My friend’s D is going to sell her wedding dress. The bride works for a world famous designer and they made her a gorgeous one of a kind wedding dress.
When we print invitations, we hand feed the invitation into the printer. Takes a little longer but the ink goes right on the envelope.
I feel fortunate that alterations for my daughters dress was only $40, hemming 4 layers.
Don’t tell anyone, but I’m hoping the cost of D1’s dress is less than some of the alteration costs quoted here.
Initially, what she was looking at was simple and elegant, not expensive. We have yet to actually try on.
Everyone has priorities for their wedding. Mine was engraved invitations and a calligrapher to address them. The dress, venue, a sit down meal, towering flower arrangements, barely mattered. (The reception was at a historical home.) (Ok, actually getting married to DH was #1.) The invites cost more than the dress, which was, nonetheless, pretty and interesting.
D1 is similar. Dress is further down the list.
Can anyone share what it costs to properly clean and box a wedding dress? D1 will try on mine. If she doesn’t feel it’s the one, I’d need to re-store it. If it fits- or close enough to just need to be fitted to her- it would be great on her.
We had our DD’s dress cleaned and boxed…in CT. It cost $300. I now have a box just a little shorter than a coffin in my extra bedroom.
If I had gotten it just clean and hung up…that was $150. And really…where was I going to hang it?
@lookingforward my sister in law wore her mother’s dress. It cost as much to have it altered and fixed up…and cleaned for her to wear as a new one would have cost (I’m talking $1000 or so…and this was in 1988). SIL wore the dress for sentimental reasons, not because it saved on the cost of the dress. It needed some Chantilly lace replaced, and alterations. It was then cleaned and stored again. My DD tried it on as did my niece. Let’s just say…it wasn’t a flattering style on either of these size 2 young women. I doubt it will ever be used again.
Partly sentimental, rather than a matter of cost. It could justify all those years of keeping it. And the style would be very nice on her. Really great, not dated. The sleeves are more fabric than I think she’d want. Making them closer fitting would, I think, work.
Problem is, I wasn’t slim, she is. But a lot of my older things don’t fit her. Strange. So they went to the thrift shop.
And this is her choice, not mine.
I’m far, far away from needing this thread IRL (D is almost 19, and doesn’t even have a boyfriend) but my parents paid a small fortune to “preserve” my dress to be handed down to D. D turned out to be 8 inches taller than me. No way could my dress be re-made for her and still be full length. Dress took up half a closet and was moved a gazillion times for nothing. I ended up donating it a few years ago to an organization like Angel Gowns that turns wedding dresses into funeral gowns for babies who have passed. We were gifted a gown for our son before he passed that he was baptized in and it was a very meaningful thing for us to be able to do in his memory.
It cost me $175 to have my D’s dress cleaned, not boxed. It has lots of layers and beads. I had to take it in for an exact quote, though several cleaners told me over the phone what they started at.
I thinking boxing would have been another $75.
I did not pay for the boxing. She wore it in December in San Diego to be married in and then went to the beach for pictures. The hems were dirty from the beach.
She is wearing it again later this month at the delayed reception in the midwest, then she gets to keep it and do what she wants with it.
@momofsenior1 I couldn’t sell it or give to a thrift shop. But defiitely could donate it for that. Thanks. And sorry for the loss of your son.
My DIL bought her dress at a store that stocks overruns, runway dresses, and donated dresses. She is very small and bought a runway dress that had been worn in one show. It basically fit her perfectly and needed only to be hemmed. Flash forward 18 months after the wedding and it’s still hung in my closet, never having been cleaned. Still not quite sure how I ended up with it, but wasn’t going to take responsibility for having it cleaned. It’s there is she wants it!
Now, it looks like I will be the MOG again. My S2 has purchased a ring and he spoke with her parents last night. They are thrilled and I think he intends to propose next weekend. We’re so excited!
@runnersmom how exciting about your S2, looking forward to your update!
Congratulations.
Another word of warning about wedding dress “preservation”. My mother had my silk wedding gown dry-cleaned and boxed up. She got to worrying that the wrong dress might be in the box, so opened it up and was shocked at what she saw. It was my dress, with a 2" stain around the entire hem, which wasn’t there when we took it in. She took it back and they tried several times, but were unable to get the stain out. They ended up reimbursing me for the purchase price. I never got it back, but I was happy with the money.
congrats, runnersmom!
When I first go married I would not have sold my gown. I don’t know what my daughter will do. I definitely would give it to a charity that uses them for such lovely reasons. I also can see using the material for a Christening gown. I had a Christening gown made and had the initials and date embroidered on the slip. I had it preserved. I hope its in good shape for the next generation after reading about the wedding dress. I am thinking about donating my wedding gown now to a good cause for the material.
@downtoearth My mother in law had a christening gown made for my husband and his siblings. It’s now been worn by all of her grandchildren and will be worn soon by her first great grandchild . It’s still in perfect shape so I hope yours will be too. It’s a wonderful way to use a gown.
I can’t believe it’s been a week since the wedding. I couldn’t have asked for anything better! The house we rented for 3 nights for us and the bridal party was less than 5 minutes from the venue, right on a lake and adorably shabby chic. Because the venue had an event the night before the wedding, the rehearsal was on Thursday. The rehearsal “dinner” was at a local restaurant which has an outdoor space with a fire pit and outdoor games. DSIL arranged a buffet and they gave us a dedicated server. The weather was perfect to be outside. At the end of the night, the owner came by and comped the food! The bar bill was definitely less than what was consumed. Needless to say, the bartender and server were heavily tipped and they got a great YELP review.
I got my first dipped nails. I’m usually so hard on them but here we are over a week later and they still look great.There was a family get-together the night before at a sibling’s home. We finally got to meet his father and his wife. Beautiful weather to be outside. Everyone got along!
Good thing it was a small bridal party because I never realized how much time hair and makeup takes! The weather was absolutely perfect for an outside ceremony. I had obsessed about the weather and worried about speed boats coming by during the ceremony. A couple boats did come by but they stopped and glided by quietly. Their vows were lovely and heartfelt. I couldn’t believe that the beautiful woman was my little girl! The reception was awesome - food was great, DJ kept things hopping, the photo booth was a blast and the outdoor space was great for the kids. The fireworks at the end of the night were spectacular.
The photographer posted s sample of the pictures. I don’t look awful!!
I just can’t believe how perfect it was!
Fabulous report @daylily1 Sounds perfect!!
The wedding sounds perfect! So glad it all went well for your
I’ll have to research dipped nails. Three weeks ago I got my first gel manicure. Not gel nails. A gel manicure. They still look perfect. Getting another gel manicure today. I’ll never go back to a basic manicure again.
I got a gel manicure for D’s wedding, and I will never get one again. Yes, I am glad I got it for the wedding, and my nails looked great for weeks. But it was SO hard on my nails.