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What To Do With Old Wedding Dresses

What To Do With Old Wedding Dresses?

You have finally found your perfect wedding dress to wear after months of searching and saving. However, you still have one question that you wonder about day and night: how will you repurpose it after the wedding day? If you don’t have any ideas to come up with, Designed Dream team have already created 12 creative ideas for old wedding dress. 

Many brides decide to create long-lasting memories with their used wedding dress to create accessories, decor, jewelry and etc. In fact, however, you can even come up with more innovative ways such as donating, wearing it for the anniversary of your husband, making it into a work of art, and more and more.

Designer Dream, Toronto Wedding Planner, can help you decide what to do with your old wedding dress. There are many options available for someone who has an unused or unwanted gown: donating the garment, selling it at a swap-meet and online marketplace like eBay or Etsy, using part of the fabric as inspiration on another project such as curtains or pillows that match their décor style – just remember not to use ivory if having guests over for dinner!

repurpose your wedding gown into art

What To Do With My 30 Year Old Wedding Dress?

So, if you are unsure of what can be made from old wedding dresses here is some repurpose ideas below:

  1. Donate It For Good

This is arguably one of the most popular methods for getting rid of wedding gowns. If you’re in a hurry and don’t have the time, space, or energy, you can easily donate your gown to guarantee that it finds a new home with a fortunate person who needs it!

If you want to take it a step further and have a little more time on your hands, there are also plenty of organizations that will not only accept but also run with your wedding dress. Some of the favorite bridal nonprofits are listed below.

Where To Donate Old Wedding Dress?

  • Brides for a Cause: Brides for a Cause uses a resell process in which the profits are donated to other charities, this time focusing on women’s issues and groups.
  • Brides Across America: Brides Across America is a bridal charity organization that donates used wedding gowns to first responders, veterans, and as well as their partners. Each year, about 2,000 gowns are given to veterans and first responders.
  • Donate Wedding Dress for Cancer: Brides against breast cancer, like Adorned in Grace, resells donated bridalwear and donates the money to breast cancer research and other funding agencies.
  • Adorned in Grace: This company not only accepts wedding gowns but also all formal garments! They resell donated formal wear and donate the money to charities that help people who are victims of human trafficking.

What Can Be Made From Old Wedding Dresses?

  1. Turn Wedding Dress Into Cocktail Dress

You’ve worked hard with your stylist to get the dress fitted to perfection. Why not contact her after the wedding to create a personalized cocktail now? You may also want to wear your dress anywhere after its great day. 

You may also need to see how well the top half of your dress would work with a new, narrower skirt depending on the styling of your dress.

If you want to use it in any way, be innovative with what you want from your design and cooperate with your seamstress to come up with something that you will really like! Alternatively, you can also wear it to your first anniversary!

  1. Turn It Into A Piece Of Art To Make a Gift

Do you really want to look back at your wedding dress every day? Then you can transform it into a work of art that you can display in your home. With a service like this, you might potentially frame your old wedding gown, but you could also get artistic and do it yourself at a much lesser cost.

If you want to do it yourself, all you have to do is cut a good, equal square out of your wedding gown and place it in a frame of your selection. Pick a good shadow box frame for squares with more three-dimensional components (like bows or beading) so that these items don’t get leveled out.

Dresses, veils, and garters can all be successfully framed into unique art to keep the joy of your wedding day alive for years to follow. Consider hiring a professional service if you don’t want to do it yourself.

  1. Make A Costume For Your Child

Having a customized christening gown made has become a very convenient way of repurposing a wedding gown.

It’s a fairly straightforward trade since most christening gowns are white and have comparable unique features (such as tulle or lace). Besides, whoever is sewing would have plenty of extra cloth! 

When your community or family does not believe in christenings or baptisms, you could have your dress turned into a naming ceremony attire or save it for a bit older children’s birthday party.

Changing your wedding gown into clothing for your children, no matter how they use it, is a wonderful way of providing them a part of your special day.

  1. Make It Into Something Completely Different 

If custom-fitting your dress to make it a little shorter is something that you don’t like, it’s time to take it a step further and dye the whole thing!

This is one of the more labor-intensive repurposing concepts for your wedding dress, and it may rely on the material of your gown.   But if you’d like to go out with the old and in with the new (at least in terms of appearance), dye that dresses for a complete wedding dress makeover. Eventually, you’ll be able to wear your wedding gown almost anywhere.

  1. Transform It Into Something Completely New

Satin, lace, and tulle dresses can be turned into lovely evening bags; we love the thought of wearing your dress as a clutch to your first wedding anniversary dinner or any other important dates in the future.

If you want to keep it, wedding gowns can even be turned into pillows or quilts, allowing you to be reminded of your special day every day in your own home. What is better than giving your new home together with a personalized experience?

Accessories, decor objects, and even jewelry are great suggestions to bear in mind if you want to totally repurpose your dress.

  1. Sell It

If you’re short of cash after your wedding, you can recoup some of your expenses by selling your gown. Find a wedding-specific blog to sell your gown quickly. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, you should still sell it on eBay or use Facebook ads to find the right buyer.

