Wedding Blog
Seriously, don’t leave for your wedding without safety pins in your emergency kit!
Okay, where was I. Oh yes, Mr. Cookie’s foot had just made contact with my train. I heard a ripping sound, and I was quickly whisked away from the dance floor by my bridesmaids. Man, did my bridesmaids have quick reaction skills!
Once we reached the bridal chamber, my bridesmaids grabbed the bag of safety pins and started to work their magic. While they were pinning my dress, I caught my first glimpse of the extent of the damage:
Oh, my poor dress! Within a matter of seconds my beautiful dress went from this:
To a safety pinned masterpiece:
My bridesmaids rocked! A dozen safety pins later and my dress was back in working order. Not only did they work at lightening speed, but one of my maids suffered a finger injury. As she was pinning my dress, a safety pin went through her finger and blood started pouring out. Ouch! God love her, she did everything to keep the blood dripping down her finger away from my dress. Mr. Cookie, who was in the bridal chamber watching the whole process, grabbed her a Band-Aid. But from her expressions, we all could tell that the sucker hurt!
Surprisingly, the contusion to my dress didn’t really faze me. I just wanted to get back to the dance floor and join the conga line. No hole in my dress was going to keep this Cookie from dancing the rest of the night away! Even now, I look at the gaping hole and laugh. Why? Well, Mr. Cookie ripped my dress perfectly. Yep, you heard that correctly. Mr. Cookie’s foot didn’t rip the fabric, just the seam. Totally fixable! Sighs with relief.
But almost six months after the wedding, I’ve been sitting on Indecision Street about what to do with my dress. It’s been hanging in our spare bedroom closet waiting for me to make up my mind. I was thinking about donating it to charity, but I just can’t bring myself to part with it, particularly in its current state. It still needs to be cleaned. Trekking up into the mountains for pictures attracted an ungodly amount of dirt to the underside. I could get it fixed or I could pull a Project Runway and turn it into a fabulous outfit. Augh, too many choices!
What do you think I should do?
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Share this post: Love Made Simple: Safety Pins Are a Godsend
oh.my.gosh.
OH.MY.GOSH!!
I can’t believe the extent of that tear… I’m so amazed that you went right on partying without being upset, good for you! =)
I don’t know, but I almost cried when I saw that ginormous tear in your dress. You are one brave cookie!
Oh wow. Your poor gown! That’s one of my biggest wedding day fears, but it’s so nice to see how you really took it in stride — though I’m sure it helps that the damage came only when the party was in full swing (and not before!).
Makes mental note to remember saftey pins. And possibly shorten my train. Eek!
wow, i didnt know that, that could happen thank goodness for saftey pins
your poor gown but how amazing that you kept going and still rocked the dress!! thank you for the important safety pin lesson 
You have to be the best bride EVER! Rolling with the punches, that is an amazing story! Good for you not letting it ruin the day! I would say at least get it cleaned as soon as possible. Then you can turn it into a fab cocktail dress!!
Oh, Mrs. Cookie! Did you have a bustle on your gown? Did it fall or loosen?
Good for you for having such a good attitude about it!
Holy Safety Pins, Mrs. Cookie!
Good for you, for having such a great attitude about it!
@MagPie518: I did have it bustled, but I suspect that part of my bustle had fallen loose because of the extent of the damage.
Oh my goodness, that is crazy! You Cookies know how to party!!!! Thank goodness you had safety pins on hand!
I am totally impressed with the quick fix. Your bridesmaids deserve a medal!
Poor dress, but at least you had some fab BM’s who swooped in and saved the day!! My dress doesn’t have a train, so hopefully we won’t have to worry about that i hope that I can go with the flow no matter what happens on our wedding day
OMG i died inside for you! I was so relieved to read it didn’t ruin your evening!! Go Cookie Go cookie!
I think donatint it would be the best idea. I’ll get back to you in 7 months when some random blog stalker is telling me to donate MY dress — but it seems like such a lovely idea
Good for you for not letting it phase you! That’s the right attitude to have, Cookie!!
You win an award for not freaking out!! This (and my tendency to break out in heat rashes) is why I will be having a second short dress at the reception…Just in Case!!
