One of the biggest decisions you’ll make during the wedding planning process is choosing a wedding dress, and after doing all that research, finding an outfit that’s socially-responsible and perfect for your chosen them, it seems like a crime to banish your dress to a keepsake box in your attic. With such a major investment in time and emotion, many modern brides are bucking tradition and finding new and interesting ways to repurpose and recycle their wedding dresses into outfits and décor they can enjoy for years to come. Want to get on the bandwagon? Here are a few inspiring ideas to get underway.
- Alter it!
This may seem obvious, but there are endless options available to you if you’d like to enlist the help of a seamstress or alter the dress yourself. However, you don’t have to go as far as dying and completely restructuring the dress, rather a quick cropping of the dress into a shorter shift could make for a perfect sundress for summer. Peruse fashion and wedding blogs for some inspiration to get started!
- Turn it into jewelry
Many jewelry designers have begun repurposing wedding dress fabric and accents into jewelry by transforming the fabric into metal by a wax casting process. This means that the elegant accents of your dress can be re-imagined as necklaces, bracelets, brooches and earrings, or even a pair of cuff links for your significant other!
- Home accents
The skirt of a wedding dress has plenty of potential in the modern home, and if you’re handy with a needle and thread, this portion can be remade into pieces of home décor. Some great ideas include pillows, tablecloths, napkins or use the lace from the piece to decoupage objects in your home like vases and centerpieces.
- Have some fun!
There’s no rule that says you have to save your dress or repurpose it, especially when there’s so much entertainment potential. Get your gal friends together for a party where you all wear your wedding dresses, hold a “wreck the dress” photoshoot with paint and brushes, or splash some fake blood on there to create the perfect Halloween costume. Your wedding dress signifies the start of your new life, make sure you have as much fun as possible when you’re wearing it!
- Donate it!
Last but not least, donating your dress could be one of the most meaningful gestures to come out of your special day. Organizations like Brides Across America provide dresses to military brides, while others will donate directly to brides or sell the dresses to benefit charitable causes. Imagine the joy your dress could bring to another woman on her special day, and you may have found the perfect way to give your dress new life.