If you don’t feel nostalgic about your wedding dress, don’t force yourself to feel that way—you’ll still have all of the lovely memories of it without having to keep it. If you’re thinking about selling your dress, keep in mind it’s exactly what you’re going for before you sell it.

Where to donate old wedding dress Canada?

In Canada, the Brides’ Project in Toronto is one such organisation where people may give their old wedding dress who’s and knowing that they’re not only making another bride happy, but they’re also helping to battle cancer.

Traditional wedding gowns may be rather costly. Fortunately, there are used wedding gown stores that cater to brides looking for a designer gown without having to spend Vera Wang rates.

Recycled wedding gowns are a fantastic concept. They’re far more socially acceptable now days than they were a few years ago. It’s a fantastic technique to prolong the life of a wedding gown while also allowing others to get cheap wedding gowns.

Where to donate old wedding dress in Toronto?

The following companies in Toronto accept donations of wedding gowns from brides who do not desire to retain their wedding gowns after the ceremony: These generously donated items give new brides in the city affordable alternatives while also contributing to a worthwhile cause. These charity partners do essential work, and the revenues from each gown bought go towards supporting their efforts. You may contribute to this incredible initiative by either giving your lightly worn wedding gown or by buying your wedding gown from the collection of kindly donated gowns that has been assembled.

What To Do With Those Old Dresses That You Want To Use For A Wedding But Are Unsure Of?

  • Protect It For Future Generations

Each bride adores her wedding gown, so if you don’t want to repurpose it, you can always keep it and pass it down to your children in the future. Even if you don’t feel compelled to donate it, having the chance to pull out your old wedding dress from the back of the closet and revisit those incredible memories can be comforting. Who wouldn’t want to put on their gown again?

  • Angel Gown Programs

Angel Gown programs can be found all over the world, where gifted seamstresses and fashion designers dedicate their time to transform wedding gowns into costumes for babies who passed away at birth.

Because most of these organizations are managed by a small team of volunteers, when they have an excess of old bridal gowns, they don’t necessarily accept new donations. You have to keep an eye on whether they re-open for new contributions. Here are a few of the companies, but you can find even more by doing an Internet search.

  • Recycle Your Wedding Gown

Why wear your wedding gown only once? It’s possibly the most amazing (and costly) dress you’ve ever bought. If it’s a two-piece, you can mix and match a bodice with a skirt from your regular wardrobe to create this stylish look. If your wedding gown has a lengthy tulle skirt, try pairing it with a bright top and a leather jacket for an entirely different appearance.

You also can cut, dye, and transform it into a lovely party dress that you can wear for a variety of occasions. If you’re a bride who opted for a plain gown, you should accessorize it with non-bridal decorations and wear it as is. Here’s how one woman transformed her wedding gown into a lovely cocktail dress for her and her husband’s anniversary celebrations.

  • Preserve Your Wedding Dress

Finally, you may wish to keep your wedding gown as a memento of a magical day when you and your significant one promised your eternal love to each other.

Because it is made of fragile cloth that does not stand up to the test of time, putting it in a plastic bag and hiding it in the back of your closet is not the best idea. You should have your beautiful gown professionally cleaned to ensure that it remains in perfect condition for future generations.

Why do you need an expert to clean your wedding gown?

Wedding gown maintenance does not begin with a dry cleaning; it starts with an evaluation by an experienced expert. The expert will formulate a specific strategy based on the cloth, specifics, and stitching, as well as any inevitable stains and potential rips and tears. Some businesses provide mail-away services to make things simpler and more affordable. They’ll give you a mailing kit and details, and you’ll get it back in 6 to 8 weeks.

If you’re certain you’ll never wear your clothing again but don’t want to throw it away or cut it up, dyeing it a different color is an option. Your wedding gown will be transformed into a formal gown suitable for a variety of occasions. However, we must issue a warning: Because not all clothes and embellishments are compliant with color dyes, you should have the clothing dyed by a specialist.

You should also clean your dress before coloring it, as stains may set or be compounded during the dyeing process. Consult a reputable cleaner to see if the substances they use to clean your dress might potentially react negatively with anything in the dye or fabric of your gown—if this is the case, it’s important to know ahead of time.

Turn Your Wedding Dress Into Art

Do you wish you could look at your wedding dress 24 hours a day, seven days a week? With the guidance of specialists, you can. That’s right—by framing your wedding gown, you can turn it into a work of art. A specialist can help you frame your wedding gown. Hang it on your wall as a beautiful piece of art and a touching memory of your wedding day.

What Can Be Made From Old Wedding Dresses?

  • Make a table runner

One thing that can be made from old wedding dresses is a table runner. Find a long piece of fabric and cut it to the width of the table. Layer the two pieces end-to-end to create a runner and sew them together at the right dimensions for your particular table (or ask for help at your local fabric store). Decorate with beads, lace, or embroidery as desired!

  • Make a curtain or ruffle

You could also try turning your wedding dress into a curtain or ruffle. To do this, you’ll need to cut the top off of your dress and sew two pieces of fabric together at the right dimensions for your window (or bed). You can then decorate it with ribbon, lace, beads, flowers—you name it!

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