One item that we often find when we help clients declutter is a wedding dress. They often ask me if they should keep the dress, or let it go. It is a tough decision! Different people take different factors into consideration when they make their choice. Over the years, I’ve heard great points on each side of the keep/toss debate. Learning about the history of the wedding dress and looking at various perspectives, can help you decide if you should say yes to the dress.
History of the Wedding Dress
Prior to the industrial revolution in the mid-nineteenth century, many women just got married in the best dress they owned. Some women had a new dress made for their wedding and that dress became their new “best dress” and was worn again on many occasions.
Wedding dresses were often blue or dark colour that could hide stains easily. In addition, white fabric was expensive and hard to maintain. It wasn’t until the advent of modern photography and wider distribution of magazines with images, that the “only-worn-once, white wedding dress” became popular. Families who wanted to show off their riches and social status had voluminous, white dresses created. And then, after the wedding, those dresses were preserved. Sometimes they were worn by younger generations or made into baptismal gowns.
The “only-worn-once, preserved-forever, white wedding dress” really gained traction after the Second World War when mass produced fabric (and dresses) became much less expensive. It is comparatively speaking a newer tradition.
Follow Tradition
You can use the history of the wedding dress to help you decide whether or not to keep it. Perhaps you feel that keeping your dress is part of your tradition. Maybe preserving it and fashioning into a wedding gown for your child or baptismal gowns for your grandchildren is important. Alternatively, you might think that since keeping wedding dresses is a new tradition, and not something important in your family, you will let it go.
Dress Design and Quality
Fashion. The ever-changing – and fickle – world of fashion. Dresses from a few years ago can be woefully outdated yet vintage dresses from twenty years ago are charmingly desirable. Do you think your children would want to wear your dress again? If yes, and you have the space, then consider preserving and keeping your dress. If not, let it go.
Are you keeping your dress for a younger generation? Can the dress be easily resized to fit someone else? Take it to a tailor for an expert opinion. If the dress cannot be easily altered, it might be better to let it go.
As mentioned earlier, some people re-purpose dresses for baptismal gowns. If the fabric of the dress is of good quality, reusing the fabric to make other garments is also an (environmentally friendly) option.
Emotional Attachment
There are so many emotions with weddings. If you feel you are keeping the dress purely for emotional reasons, think about this: you probably have more photographs of you in your wedding dress than you have photographs of yourself in all your other clothing combined. Cherish the photographs (and the memories) and let the dress go.
In our decluttering, we’ve come across wedding dresses from dissolved marriages. If the relationship with your ex-spouse is positive, and a child from that relationship intends to wear the dress, then consider keeping it. If the relationship turned sour and the dress brings back bad memories, then it’s time to dispose of the dress. (Note: We do not recommend burning it!)
Ideas for Wedding Dress Recycling
Donate
- The Brides Project – They sell donated wedding dresses with all profits going to cancer charities.
- You Wear It Well – Provides students with graduation outfits at no cost. Only formal wear. No wedding dresses.
- BC Angel Dresses – Volunteers re-fashion wedding gowns into tiny outfits for babies that do not make it home from the hospital at no charge to families.
- The Cinderella Project – Donations closed for 2020. Provides free formal wear (and mentoring) to students.
- Theatre Companies – Some theatre company costume departments accept easy-to-alter-wedding dresses of specific time periods. Check with them prior to donating.
Consign
- There are several consignment shops around the Vancouver area. Search Yelp to find one that may accept your dress.
Sell
A wedding dress can signify the start of an important stage in life so it can be a challenge deciding whether to keep or toss it. For certain, it is not a choice to make lightly. Take your time and consider all the options. There really is no right or wrong answer. With the space that you have, keep what is most important to you.
If you want to declutter but are having trouble with the sentimental items, contact the Out of Chaos team for friendly, impartial assistance.
Image By Anna Docking on Unsplash.
References
Brennan, Summer. “A Natural History of the Wedding Dress.” JSTOR Daily, ITHAKA, 27 Sept. 2017, http://daily.jstor.org/a-natural-history-of-the-wedding-dress/.
Staff Writer. “The Intriguing History of Wedding Gowns.” All That’s Interesting, All That’s Interesting, 3 Oct. 2018, http://allthatsinteresting.com/history-of-wedding-gowns.
