Wedding Blog
I got THE call yesterday… my dress is clean and ready to be stored. So it hit me more that I thought it would. I realized that this was it - that I would probably never wear my dress again, and it really made me sad. If there is one thing in our whole wedding that I absolutely loved and would do again, my dress would be it. But at the same time, what’s the point of keeping a gorgeous dress in the closet when someone else could wear it?
I’ve had people asking me if I’m going to sell our wedding items, and honestly I was never able to give a response (sorry about that!). I don’t know if it’s because I don’t want to face the fact that the wedding is over, or if I just want to hold on to the memories as long as I can. I have many wedding items piled up in my office and room, and selling some would be a good way to move on. I would love to have our future daughter wear my wedding dress. But then I think about it… I never wore my mom’s dress or veil or anything she had at her wedding, so would my daughter wear mine? Most likely not.
I have many items that I could possibly sell (because I would most likely never wear or use them again), like my wedding dress, birdcage veil, table runners and silk clutch.
Have you decided to sell your wedding dress and/or other wedding items? And for those of you who have… how did you make the step and do you regret it???
Please help one confused bird.
|
Share this post: To Sell or Not to Sell: That is the Question
I know howyou feel, I just sold my wedding dress. The fact of the matter is though, I’m never going to wear it again and it’s unlikely my daughters will have the same taste I do/the dress will still be in fashion. What I did do though was keep my earrings.
If I were you I’d keep the veil and the clutch. Those are things your future children would most treasure and probably use.
p.s. I sold mine on ebay and the bride was so wonderful. It made me happy my dress would go on to make someone else as happy as it made me.
I got married two years ago and I refuse to give up my wedding dress. It’s the most expensive piece in my closet and it feels good in it. It puts a smile on my face every time I see that beautiful lace peeking through the little window on the box. I love it! Maybe one day if I have a daughter she will love it as much as I do! And My plan is to try it on every 10 years and make sure my figure is still the same size… if not… then I will have a great incentive to push me to workout more! 
PS your husband is in nursing school? Im a nurse… let me know if he has any questions
I do have trouble letting go of sentimental things in general. I can relate to you on that!
I tried to solve your dilemna before it presented itself!
Each time I make a purchase I do the ten-ten-ten rule: will it matter in ten minutes? ten months? ten years? And then I tried to be considerate with each purchase- for example, first I researched gettig a gown through Brides Against Breast Cancer (I couldn’t find anything in my size- the curse of being petite). Instead, I bought a dress through a designer who takes 5% of the purchase of the gown and contributes it to Brides Against Breast Cancer. As far as like the decor- I hope it is meaningful enough it is environmentally friendly and can be used again either by our guests or us.
After my wedding, I plan on keeping my dress. It has french lace over silk. So I hope to either re-use the fabric for our kids in some capacity or for their wedding day or their children.
But for every bride who has this dilemna- I hope they do something meaningful with it. They searched high and low for a dress to only box it up? Noooo. I think it would be fun to get all your married girlfriends together with their dresses and take pics, or do pics with your married sister together in your dresses or to donate it to someone who could use the gown with your blessing. I think it’s impactful. Kind of like ‘paying it forward’ mentality. Good Luck!
You could donate your dress to Brides against Breast cancer. They take donations of dresses and pretty much anything you would wear with your dress.
What to do with the dress was a really hard decision for me too. I decided to keep it.
I like to sew. I like to take strange things and see what I can come up with with the item. I plan on taking my wedding dress and using it to make christening outfits for my children (when we have them). It is my solution for what to do with a dress that I want to keep but really have no use for. Even though I will be cutting up something very special to me, it will make something else that is equally special.
My dress is the main item that I won’t be selling or getting rid of. I was pretty good about wittling down my wedding stuff to a small box of items (momentos and some planning materials).
Even though I’m sure any future daughters wouldn’t want to wear my dress - they may want to try it on someday. Or I may want to try it on again!
One other cute idea is to have christening gowns made from the material for children or grandchildren (since I can’t stomach the thought of cutting my dress now, but surely then I would be able to, right?)
Becky
I completely understand! I am going through the same dilema, but for now I get to put of the decision because we were supposed to do TTD pictures this summer and never got time, so now have to wait until next summer.
But once that is over I will have to decide what to do with it. I think I would be ok just giving it away, but my family and friends think that’s crazy. I guess I think as pretty as it is I dont want to make my daughter feel obligated to wear my dress, for me a big part of the fun of getting a wedding dress was finding the one that was ME. Plus do I really want to keep something for the next 25-30 years that is taking up valuable closet space because my daughter MIGHT want to wear it? When you live in Chicago closet space is a big deal.
I am still debating if I want to use the lace to make christening gowns or something like that but I do know that I wont keep the dress in it’s current form. Either I just keep the lace and ditch the rest of it or I give it away to charity.
I am keeping my veil and necklace (which is a beautiful antique) in case my daughter wants something from my wedding day someday but otherwise I am selling pretty much everything else. I have a friend who is getting married next October and she will be reusing all of our centerpieces and runners but after that they are going on Craigslist. I would say keep the clutch and veil and find good homes for the rest of it.
