My 40th wedding anniversary is this year. I opened my wedding gown box for the 2nd time since I was married. Once at our 20th and just a couple weeks ago. I was more in awe of how beautiful my gown was 20 years ago than I was this time. I’m not sure, but I think it’s gone from a pure white to very Soft off-white on the bodice, although the purpose of expensive preservation box was to prevent that.
Anyway. No daughters. Very much a 1980’s dress. I always thought I’d keep it, put in a picture, date, info and I still have the receipt. Maybe some descendant might enjoy it or some part of it. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that when I’m dead, any DIL is going to want to pitch it. Sons won’t want to cart that huge box around.
But it makes me soooo sad to see it go for some reason. I’m sick of storing it too. So, for those of you who kept your dress for years/decades, then let it go, how did you muster of the “strength” to do that. It’s like I’m saying goodbye to a beloved memory.
Mine is in a box in an attic closet where it has lived a lonely life for 40+ years…
To be honest, those dresses from the 80’s are now “vintage” or “retro” and might get a second life in a resale/consignment/thrift store. I see lots of them in these types of stores. The 80’s/90’s are cool clothing to some today in 2024.
Maybe consider one of these as an option. I have two daughters but one is getting married in her own dress (i FULLY support) and the other daughter well, I would fully support her getting her own dress! Not all that fond of mine and not sure how much I loved it 40+ years ago - just got the one that was the right price and fit at the one shop in town we were going to go to!
D1 just tried on my wedding dress last week. It is not full length, but almost to her ankles. Sleeves are poofy (I was married in 1990) and it has a small bow on the front right. D1 is taking it to a tailor to see how much it will cost to take the poofs out of the sleeves (to wear it off the shoulders) and remove the bow. She would like to wear it for the rehearsal the day before her May wedding.
I kept mine (from the '70s) for about 25 years. Once I realized it would never fit D, I donated it.
In some ways I wish I’d kept it and used the fabric and lace to make christening gowns for our GDs, but odds are that it would not have survived all of our moves and some of the mishaps along the way. I lost some sentimental items when our temporary apartment’s lower level flooded and my wedding gown would probably have been packed with them.
I wore Mom’s dress when I married. It’s very classic; fitted bodice, heavy satin, long sleeves with points over the hands. I still have it, not sure what to do with it now. Also storing D’s dress which is classic in lines but more modern. It would be difficult to part with them but they’re really of no future use in our family.
When I got engaged, my mom dragged hers down from the attic where it had been stored since 1965, as I was very into the retro chic, mod look of the 60s. It was yellowed, stiff and itchy. Needless to say, my mom got rid of it shortly after that.
Based on that experience, I opted to sell mine to a consignment shop a few months after our wedding. It was a style that never really goes totally out (I was inspired by the dress Carolyn Bessette wore the year before I got married and got a similar style), but even if I had kept it…I doubt either of my daughters (both of whom are several inches shorter than I am) would have wanted to wear it.
Like @sabaray I wore my mom’s (1956) dress. Fitted bodice, long sleeves with points over hands, long train. It’s been in a box for 40 years. I don’t think my daughters are interested in it at all.
I did save my veil. I doubt my D would ever wear it but I could see her taking some of the material and sewing it into her dress (if she ever gets married).
Mine’s hanging up in the bag it came in 30 years ago in the attic. Married in 1994 and it looks like it. I have two sons, so they aren’t wearing it! I doubt the GF’s would wear it, and I am 4&8 inches taller than they are anyway. But for now, I have so much space in my house, I’m not in a hurry to get rid of it.
My dress has been in my mom’s house since our wedding was over many moons ago. Guessing it will stay there until mom moves out and then it will be donated if possible or else tossed out. D (understandably) wanted no part of my very 80’s dress. Plus we used to watch “Say Yes to the Dress” together and she was thrilled when we bought her dress at Kleinfelds.
We had two weddings since we have family in multiple countries. I wore an actual wedding dress to one ceremony and that is preserved in a box that is shoved under the bed in our guest room. I thought about getting rid of it at one point but it fits so nicely under the bed that I figured it can stay there for now. For the other ceremony I wore a formal event dress that was not intended to be a wedding dress and that is hanging in my closet still. It’s in good shape and still looks pretty current so I’ve kept it around in case my daughter can repurpose it one day for an event or party.
Mine is in my cedar chest. D didn’t even consider it when she got married, since it’s not her style at all. It’s an early 80’s lace gown, and it is beautiful … for that era. I wore it 41 years ago, and H’s cousin wore it a couple years later for her wedding. She was pregnant & her parents made her get married (those were the days, eh?), so I offered her the dress so she could at least wear a nice gown. Years later, I took it out of the cedar chest & realized that she had spilled something on it - probably cola, judging by the stain. It’s possible that a good cleaner might still be able to get the stain out, but I don’t see the point. I will probably just keep it so that I can look at it & smile as I remember our wonderful wedding.
Mine’s in its box (‘81) on the top shelf of our closet. I brought the box down last month when I was cleaning shelves and asked DH if I should donate it now that DS is married and my dress was never an option for DIL (no expectation that it would be, definitely not her style, or anyone’s). I was surprised that he vehemently nixed getting rid of it. I guess it means more to him than it does to me now. I really don’t see a reason to hold on to a large box I’ll never open again (opened once about five years ago, dress is perfectly intact), but it’s not taking space away from anything I want to store, so I guess it gets to stay. Memories.
When I left my wedding I changed in my old bedroom and left my gown behind. My mother brought it to my house a few years later, saying I should hang on to it not her. It had not been professionally cleaned or preserved. My daughter did try it on once as a little kid and I have a picture of her in it (she was maybe 8 at the time). My wedding was 1984 and about 25 years ago I went to look at it in my cedar closet where it had been hanging) and realized that it had ugly black marks on it. Probably stains that had aged into the fabric. I cut off a small piece of the lace bodice to save and threw it out. No regrets. I did recently come across my receipt for the dress - Kleinfields in Brooklyn - and saved that.
I also tried it on, as did my D when she was a teen, before I sent it to Angel Gowns but no photo evidence but I remember being thrilled it still fit me. It was a joke on my D who towers over me by 8 inches.
I’m jealous @Hoggirl that you got a picture of the first gown that was made. I never received any photos.
A bit of a tangent…but I recently read The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle about women in England who worked to alter/refurbish wedding dresses for brides during WWII. It was a quick and pleasant read (although somewhat predictable). Said to be inspired by actual events. Anyway, this thread made me think of the book.
