5 Creative Uses for Your Wedding Dress
Guest post by Leah
We all know that a wedding dress can be cleaned and box after the wedding, or donated to bless someone else’s big day. But what if you can’t bear to part with it, yet can’t bear to see it hidden away in a box under your bed either? Here are some ideas on how to put your wedding dress to good use after the big day.
1. Have it altered by a seamstress
You could have the dress dyed, shortened and refashioned in to a timeless cocktail dress that you can wear for years to come. There might even be enough fabric for a matching bolero.
2. Make a christening gown
You could create a new family heirloom by creating a christening gown out of your dress. There is a beautiful poignancy in your child wearing a christening gown made out of the same dress you wore on the day you married your husband, and the dress will be treasured by your family for years to come.
3. Make some decorative pillows
You could make some gorgeous decorative pillows, or a cot bumper, with the fabric from the dress. The pillows could even be embroidered in the corner with you and your husband’s names, and the date of the wedding.
4. Start a family wedding quilt
You could make a quilt out of the dress! If you want to start a real generational project, you could sew part of the quilt using your dress, and then part of the quilt using the wedding dresses from other family members – does your mum still have her dress? You could even store it for your child to add her wedding dress to in a good few years’ time!
5. Trash the Dress
This isn’t strictly about how to re-use your dress as you will still have a dilemma as to what to do with it afterwards. But, a trash the dress session will be brilliant fun! Trash the Dress sessions involve taking you, your dress, your partner and a photographer and taking the kind of photos you wouldn’t dare to take on your actual wedding day for fear of ruining the dress. For example you could run on the beach, jump in to a swimming pool, make snow angels… check out this mass Trash the Dress session that took place in Holland in 2009!
Have you put your dress to a creative use after the wedding? Let us know by leaving a comment.
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Do people really cut up their wedding dress to make cushions? That would make me so sad….mine is in a box in the loft – it’s a waste of a beautiful dress but I don’t think I could bear to to any of the above with it. Trash the dress sounds fun though.
My wee boy’s naming ceremony is on Sunday and we have asked all adults attending to bring a piece of material for a patchwork quilt. I am going to cut a piece of material from my dress to add to the quilt. I’d rather do that than have it gathering stoor (dust).
Have a good day Clare!
Hi Erica,
I cut off the top bustier bit of my wedding dress and had it put in a box frame, it looks stunning and I can see it every day, and I had a bit from the front and back made into a cusion, both of them remind me of one of the best days of my life!if anyone wants a photo give me a shout and I will email it through.
Regards
Jade
Great ideas. Tired of my dress sitting in the closet remindin me how fat I am.
I had my wedding dress made into two teddy bears by this lady: http://www.bubsbears.com/Wedding_Bears.html. The bear with the penguin charm and the flowers all over it is mine.
One I gave to my friend that made my dress, and the other I have in my bedroom and I get to see it every day. The dress has stains on it and was made exactly for me so I couldn’t have sold it. I have kept the handmade flowers from it and hope that maybe one day my daughter will use them as part of her wedding outfit.
That’s lovely Kelly. The bears look gorgeous.
We are celebrating our 20th Anniversary this summer with a trip to Vegas to renew our vowels. I pulled out my 80′s style (you know…poufy sleeve with mounds of beads and lace) and started cutting it up!! I am in the process of making a kitschy 50′s style short dress from the yards and yards of fabric!! SO EXCITED!!!! I actually heard my daughter sigh in relief!!!
My dress has been in the closet for 11 years. I don’t expect any of my daughters to want to wear it for their weddings, I didn’t want to wear my mom’s dress. And these are some very cute ideas. I have considered donating it, but I can never make a decision, so there it sits.
I have also just had tw ties made out of my wedding dress one for my son and one for my husband for my sons christening x
My mother passed away suddenly in March at the age of 68. While going through her things I came across her wedding dress, it is beautiful but over 50 years old and it’s not a long dress. Trying to come up with ideas to have something made (Mom would LOVE this)that I can use. I LOVE the throw pillow idea for my bed and also my daughter is getting married in September, she is heartbroken that Mamaw won’t be there, hopefully I’ll have enough material to make her a garter AND a pillow for me. That way Mamaw will really be a part of the wedding too, that can also serve as her something OLD!!
That’s lovely Sheree, sounds like you have some good ideas. I hope you have a lovely wedding day.