You've finally discovered the dress of your dreams after weeks of looking and months of saving.

While the dress may hold a special place in your heart at the moment, you may be wondering what will happen to it after the wedding.

As a way to make even more permanent memories, and sometimes items like decorations, accessories, and jewellery, many brides are getting a fresh look at the existence of their wedding dress after the ceremony.

While wedding gowns might not be the first item that comes to mind when considering upcycling and repurposing, there are actually a lot of options.

Here, you'll find instructions for repurposing your bridal gown into something truly special.

Give It to Charity

This is one of the common ways to get rid of bridal gowns.

Donating your gown is a great way to make sure it gets to a lucky person who needs it, even if you're in a rush and don't have the time, room, or energy to properly care for it.

If you're feeling ambitious and have some extra time to spare, there are also many groups that will gladly accept and even put to good use your wedding gown.

Preserve Your Precious Dress

Finally, your wedding dress can serve as a reminder of the special day you and your partner made a vow of everlasting love to one another.

Planning to save your dress as a memento? To begin, you must have your wedding dress professionally cleaned and maintained to remove any party spots and smudges, such as dirt on the hemline from your barn celebration or berry sauce from the wedding cake.

Having your gown conserved by a professional will also allow you to pass it on to someone else, sparing them the financial and environmental burden of purchasing a new gown.

Placing it in a pouch and shoving it to the bottom of your wardrobe is not the greatest plan of action because the fabric is easily damaged.

If you want your stunning gown to look as good as new for years to come, it's important to have it cleaned by a professional.

Is it necessary to have a professional clean your wedding dress?

Preserving a wedding dress properly does not start with a dry cleaning, but rather with an inspection by a trained professional.

The professional will devise a plan unique to the fabric, details, and needlework, as well as the unavoidable staining and possible rips and tears.

To save customers time and money, some companies provide mail-away options.

You'll be given a shipping kit and instructions, and your package will be returned to you within 6-8 weeks.

Dyeing an item of clothing a different colour is a viable alternative to either discarding it or mutilating it.

You can wear your wedding dress to other formal events after it has been altered.

But we must give a warning: you must have the garment coloured by an expert, as not all fabrics and trims are safe for use with colour dyes.

If you want to avoid having any stains set or be intensified by the dye, you should wash your dress before you dye it.

It is crucial to know in advance if the ingredients used to wash your dress could potentially react poorly with any of the color or material of your gown, thus it is recommended that you consult a respected cleaner about this.

Put It On Sale

Selling your wedding dress can seem like a huge task, but there are many places online where you can purchase a gently used gown.

Because of the incredible variety and the fact that gown cleaning is included in the sale procedure.

If, however, you'd like to offer the wedding dress a second chance after your big day, you can do so through any reselling service or store.

You could make some extra money and help another bride-to-be out at the same time by selling or donating the dress.

After the big day, if you find yourself short on cash, you can make back some of your investment by selling your wedding dress.

If you need to unload your dress quickly, look for a blog that specialises in weddings.

It's still recommended that DIYers use online marketplaces like eBay or social media marketing tools like Facebook ads to locate a customer.

You don't have to keep your wedding dress if the thought of doing so doesn't bring back happy memories if you don't feel sentimental about it.

Don't sell your dress unless you're sure it's the perfect fit for your occasion.

Do Something Creative With Your Wedding Gown

If you're good with a needle and thread and don't mind seeing your dress in shreds, you can make something you (or someone else) will adore out of it.

Since you have a sizable amount of raw materials at your disposal, you can use your imagination to make all sorts of useful and decorative items for your home.

Make the Transition from Wedding Dress to Party Wear

You and your stylist spent a lot of time making sure the dress fit you just right. What about getting in touch with her after your wedding to make a special drink for the reception?

Once the big day is over, you can wear that gorgeous dress again, and again, and again.

Depending on the design of your dress, you might also have to test how the upper half of the dress might look with a new, slimmer skirt.

If you plan on putting it to any use, you and your seamstress will need to get creative with your design goals if you want the end result to be something you'll be happy with.

You can even wear it on your first anniversary if you choose.

Make It a Work of Art and Give It as a Present

Is that something you want to see every day? Then you may embellish it and hang it up as a piece of art.

You might have your old wedding dress framed by a professional business like this, but you may also be creative and make it yourself for considerably less money.

DIY wedding dress preservation is as simple as cutting a square from your dress and placing it in a frame.

For squares that have more three-dimensional elements (like as ribbons or beading), it is best to choose a shadow box frame.

