  I let my kids play dress up in it.  I doubt any of my kids will actually wear it if they choose to marry, but they sure have had fun playing in it.  I"m not super sentimental, and I'm happy they are enjoying it rather than it just taking up space somewhere.

[amiesmom]

No, my dress was at my parents' house which burned down in a wildfire about a year after we were married. When my mom called me and told me the house had burned, the first thing she said was that my wedding dress was lost in the fire. I didn't care in the least, but I felt bad that my mom felt so bad about it. Honestly, it has saved me from having to move it, store it, or figure out what to do with it. 

[Forget-Me-Not]

I do, but I want to get rid of it. It’s a late-90s ball gown style with a giant tulle skirt. My aunt made it. I loved it at the time, but it’s so out of style, plus it’s yellowed a lot because I didn’t have it preserved. It’s currently inside a cedar chest in storage while we have a house built (the cedar chest is another heirloom I’d like to get rid of).  I thought about trying to donate it, but like I said it’s yellowed and nobody seems to be taking donations anymore. I hate to just throw it away, but that might be what I end up doing. 

[Dmmetler]

It, my bouquet (silk) veil, and some of the other stuff are in my hope chest, along with L's first set of bedding and some baby clothes, my mom's Toni dolls, and other stuff. Truthfully, the chest probably hasn't been opened in the last decade. 

[HS Mom in NC]

2 hours ago, rocassie said:

I do have mine.  I let my kids play dress up in it.  I doubt any of my kids will actually wear it if they choose to marry, but they sure have had fun playing in it.  I"m not super sentimental, and I'm happy they are enjoying it rather than it just taking up space somewhere.

I heard a cute idea for what to do with a wedding dress: get professional pics of your little daughter playing dress up in it.  I saw a couple of them and they were adorable.  Mine was a strapless, so that wouldn't have worked for my littles.

I played in my mother's and grandmother's wedding dresses as a kid. For some bizarre reason my mother chose to keep her train from her first wedding dress when she married my father and never let me play with that.  She still has it.  They divorced when I was 1. She hates him and always has since then-I have no idea why she kept it. She's been married to my step-dad since I was 3. People do strange things sometimes.

[Stacia]

For years (about 25), I had it stored in that box from the dry cleaners. Stuck on a closet shelf.

But, I got divorced. I never looked at it. Dd is much taller and has broader shoulders than me, so there's no way it would work for her (not that she would want it anyway -- I asked). I tried briefly to find an organization to donate it to who would reuse it. Eventually I just donated it to Goodwill.

I wish I would have thought to pull it out for dress-up and a fun photo session when dd was little and into things like that. But that never occurred to me at the time.

I still have nice photos of me in the dress from my wedding day (even some taken with my cat lol), still have my shoes (because I love shoes more than clothes), and don't miss it.

I hope somebody found it and reused it, whether for a wedding, or dress-up, or Halloween.

[TechWife]

Yes. My mom sent it to a cleaners to have it cleaned & sealed in a preservation box right after our wedding. It stayed at my parents’ house until we were cleaning it out after they died. Now it’s in the back corner of our closet. I look at it through the window every once in a while. I still think it’s pretty!

[Plagefille]

No. I am not sentimental and I would never put the expectation on my daughters to wear my dress. I sold it sometime during our 1st year of marriage for 1/2 to 3/4 of what I originally paid. (Can't remember exactly how much at this point.)

[Ausmumof3]

Yep.  I will never use it and nor will my daughter but it was made with love by my two sisters so it’s pretty special.

I know someone who puts theres on every wedding anniversary and watches the movie.  Because of the person it is, it’s kind of cute but doing it myself would give me serious Miss Havisham vibes. 

[purpleowl]

3 hours ago, Forget-Me-Not said:

I do, but I want to get rid of it. It’s a late-90s ball gown style with a giant tulle skirt. My aunt made it. I loved it at the time, but it’s so out of style, plus it’s yellowed a lot because I didn’t have it preserved. It’s currently inside a cedar chest in storage while we have a house built (the cedar chest is another heirloom I’d like to get rid of).  I thought about trying to donate it, but like I said it’s yellowed and nobody seems to be taking donations anymore. I hate to just throw it away, but that might be what I end up doing. 

I wonder if maybe a school drama department would be able to use it?

[Hoggirl]

I had mine preserved and kept it for 30 years.  When we did our major downsize, I decided there was no reason to continue keeping it (I only have a ds).  So around our 30th wedding anniversary I put it on for a photo, and then shipped it to an organization called, “Angel Gowns.”  They make bereavement gowns for babies who do not come home from the hospital.  I’ll attach my side-by-side pics from my wedding day and 30th anniversary as well as a photo of one of the gowns that was made from it by the organization.  They try to make the first one reflective of the gown. 