Holy gapping hole Batman! Kudos to you and your BMs for handling that so well
If there were ever a dress candidate for a trash the dress photo session….
Oh my! Three cheers for BMs with mad safety pin skills!
AS for what to do - first, if you haven’t already, I would remove the safety pins so they don’t rust onto the fabric. If you’re ambivalent about spending money to have the dress repaired, what about having it cleaned as-is and then removing the skirt entirely. Then you could use the skirt to someday make a skirt for a basinette, if you plan to have children. I’m not sure how successful it would be to reattach the skirt and shorten it to turn it into a short dress. The effect might be a little 1980’s.
OH MY GOSH! Mrs. Cookie! You are such a good sport! Did you have the dress fixed before storing it?
That was some serious safety pin skills! I can’t believe the hole that was there tho! At least it was on the seam.
Oh No! You are such a good sport…I don’t know if I could have handled that one! Horray for your BM’s what lovely ladies they must be! As for your Dress, if you plan on children, why don’t you have it made into a christening gown, for your future children that is what I plan to do with mine, just a thought!
@Irishker03: I was a bad, bad Cookie and didn’t clean my dress before I stored it. I’m still trying to figure out what I want to do with the dress before I spend any money.
The pictures hardly do the rip justice. The skirt was almost half-rented from the bodice. You were an exceptionally good sport, though. It was pretty memorable when you looked up at us and whined, “I’m missing the conga line!” ; )
You are very very good sport - I hope I can be =) to be honest.. I don’t know if I could… eeek
omg you’re so brave for laughing off that huge rip! I’m glad to hear that you got through it smoothly. Yay for your bridesmaids!
Your precious dress!!! Thank goodness you are a brave Cookie and you had smart, fabulous bridesmaids.
Good for you for holding your head on straight! This happened to a lesser extent to my friend at our HS prom - and she completely lost it. I safety pinned it up and hid the problem pretty well, considering, but she was miserable for the rest of the night… and several weeks after.
I’m with snmcdowell. Remove the pins first. It will also give you a chance to size up the damage to the actually fabric. The good news is that it looks like the stitching on the seam tore, not that the actually fabric tore. The bad news is that your dress looks like taffeta, which does not hide flaws. The tear and safety pin holes (whose use was fully justified and well done) may leave damage to the dress that cannot easily be hidden.
I agree that you can’t donate or store the dress before cleaning it. In addition, I’d feel wrong donating the dress in it’s current condition; I’d take it to a seamstress to have the torn seam restiched. I think a good seamstress could fix it to almost new (so that no one focusing on that area would ever know). However, I don’t know if you want to make that investment, although it would be less than what your tax deduction would be for the donation. If were you planning on keeping the dress for future use as a wedding dress, I’d have it repaired before storage.
As for other uses for the dress - I’m again in agreement with snmcdowell. I’m not sure your dress silhouette (as stunning as it is!) is a candidate for shortening and using as a cocktail dress. Plus, with the tear and likely damage to the seam, I would instead focus on using the fabric in another way. There is some good yardage there. A seamstress may be able to make you a dress from it (I’m thinking of reusing the bodice as is and creating a new skirt that falls from the waist. You could also use it for a bassinet, X-mas tree skirt, quilt, tufted headboard, throw pillows…
Yikes - sorry for that horribly long comment! But I hope it’s helpful.
Love your attitude!!! And I love that you kept the party going. I don’t have any suggestions on what to do with the dress- but maybe you should start off with getting it fixed and cleaned and then go from there. My sister got married 7 years ago and still hasn’t cleaned her dress- ha.
Oh my gosh, your poor dress 
Thank goodness for your bridesmaids! I also love your attitude, I aspire to have that kind of attitude
Holey $&%! That’s a big tear, but you handled it with awesome grace. Mr HC always steps on me while dancing, and I don’t know if I would have handled it quite as well as you did. I still vote to remove the train at the seam and make it into a fab dress — you can wear it for your next anniversary!
I am so impressed at both your attitude and your BMs’ skills. I know that I could not be that calm under pressure. That’s why I will not only have safety pins with me (recently added to the list for my “kit,” thanks to this post), but also bought a second (shorter) dress for the reception.