You may successfully frame your wedding dress, veil, and garter to create a one-of-a-kind work of art that will remind you of your special day for years to come.

If you don't wish to do it yourself, you could look into hiring a service.

To Dress Your Kid Up, Make A Costume Out of It

It's become more easy to repurpose a wedding dress by having a special christening gown manufactured.

Since most christening dresses are white but have common design elements like tulle or lace, exchanging them is a breeze.

Even if they didn't, whomever is doing the stitching would have a lot of scraps.

If you don't celebrate Christ's sacrament in your community or family, you can have the dress altered for a naming ceremony or reserve it for a later birthday party for a somewhat older child.

It's lovely to give your children a piece of your wedding day by transforming your wedding dress into clothing for them to utilise in whatever way they see fit.

Convert It to an Entirely New Form

If you don't like the idea of having your dress altered to be a bit shorter, then it's time to take drastic action and colour the entire thing.

This is potentially one of the most time-consuming ideas for reusing your wedding gown, depending on the fabric you chose.

But if you're ready to let the old wedding dress go and welcome the new one (at least visually), then it's time to get creative with some dye. In time, your wedding dress will become a wardrobe staple.

Dresses made of satin, lace, or tulle can be repurposed into beautiful clutches that you can carry to your first anniversary dinner or other special events.

Wedding dresses can be repurposed as pillows or quilts if the bride and groom so want, bringing a daily reminder of their big day into their private abode.

What could be better than receiving a brand new house along with a unique adventure?

If you want to completely reuse the dress, some ideas to keep in mind are adding accessories, decor pieces, and even jewellery.

• Create a Table Runner - Making a table runner out of a bridal dress is one option. Locate a lengthy piece of material, and trim it to the length of the table.Make a runner by layering the two pieces end to end and sewing it together at the appropriate proportions for your table, or obtain assistance from the folks at the local fabric store. Bead, lace, or embroider it to your heart's content!
• Create a Ruffle or Curtain - As an alternative, you might use your wedding garment as a ruffle or curtain. Cut the top of your dress off and join two pieces of cloth that are the proper size for your window to accomplish this (or bed). After that, embellish it however you like with lace, beads, ribbon, flowers, etc.

Change It up by Dying It a Different Colour

If cutting your dress to make it shorter isn't radical enough for you, then it's time to start taking it to the next level and colour it!

This is a bit more labor-intensive than some of the other suggestions for reusing your wedding dress, and it could vary on the material of your dress because certain textiles take dye better than others.

Color that gown for a complete wedding dress makeover if you feel like it's time to get rid of the old and embrace the new.

As a result of the modification, the bridal gown became acceptable for use in any occasion.

Pose for Some Photos One Last Time

Trash the dress photoshoots are a creative way for some brides to document their wedding day after the fact; no, the dress doesn't have to be in tatters.

It simply entails having photographs shot in a less conventional location than the wedding day itself, such as  beaches, a pool, a creek, a local park, or even somewhere unusual like a carnival, arcade, or bowling alley.

Plan a day trip to a location that has special meaning for you, is lots of fun, and that will leave you feeling like a supermodel.

You can choose to completely ruin the dress when you're there, but doing so isn't mandatory.

Preserve the Fabric

Your wedding dress could be able to be repurposed for other uses after the big day if it's made of a fabric that's easy to cut and sew.

To get the best results, try this on a basic white dress.

This may be trickier to accomplish if the dress has a tulle princess silhouette or a lacy, pearl-encrusted bodice.

A skilled seamstress, however, could be able to disassemble even the most intricate bridal gowns so that you can salvage the fabric.

Can you think of any uses for your wedding dress material once that you have it?

The fabric can also be used to create various garments, such as onesies for infants.

Some new mothers make a christening gown out of the bride's wedding attire.

Garters made from the fabric of the dress can be worn on the big day, and a veil can be made and passed down through the generations.

Whether you plan to keep, repurpose, or donate your dress, you may find a new and useful function for it with a little ingenuity and imagination.

A wedding dress may hold a great deal of sentimental importance, and you may wish to keep it as a remembrance or souvenir, donate it to charity, or pass it down to a daughter.

MyDressBox is are wedding dress cleaning and preservation specialists servicing all major cities in Australia and New Zealand, including Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Sunshine Coast, Wollongong, Geelong and many more.

Conclusion

After the ceremony, many brides are surprised to find that their wedding gown still exists.

Donating your gown is one of the common ways to get rid of bridal gowns.

There are also many groups that will happily receive and put to good use your wedding gown.