I have a tea length dress that I can’t decide what to do with. The seamstress that cut off the horrible train and sleeves told me she knew someone who could dye it, which sounds like fun. My wedding dress could become my new party dress. Or I could sell it because I am soooooo broke. The wedding isn’t for a few months though, so I have plenty of time to agonize over the decision.
I can sympathize with the attachment, but I also try not to get attached to material things that aren’t also practical, unless they are minor in their consumption of space (ok, ok, so I try to be doubly practical and strict with myself).
Although I have a shoeboxes full of concert tickets, movie stubs, old photos and random bits of memories, they are meaningful but financially worthless. As much as I love my dress, I know it could make someone else very happy to wear it, and given that I spent alot of money on it, I could re-coup some of the investment and use that money to make our honeymoon a little extra special!
I would agree with Maureen that the best compromise would be to keep your jewellery, clutch and veil, shoes etc. I would only keep reception decor elements that can be worked into your home like vases or candle hurricanes or things like that. Good luck!
I say sell or donate it if you feel you can’t do anything else with the dress in the future. Maybe you can keep a piece of it in case your future daughter wants something from your wedding day on her wedding day. Personally I will sell or donate the dress and save the jewelry incase I have a daugther.
I’m keeping my dress because I can’t part with it quite yet. I’m also keeping my veil and I have a small box of other little momentos I would just like to have. But, other than that I sold many things (like my clutch) and have a few things left no one wants to buy yet. The one thing that I did sell that kind of hurt was my shoes because I loved them so much…but no one goes around wearing white satin shoes, so I wish I had done like you and wore a colored shoe that I could re-wear. Anyway, don’t part with your veil or dress…really or even your clutch since it goes with your shoes.
Your dress is gorgeous. Pretty much my dream dress right there. I’d love to get the details if you do decide to sell. My fiance and I are both in college and are trying to put together a wedding in just a few months, with a pretty limited budget…
My wedding email is greyrayne@gmail.com if you have some details on the dress (assuming you don’t keep it in your closet, of course) 
Mrs. Flamingo, I don’t blame you. What a beautiful dress for a beautiful bride! Here’s the thing: If you DON’T sell it, might you regret it? If you DO sell it, might you regret that? It’s impossible to undo something, though you could still sell or donate it at a later date.
Having said that, I have yet to wear my dress so of course can’t imagine parting with it…. Good luck!
I’m planning on selling mine. I know that I will never wear it, nor will my future daughter and I love the idea of making another bride happy with a 50% off dress that perhaps she could not afford at full cost.
I actually plan on selling as much of my wedding things as I can as I know it will only take up space and will not be used again. I plan on combining the money to buy an eternity ring which I will wear every day which I think it is a better way to remember my wedding items than having them stuffed in a closet for eternity
I don’t think I could sell my dress, I worry too much that there is even a remote possibility I will regret it.
I just wanted to ask Mrs. Flamingo about her dress… I think it’s absolutely gorgeous and was wondering about the style/designer
I don’t know what I would do … I probably would keep some smaller things…like a clutch, veil, etc (as mentioned above), but sell the dress.
Thanks everyone for the comments. If it were me, I would keep everything from my wedding, but I know that theres no point. I love my dress too much that I really don’t know what I’m going to do. I really don’t want to regret it.
See my mom kept her dress and even though I didnt wear it, her best friend borrowed it for her wedding. (
with modifications of course) I still don’t know what to do.
As for the other stuff… I might just take the plunge…
@Nikki: The Dress is from a local manufacturer therefore its not a specific designer. The company is called Bridalane: http://www.bridalane.com/
The only thing its a Canadian Company and they don’t sell in the states 
Aw that is so sad - I think yours is so beautiful …thanks for replying!
if you decide to sell your birdcage veil, please let me know!
I liked what someone said in a recent board topic: “I’m keeping my dress because I don’t want to make that decision for my daughters.” I agree! I feel like my dress is fairly timeless (though time will tell!) and I want to give them the option of wearing it or using parts of it.
Personally, I couldn’t KEEP something that expensive and useless in my closet. It would become part of a sewing project in a matter of months, which doesn’t befit its beauty. Of course, I am childfree, so no potential daughters who might want it or christening outfits.
Keep in mind that most bridal depot wedding dresses are made from pretty inexpensive materials and will yellow over time. I do think the veil is a cute thing pass on to families over time.
I know I’m posting quite a while after your blog, but my friend took her wedding dress and had throw pillows for her bed made from them.
I personally am going to keep my dress. Because of how my dress is cut, I can have it shortened. So after my wedding, it will be a cocktail dress (it’s champagne with antiuque lace overlay and the top is all had beaded with crystals) that I can wear for years to come. For the amount of money I spent on it, if I could wear every day, I would!
| Visit our sister sites | Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Fertile Thoughts Infertility Support |
Mrs. Flamingo, Montreal, Canada
Age and Occupation: 25, Graphic Designer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Nursing Student
Engagement Date: December 2004
Wedding Date: June 21, 2008
Venue: Imperia Hotel (modern chic hotel)
About Me: I am a passionate designer who loves anything pretty. I heart all paper products (eco-friendly of course). My passion revolves around anything considered glamour; vintage and modern. In my free time, I love reading Martha mags, designing jewelry and making a pit-stop at Starbucks for a chai latte. I'm also a chocoholic at heart and my family drools over my homemade truffles.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 |
Latest Gallery Pics