I agree with the previous posters that you should have the dress cleaned no matter what. As for whether or not you donate it, I would consider whether or not you (1) plan to have children and (2) are usually a sentimental person. I know I will be tempted to hold onto my dress because I really wanted to be able to wear my grandmother’s gown, but we discovered that it had not been properly stored and was in no condition to be used.
What a great attitude! sorry about your poor dress and missing the conga line… I know I would’ve freaked out. Kudos to your awesome BMs and their safety pinning to the rescue, and most of all to you for not letting it get to you!
OMG. That is one friggin huge hole! I adore your attitude about it. How horrible to have your day ruined over a dress malfunction (albeit huge one). Who knows what I would have done… probably cried. I’m so impressed by your attitude and for keeping your eye on the big picture! Your bridesmaids are rad!
As for the dress, I’d definitely get it repaired, and then continue to think about what I’d want to do with it. I’ve still got mine in the closet (dirty). Gotta go get it cleaned!
Personally, I’d turn it into a new outfit, but I sew myself. Otherwise, I’d give it to charity, or a consignment shop.
Just wanted to add - this exact same thing happened to my friend just after their first dance. She burst into tears and disappeared into her hotel room for over an hour, and when she returned all her makeup was tear-streaked and she was in a really bad mood. So kudos to you for handling the situation with grace!
Party on! Great attitude, never stop dancing I love Peachypears ideas… use the fabric for something else… bassinet, a window treatment, some for a sash, what a great way to reuse and keep the dress with you!
man!! huge tear! I’m glad you were able to fix it with safety pins!! must remember to include that in the emergency kit!
Woahhhh….your BMs did an awesome job, Cookie!!! And props to you for not letting it faze you!
Wow! That is one big rip, but i say good on you for carrying on the party and not letting it phase you. Your priorities that day were spot on : ) I would possibly say, take it to a good seamstress first and see if they have any ideas of how to adapt it into a shorter dress, these dressmakers really are wizards with there sewing machines!!
That rip is just horrifying. I loved reading your BM’s comment in this thread about how all you could say was “I’m missing the conga line!” It’s fun to hear how much you love your wedding.
OH NO!! Excellent work by your bridesmaids and timing too! I’m glad you didn’t miss the conga line. As for what to do with the dress now I’m still trying to decided what to do with mine when the wedding is over. I’s sentimental and would really like to keep it. But I just don’t know if I will keep it as is, or change it up. A cute cocktail dress is a nice idea! Super fun too! Oh what to do!?!
I’d say the “Drink or Dance” rule either helped with the cause of the rip or the grace in handling it. Either way, rock on!
I think you should find a friend that sews to repair the rip, box it up and think about what you want to do with it later.
My mom just brought out her wedding dress this week to show me and it’s still beautiful. We’re having it turned into my bouquet holder and possibly a garder. I would use the vail too, but over time it has yellowed quite a bit.
Nice work, Cookie!
Are you willing to sell the dress to me as is without the option of returning it? I love this dress but simply can’t afford it, but I know a great tailor and cleaner and can hopefully work with it. You would make me an incredibly happy bride, let me know! You can also email me directly at ebmckee at gmail dot com.
Thanks Mrs. Cookie!
@ebmckee: I’m so sorry, but I just can’t sell my dress. It means too much to me. Thanks.
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Mrs. Cookie, Denver
Age and Occupation: 25, Nonprofit Fundraiser/Theatre Designer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Financial Analyst
Engagement Date: September 2007
Wedding Date: September 2008
Blogging Since: May 8, 2008
Venue: Ten Mile Station
About Me: With a degree in Theatre I never realized that planning a wedding was a lot like Theatre Management, until I started planning my own. I am a coffee addict, especially Starbucks' Grande Mochas, yummy! I love to cook (especially chocolate chip cookies for my honey), travel to exotic places, and be creative. As a couple, Mr. Cookie and I are extremely practical, down to earth, and children at heart. We live in a cozy abode with our adorable Pomeranian, and love to play board games and watch movies into the evening.
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