My nephew’s wife found her gown in the prom section of one of the NY department stores, I think Macy’s. I loved it. They got married ten years ago last week.
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I think I’m a pretty emotion filled person but not someone who gets attached to many THINGS. I never had an expectation or hope that my daughters or anyone would wear my dress or any parts of it. I have no attachment to that idea.
Just noting the different connections we all have with things/experiences!
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I’ve said this a number of times on this forum. I’ve worked with HS theater departments. Most have no storage space for any future costumes. They just don’t. So…please call them first and ask if they can use this wedding dress. We never accepted wedding dresses or any other potential costume donations. No storage for them.
Try local theatre companies or college level theater departments. They may have more room for costume storage.
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I read that book too. Enjoyable read.
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- In a box in my basement since 2011, previously in a closet in my parents’ house. I haven’t opened the box in years. 3 sons, no daughters. Even though I’m not overly sentimental, and am currently heavily purging our numerous photos from sons’ childhood, I’m not ready to part with the wedding dress. I do like the idea of making something out of it.
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I opened my supposedly preserving box from the dry cleaners when my daughter got married. The dress was very yellowed. So I threw it out. I have the photos. Don’t need the dress.
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My D wanted to wear my mother’s 1952 gown. It’s beautiful silk satin, chapel length train, off shoulder, lace sleeves, etc. We took it to a dressmaker for repairs and alterations. My very slender daughter was shocked that it had to be let out at the waist. Honey, grandma was 19.
She bought another dress at Nordstrom Rack for $174 to wear for the reception - a beaded platinum dress that reminded us of The Princess Bride. When her dad had a health issue she decided that what was most important was having her dad walk her down the aisle, so the wedding moved forward several months and into a family back yard. She wore the Princess Bride dress and looked like a million bucks.
So now I have my dress as well as Mom’s half-altered gown in my daughter’s childhood closet. In the house we are going to sell this year. My 1976 Victorian look gown is still in the Nordstrom bag I brought it home in. Sample gown bought at the end of the season, no alterations needed.
My dress was <$200. They tried to do free alterations but it still wasn’t perfect but I didn’t care. Haven’t looked at it but never cleaned it. Maybe it could be made into something. I’m not sure.
My dress was a floofy tea length (I guess) Jessica McClintock, with a sailor collar, lol. My bridesmaids wore floral versions with a similar design. I got them on sale at Dillards for $50 each.
I got married in the middle of a National Forest (went into the woods to change!) so a long fancy dress was out of the question.
My two daughters will probably take it somewhere to make some sort of memento with it.
It was very similar to this. The puff sleeves were definitely not my style, but I had no patience for dress shopping. While I was looking at the google results, I saw several Jessica McClintock dresses that were more my style, but I never came across them at the time.
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I made my dress (1983) and it’s in a drawer in the basement. I pull it out occasionally – but it’s not like anyone will wear it. Still, I’m not ready to toss it. My late brother’s second wife wore our mom’s dress for their wedding – my mom was 5’8, tiny waist and big chest. New SIL was 5’2 and 100 lbs. The waist barely fit her and I had to do a lot of magic on an unpreserved gown to make the bust fit. The lace was shredded by the end of the reception – it was so brittle.
The dress my former DIL wore when she and S1 were married is still in my closet. It didn’t go to CA with them. Not sure what to do with that.
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My wedding dress (1995) is still hanging in my closet in the zippered plastic bag it came in. I paid $600 for it, which even back then was on the more inexpensive side. It looks quite dated in style with long sleeves and lots of apparently plastic beadwork, and these ridiculous bows at the shoulders and at the top of the bustle. It has a detachable train which was handy at the reception. There was no way my daughter was going to want to use it, but like others I can’t quite bring myself to toss it. I signed up for the Angel Gown list in case a local seamstress sends out a call for gowns, in which case I’d happily part with it.