I did cut off and keep one of the organza little bunches with the sequin flower centers before I sent it off. 

So for those looking for a way to donate, you might determine if there is an Angel Gowns organization in your state. 

 

Edited November 3, 2021 by Hoggirl

[Lecka]

I do have mine 🙂. It’s a dress my sister bought at a thrift store and wore to her Junior Prom.  It is special to me 🙂. At the same time — I am not super-attached.  It takes up extremely little room.  
 

Edit:  my daughter will fit it and if she wants to wear a vintage dress some time, she can.  
 

Edited November 3, 2021 by Lecka

[Jaybee]

17 hours ago, J-rap said:

I do!  It's just on the same hanger that my mother probably hung it on after the wedding, protected from dust in one of those disposable plastic dry-cleaning bags, hanging in my closet... and I've never looked at it again.  I guess I kept it originally because...well, it was my wedding dress!  And now I keep it simply because I've had it for so long, and the style is so 1980's that I'm sure no one else would ever want it.  😄  It's pretty simple though and doesn't take up much room at all.  Maybe my future granddaughters will get a kick out of it someday!

Don't count on the bolded! Mine was very 1980's, but one dd had it altered a little for size and had some minor changes made that brought it up to date, and she wore it in 2017. It was lovely (again). I'm not sure where it is now--if she has it or ??

[Moonhawk]

Heck yes I still have mine. I paid good money for it and I'm going to get good use out of it. Husbands 2 and 3 will have one less expense to worry about! :P 

[gardenmom5]

yes.  neither of my girls fit it.  It will probably be gone in the near future.   one of 2dd's friend's used my veil.

[Resilient]

Yes. I designed it and had it made by a couturier. I'm *this close* to sending it to a friend who makes Angel Gowns, though.  It is almost exactly 40 years old.

[Zoo Keeper]

For those who may be interesting in donating to Angel Gowns, here is an info page... https://nicuhelpinghands.org/programs/angel-gown-program/wedding-gown-donation-faq/

I'm not affiliated with them in any way, but I do know a family that was grateful for the lovely garment they were given during a very difficult time.

[Stacia]

22 minutes ago, Zoo Keeper said:

For those who may be interesting in donating to Angel Gowns, here is an info page... https://nicuhelpinghands.org/programs/angel-gown-program/wedding-gown-donation-faq/

I'm not affiliated with them in any way, but I do know a family that was grateful for the lovely garment they were given during a very difficult time.

I am glad they at least have a waitlist for donating. When I looked into them a few years ago, they were not accepting gowns at all.

[Kassia]

12 minutes ago, Stacia said:

I am glad they at least have a waitlist for donating. When I looked into them a few years ago, they were not accepting gowns at all.

Same with me!  I looked into them after reading about them here but they weren't accepting donations at the time.  

[Clarita]

I still have mine. I pull it down from the shelf to look at it once in a while. I don't know if my daughter would want to use it and I don't know if I could let her. As of this moment I would just offer to buy her a new one. Rigth at this moment my thoughts are maybe they could bury me in my wedding dress and engagement ring. 

My wedding shoes I've worn many times since my wedding. I wished I had bought the fancy pair that I really wanted. 

[Melissa B]

No.

I put mine in my kids' dress up box. I gave it away along with the rest of the dress up clothing once they were done with them.

[Ellie]

21 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Do you still have your wedding dress? Yes.

Have you done anything with it since you got married? No.

Just curious, I still have mine and I am kind of wondering why I am keeping it. Also wondering why I am keeping mine, as both of my daughters are married so I'm not going to be passing it on or anything. o_0

 

[Garga]

I have mine. It was a knee-length, pink-flowered sundress that I got at Contempo Casuals in 1992. Imagine Angela Chase, the character from the 90’s TV show My So Called Life, wearing it with some combat boots.  I didn’t wear combat boots, but that was the sort of dress it was.

It’s such a tiny bit of fabric that it easily lives on a coat hanger in the attic. I’ll keep it for the memories.

Edited November 4, 2021 by Garga

[lynn]

Yes I have it.  No haven't done anything with it.  I don't think my dd would want to wear an out dated 80's "vintage" wedding dress......  I guess I'll donate it some day.

[Emba]

Mine is in a box my mom’s closet, because it was hers, and my grandmothers before her. I don’t know what I’d do with it if I had it. Maybe keep it in case my DD wanted/was able to wear it.

 It started out in the 40s with cap sleeves. In the 70s my mom put leg o’mutton sleeves on it and a high lace neckline, but kept the cap sleeves in a box. I took off the leg o mutton sleeves and put the cap sleeves back on, and removed the high neckline so it was a scoop neckline. It’s possible that future changes could be made to accommodate future style changes, I don’t know.

Edited November 4, 2021 by Emba