Instead of starting with a dry cleaning, a professional examination is the first step in wedding dress preservation. To help their clients save time and money, certain businesses offer mail-away services.

After the big day, you can get back some of your investment by selling your wedding dress.

DIY wedding dress preservation is as simple as cutting a square from your dress and placing it in a frame.

Perhaps you can make a one-of-a-kind piece of art by framing your wedding attire, including the dress, veil, and garter.

Hiring a service is an option if you'd rather not handle things on your own.

If the bride and groom so want, the wedding dress can be transformed into a new household item, such as a bedspread or cushion.

Accessories, home decor, and jewellery are just a few potential additions to think about.

Some brides choose to take images of themselves after their wedding in a "trash the dress" photoshoot.

Make plans to spend the day somewhere meaningful to you, exciting, and empowering, and you'll feel like a supermodel at the end of the day.

A competent seamstress may be able to take apart even the most elaborate wedding dresses in order to reuse the fabric.

Onesies and other baby clothes are only one example of the many uses for this versatile fabric.

Some new mothers repurpose the bridal garment into a christening gown.

Content Summary

• You've finally discovered the dress of your dreams after weeks of looking and months of saving.
• Planning to save your dress as a memento?
• Is it necessary to have a professional clean your wedding dress?
• Preserving a wedding dress properly does not start with a dry cleaning, but rather with an inspection by a trained professional.
• To save customers time and money, some companies provide mail-away options.
• Since you have a sizable amount of raw materials at your disposal, you can use your imagination to make all sorts of useful and decorative items for your home.
• Depending on the design of your dress, you might also have to test how the upper half of the dress might look with a new, slimmer skirt.
• DIY wedding dress preservation is as simple as cutting a square from your dress and placing it in a frame.
• You may successfully frame your wedding dress, veil, and garter to create a one-of-a-kind work of art that will remind you of your special day for years to come.
• It's become easier to repurpose a wedding dress by having a special christening gown manufactured.
• If you don't celebrate Christ's sacrament in your community or family, you can have the dress altered for a naming ceremony or reserve it for a later birthday party for a somewhat older child.
• It's lovely to give your children a piece of your wedding day by transforming your wedding dress into clothing for them to utilise in whatever way they see fit.
• In time, your wedding dress will become a wardrobe staple.
• Create a Table Runner - Making a table runner out of a bridal dress is one option.
• If cutting your dress to make it shorter isn't radical enough for you, then it's time to start taking it to the next level and colour it!
• Color that gown for a complete wedding dress makeover if you feel like it's time to get rid of the old and embrace the new.
• As a result of the modification, the bridal gown became acceptable for use in any occasion.
• Trash the dress photoshoots are a creative way for some brides to document their wedding day after the fact; no, the dress doesn't have to be in tatters.
• Plan a day trip to a location that has special meaning for you, is lots of fun, and that will leave you feeling like a supermodel.
• Your wedding dress could be able to be repurposed for other uses after the big day if it's made of a fabric that's easy to cut and sew.
• Can you think of any uses for your wedding dress material once that you have it?
• Garters made from the fabric of the dress can be worn on the big day, and a veil can be made and passed down through the generations.
• Whether you plan to keep, repurpose, or donate your dress, you may find a new and useful function for it with a little ingenuity and imagination.

FAQS ABOUT REPURPOSED WEDDING DRESS

How do you reuse an old wedding dress?

Parts of your clothing could be transformed into exquisite memento jewellery. Save portions of the lace, or some of the embellishments from your garment, and have them set into jewellery. Pendants or brooches work great for this but you can also have them turned into earrings and even rings.

Can you reuse a preserved wedding dress?

Yes. The chance to honour the bride at a future family member's wedding by re-wearing her wedding dress is a major motivator for brides to have their gowns professionally cleaned and preserved.

Can you make changes to a wedding dress?

In most cases, the back of your wedding dress can be modified regardless of its style. You may want it open when some of the material is taken away. It is also possible to build for example a lace back to a strapless gown.

What can I do with leftover wedding dress fabric?

Create a pair of earrings, a bracelet, or a necklace!

By crafting jewellery out of your wedding dress scraps you have a special way of bringing that dress you love with you every day, or saving it as something special to wear for date nights and anniversaries.

As an added bonus, it can serve as your children's "something old" for their weddings.

What is the point of preserving a wedding dress?

Preserving a wedding gown is an option that is good for the environment, the dress, as it stops any future fading or stretching and protects it from stains and the elements. Keep in mind that preserving a wedding dress is not the same as dry cleaning.