Photography: Erich McVey
As the wedding is over, we will be caught up in another question of what to do with the dress? You might have spent a lot for the dress of your dream and we understand it. So, see on what options you could do for your wedding dress, right below.
Option #1: Preserve it
Preserving your dress is not about just hanging it in your closet. It means cleaning and storing it the right way. If you want to preserve your wedding dress, you need to laundry your wedding dress right after your wedding to avoid any hard-to-remove stains. Make sure you trust it to the experts as wedding dress usually has intricate details that need special care.
For packaging, if you want to hang it in your closet, make sure to cover it with acid-free material like spun-bond, to keep the fabric away from touching other clothes and sling it using its loops. But, the best way is to store it inside a box. Choose for box with a window to let you see your dress without opening it. Before you fold your dress, make sure to slip on tissue paper between the folds to prevent creasing or other dress parts touching the fabric. Additionally, you could slide on bust form to keep your dress in its ultimate shape and remember to keep it away from direct sunlight and any humid places.
Option #2: Put it up for sale
There many ways you could sell your used wedding dress. Firstly you can put it up in consignment shop, secondly, upload it in secondhand websites, and lastly, sell it to artists; it could be useful for them as they could make another art with your wedding dress materials, for example, fabric paintings.
Option #3: Alter it for another function
This might be the best idea if you have spent so much for your dress, rather than giving it away, you can do some alterations. If you used tulle for your lower gown, you can cut the upper part of your dress and make a tulle skirt from it. Another idea is by straight away cutting it and does some sewing to make a cocktail dress or make christening dress for your nieces or any flower girls-to-be. Last but not least, dye it to another color to give different feeling and effect.
Option #4: Donate it for a good cause
The first thing you could do is by raising money for charity, this is might be a good idea if you do have designer wedding dress. Other than that, you could give it for another bride-to-be who needs it or donate it for still-born babies' burial outfits and blankets.
Option #5: Do some decorations with it
With abundance of fabrics and may be laces too, you could do so much decorative stuffs with it. You could make handkerchiefs, scrapbook, or wedding photo album's cover. Name anything you like that is made of fabric and you could find it on how to do it online. The little details like beads, you could do so much more with that, for example, a simple wedding headpieces or corsage for any coming soon wedding.
Option #6: Make it for practical use
This idea is quite similar with the previous one but you could make it more practical. With the materials you have from your wedding gown, you could try to make pillow cases, bassinet dust ruffle, purse, or even table cloth to use on a special occasion, like your anniversary dinner party.
