<p>Here are some cool ideas - </p>
<ol>
<li>Make a ring pillow.<br></li>
<li>Line the flower girl’s basket with some of the dress fabric/buttons.</li>
<li>Christening gown.</li>
<li>If the gown is a satin fabric, make a boarder for receiving blanket.</li>
</ol>
<p>I did 1 & 2 for my daughter’s wedding and it was a big hit! Well, not really me, I can’t sew for beans, but I had the ideas!</p>
<p>I had my dress cleaned and packed, too. It was in my mother’s basement when her elderly cat got into the box and used it as a litter box. Not salvageable. I wasn’t hysterical because my girls could never have worn it, but I wish they could have seen it because we don’t really have pictures.</p>
<p>I’m not sure what I’m going to do with mine since I have 3 sons. I know I won’t be doing what my grandmother did. They were married for more than 60 years. She requested that her wedding dress be put in her casket and buried with her. So that’s what we did.</p>
<p>momof3sons, I don’t remember if you are Jewish but if you are–and even if you’re not–you might want to save the lace to be incorporated into a chuppah (if you’re Jewish) or just some kind of lovely wedding canopy or other decoration (if you’re not) when the 3 sons take that step.</p>
<p>I saved my wool tea length (technically non-wedding) dress for over two decades. At the time I wanted to be warm for the winter ceremony, had no family to dress shop with and couldn’t/can’t see spending a lot on a dress only worn for a few hours. It will never fit me again. I only have a son who couldn’t care less about it. I finally gave it away to Goodwill. I’m not as sentimental as some- I can’t see going to great expense to preserve clothing no one will ever use again. Donating it, not throwing it in the trash, gives someone else the chance to use it. Keeping it or spending money to restore it seems a waste of space and money. There’s a reason pictures are taken at weddings.</p>
<p>We know a nibs bet of folks who took the fabric from their wedding dresses and made beautiful christening gowns for their children or grandchildren. Would this be an option?</p>
<p>TooRealistic
I love idea #4 - use it to make binding for a receiving blanket. I just love it! I have a few of my old baby blankets but they are made from a very silky fabric and constantly slid off my babies, so they never got any use. Using the silky wedding dress fabric for binding is a terrific idea.</p>
<p>I am a very bad person. My mother saved my grandmother’s wedding dress (wedding = 1903) for years and years and years. It finally came to me and, after hauling it around the world for about 20 years, I finally threw it out. Just threw it out.</p>
<p>Now that you mention it, I don’t know what happened to mine. (Also not a fancy one, white, possibly also Gunney Sak, dress off mall store rack.). Maybe mom has it. Or through it out.</p>
<p>My D is getting married this coming March and my dress would not have fit her, and they style was nothing like what she wanted. It had pretty re-embroidered lace on it, so as soon as we started planning the wedding and I knew what DD wanted I happily cut my dress all apart and took the lace off (all around the hem and train, some on the cuffs some appliqu</p>
<p>I took off my wedding dress after the wedding and left it at my parent’s house (this was in 1984). They had it in a closet in just plastic for a while. One day they brought it to me and I had it in my basement for several years. When I went to look at it (it must have been 10-15 years after the wedding), since it had not been laundered or preserved, it had mold spots on it (pretty gross). I took a cutting from the lace bodice which I saved somewhere (I wonder where) and dumped the dress. No regrets. I can’t imagine my daughter ever wearing it.</p>
<p>Mine is preserved (or whatever you call it) but honestly, I’m a declutterer and I’d really just rather get rid of or sell it. No reflection on the marriage! H doesn’t want me to, though - surprisingly sentimental about it. But I can’t imagine my D ever wearing it – styles have changed and she has a different body type – and the dress itself doesn’t have meaning.</p>
<p>I kept my dress because that’s what one does and when my daughter got engaged she asked to try it on. If she hadn’t suggested it I’m sure I wouldn’t have thought of it. So we talked about altering it for fit and to drag it into the new century but then they decided to go to the court house instead. I think I’ll get rid of it now.</p>
<p>Ok you guys have gotten me curious. I will dig my gown out of the back of my closet. If it still looks fairly decent, will continue to let it wait there until D and any future DIL are interested.</p>
<p>I looked online after reading this thread and found lots of places to donate them. Might do that with mine, which is hanging in a bag in the closet.</p>
<p>Mine has been in a cedar chest for almost all of the years since our wedding. When I pull out the other items stored in the chest as the seasons change, I look at it. That’s it. I just look at it. </p>
<p>A few years ago my DD, then a young teenager, tried it on. It was a bit too short for her and the shoulders were tight. I tried it on about 3 years ago. I had lost a lot of weight and was about 5 pounds heavier than when I was married. I managed to zip it up, but the area around my rib cage was extremely tight. I suspect my rib cage expanded due to pregnancy and never went back to pre-pregnancy size. I’ve found this with another dress I had from that time period. </p>
<p>I suppose I’ll just keep it for a bit longer and do something with it in the future.</p>
<p>Tossed mine 5 or 6 years ago with 0 regret.</p>
<p>Mine is also in the attic in the preservation box the cleaners put it in 30 years ago. We’ve moved it around a few times. It was an ugly dress - bought a sample, but when they altered it, the waist raised and it looked awful on me and am reminded of this every time I look at my wedding pics. I have no idea if my daughter would even like it, nor why I keep moving it around my attic. </p>
<p>Someday I will open to box and see what condition it’s in. I know I got wax on it at the church ceremony, as I couldn’t get the thing we lit our candles with to go out, so I waved it in the air.</p>
<p>Given I’ve lost 25# in the past 5 months and now weigh less than when I got married, it might be fun to pull it out. Too bad were out of town for Halloween this year.</p>
<p>Mine is carefully preserved in a box, thanks to my mom, not me. I have only sons. I would offer my dress to any future DIL, but who knows if she would want it. The dress may sit there and wait for my grandchildren. </p>
<p>I am romantic about it. My mom was poor and borrowed a friend’s dress to get married. Had she owned one, I would have worn it when I got married. We are about the same size. It doesn’t break my heart that I don’t have a daughter to wear my dress, but I will hang on to it and hope someone will want it. And if not? Then I will suggest it be donated to someone: needy brides or a theater department.</p>
<p>This story may amuse those of you who are dealing helping your parents downsize. This can be such a difficult and emotional process for all involved. I promise there is a wedding dress in this story. 
</p>
<p>My parents were moving to a much smaller home and we were helping them pack and get rid of things. My mom was having a very hard time getting rid of things as everything was ‘still good.’ Things were getting tense. Then inspiration struck.</p>
<p>My daughter was around 12 and I had her put on my mom’s old wedding dress (I wore it also). This gave my mom something to focus on. She and my daughter were outside taking photos. My brother and I were inside throwing things our left and right!! That day of packing ended and everyone one was happy.</p>