My daughter (age 27) got married in September 2023 and she made her own wedding gown. She spent about 6 months and 100+ hours on it. On the day after the wedding she asked me to take it home with me (we live across the country) because she has no place to store it in her apartment and I think she also didn’t have the mental and emotional bandwidth to think about what to do with it. So I took it home and took it to the cleaners in town for cleaning and preservation. Having just paid about $450 for that, it’s a bit deflating to read the comments above suggesting it’s totally worthless. I went to one of the oldest dry cleaner business in town, which purports to be where other cleaners send out their gowns. They claimed that “all work is performed on location by a Certified Master Drycleaner and Licensed Gown Specialist, so your special gowns, dresses, and apparel never have to be shipped anywhere.” They are licensed by an organization called the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists. https://weddinggownspecialists.com/. The owner of the cleaners I used was very impressed to learn that D had designed and sewn her own gown, and texted D multiple photos of it going through the cleaning process. I never asked for a separate price for just cleaning. I’d prefer to think that the whole gown preservation business isn’t a complete scam, but I guess only time will tell.
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So impressed that your daughter crafted her own gown! Was that always her wish to do over purchasing a dress?
$450 for cleaning and preservation. Yikes. Between dress costs, accessories cost, alteration costs and then post wedding cleaning/preservation costs it makes me 
over what we pay for a few hours of wear!!!
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I have watched too many episodes of SYTTD. I’m amazed at what some people spend. I paid $300 and I thought that was quite a lot for a second hand dress, even if it was from the 1930’s. 
Yes, from the time she got engaged she decided to sew her own dress and ignored my suggestions that she visit some dress shops and try on gowns. And she’s completely a self taught seamstress, relying on videos and books. I think she would have made a good engineer if she hadn’t gone to grad school for economics. As she was designing the skirt and train, she said: this is all math. About 2/3 of the way through she started to second guess her decision but by then felt committed. Said she spent about $1500 on fabric and materials. I posted photos on this thread: 2016 and beyond wedding moms and dads (Part 2) - #1770 by Corinthian
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Some of you may be mortified to know what I did to a wedding dress, three times.
For years, I hosted a legendary themed Halloween party.
I wanted to be an undead bride. I found a wedding dress for $10 at a thrift store. It was too small, but no problem as I just poked holes in it and tied it together with purple ribbon, lace up style! I kept that wedding dress, because you never know when a costume can be repurposed into another costume.
A few years later, we hosted the same Halloween party and this time, my hubby and I were the Party Czar and Czarina. (If anyone is familiar with Cards Against Humanity, that was the theme of the party. The game features a Card Czar, hence Party Czar. Yes, people came in completely outrageous and offensive costumes, lol.) I dyed the whole thing purple and cut down the sleeves. I wore a tiara and a royal sash. Very regal. Still hung onto the dress.
A few years later, I decided to go as Little Bo Peep, but a twisted version of her. I ripped up the dress, keeping the skirt intact. I glued the purple embellishments, fake pearls and all, on to the old-fashioned bonnet I ordered. I got a ringlet wig in purple and wore the skirt with a leopard print bustier and a hoop skirt under the still-purple wedding dress skirt. Another winner!
After that party, the wedding dress was no longer fit for anything so I finally tossed it. But I’d love for the person who got rid of the dress for whatever reason to know that it went on to have a very good time after it outlived its original use.
Maybe consider donating your dresses to the thrift shop. Last time I was there, there was a large selection of dresses and it wasn’t Halloween time. The dresses seemed to be in great condition and were, of course, amazing value. Not like my $10 beauty though.
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My 24 year old is getting married next year, so it was the perfect time to get my dress (1993) out of its preservation box. I asked her and her sister to try it on, just for giggles.
I would like to announce that neither of them could fit into it - judge me all you want, but it made my day! They are both beautiful and very fit, but I guess I was thinner than I remember being lol. Now, I couldn’t fit into it either, but with my recent weight loss and where I anticipate being, I might try again soon.
It did bring up some feelings when I took it out, though. I remember loving the dress, and feeling so special in it. I went from “well if no one wants it I’ll donate it” to “do you want a dressing gown made out of it”. I am currently at “OMG it’s my wedding dress and I’m hanging on to it and I don’t care if it sits in a box.”
So, I definitely get the sentimentality.
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Exactly what I paid in 1984! For a 1930s dress too.
I didn’t preserve mine (1996). It’s in a white tote box in our attic storage. We pulled it out a couple years ago for older DD to try on and it still looks great.
My mom made it and it doesn’t really look dated but older DD who has similar body type isn’t going to use it and I’m sure younger DD won’t either. It wouldn’t fit her right. I will just keep it. My mom has her MIL’s 1930s dress and it’s kind of neat to see those things.
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Great article here - a library in NJ that collects and loans out wedding dresses
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