Hands up who’s been married before? Keep that hand up if you’ve ever worn your wedding dress again?
Now, clearly I can’t tell whether you’ve put up your hand or not but I’m going out on an internet bridal limb here and guessing that there would be few hands waving around in the air.
I’ve been married twice. I was naive the first time (and not just about the dress). The second time I knew better (and not just about the dress).
I knew there was little chance that once that dress went to the drycleaners, only to come home in a box, that it would stay in the box.
It wasn’t that I’d gone the full 2004 meringue. It’s just that, well, the dress was white. And formal. And bridal formal. Now, if it were black or red, it would be a whole other story and I would have squeezed into that dress every year since.
Want to know how to chose a wedding dress you’ll wear again? I’m over at Justb. today doing a Wardrobe Rescue for a reader who’s currently planning her wedding. Come over and say hi.
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Was a little *cough* over budget so will be nice to pass it on & recoup some of the cost. Oh, I like the idea of wedding dinners. Thanks for sharing on both posts, Omega … love your advice! It’s frilly with power and attitude over the knee day dress layered in pink and pale coral.
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Hahaha! And go the wedding dinner!
I made mine – 3/4 sleeves, mid-calf, scoop neck, flared skirt. It’s a very easy two piece pattern (!) and made of blue and brown jersey (sounds vile but it’s like potch opal and really lovely. I’d bought it some years previously and was holding onto it for the right dress…. Also, it doesn’t show stains, which is good, because the lilies shed pollen all over me).
I think it was half an hour to cut (being very careful there, most unusual for me), half an hour pinning and sewing the main seams on the electric, then about 6 hours hemming the neck and skirt by hand (yes, something I am finicky about). At that point, it was known as the “f$#king frock”, but half an hour or so each evening soon saw it done 🙂
I easily spent more on my underwear for the day!!!!
I’ve worn it several times since – normally belted (I’ve lost weight) and will continue to do so. It makes me feel wonderful!
Author
Oh I love that wedding dress story! Thanks for sharing it here.
I gave away my wedding dress from my first marriage to a friend who wasn’t able to afford a wedding dress. Her marriage ended in divorce as well, maybe the dress was unlucky?
This marriage I have my dress in the box. It’s not overly formal though so I actually probably would wear it again…if I had the right occasion.
Author
Oh, the unlucky dress? I didn’t pass my first one on but used part of it for my daughter’s Baptism gown.
And do, think about the second dress should the right occasion come up!
Love this post Nikki, especially since I just bought my wedding dress last Saturday! The sentimental part of me wants to keep it after the wedding but I’m a ruthless culler so I know I’ll end up selling it. Was a little *cough* over budget so will be nice to pass it on & recoup some of the cost. x
Oh, Rach … how exciting?! I’m a ruthless culler too but didn’t end up selling it! And budget, what budget?!
I know, it was a very productive few days in Melbourne… And what a shame, I have to go back down for a few fittings 😉 I like your thinking! Budget? Sorry, what’s that? xx
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Your wedding dress is the only frock you DON’T apply the cost-per-wear justification to!
hi Nikki
well sadly no – I haven’t worn the beautiful thing again – mine has shrunk too – must be a similar washing powder we are all using 🙂
I have still got it and love it to death – it is the kind of elegant modern look I could wear today and it would still “knock-em dead”
A great post Nikki and makes me think how I was only going to by a dress for no more than the value of about $500 or $600 and I ended up having it made and it cost me… well… cough… a lotttttt more than that, in the thousands.
have a wonderful day
loulou, from hereiamloulou blog
x
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That washing powder has a lot to answer for! I too had mine made and spent more than my now husband will ever know but I felt so wonderful on the day it was worth it. From today’s post on Justb. I’ve found a business that does professional dyeing, so will investigate that. I’d so wear it as a black dress.
I wore my dress a few times to ‘Wedding Dinners’ with friends around town. We all wore our frocks & had an uproarious time. I even had to breast feed a 6 week old one year (hiding in a storage area with the dress down to my waist). Even 10 years later I would have strangers commenting that ‘I looked lovely’ which I suspect is a default reaction to anyone looking like a bride regardless of age or style. Since then it has been used for various dress ups and school assignments. I didn’t spend a lot on it at the time, preferring to spend money on a ‘going away’ frock (it was the done thing) & I will never bother having it dry cleaned again so it looks distinctly antique now. And yes the damn thing has shrunk!
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Oh, I like the idea of wedding dinners. Although that the shrinking wedding dress syndrome may preclude me from eating!!
I got married 14 years ago and wore my dress again this year…when I hosted a Royal Wedding Viewing Party…so really it was a fancy dress costume…and the damn thing had shrunk!!
Author
Haha, I think it’s the boxes they get stored in that make them shrink!
I got married in Las Vegas and then had a party back home in Sydney – so I wore my wedding dress to both celebrations. I partied so hard back in Sydney that I’ve since had it rejected by no less than 3 dry cleaners! One even had a go at cleaning it & subsequently didn’t charge me because they couldn’t get the black off the bottom of it. Don’t go dancing at a niteclub until 6am in a floor length dress if you want to wear it again!
Despite all that, I still have my dress. I played dress-ups in my own mums and I think my daughter might enjoy doing the same despite the yucky stains.
Author
That’s the funniest story – and it sounds like your dress has earned a much-deserved retirement!
I wore mine to opening events, and charity functions, race days. Anything you needed to look like you were visiting the Queen and I had it out. Never felt out of place. Probably because it was not a long white dress. It’s frilly with power and attitude over the knee day dress layered in pink and pale coral. So old bridesmaid looking now. Wasn’t then. Can’t bin it, size 12 and cannot see it coming back into fashion so doubt I will ever wear it again. Fran
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I love hearing stories like that … definitely was the perfect buy at the time. And you saw the sense in not buying a long, white dress!
I’d love to wear mine again … Nikki, you’d love it. A full-length dusty pink flowing spaghetti-strapped Lisa Ho number. With diamontees hanging in the cleavage.
Not sure it’d fit … this week, I ate Max’s replacement replacement Nutella. After eating the replacement AND the original. Finally I said, “Sweetheart, I just can’t have this in the house. I’ll buy you some lollies.”
XXO
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Oh, Eden … that sounds divine. So, I am hearing your right? You did wear a dress?!
And Nutella is the devil. It’s not available at our house either 😉
PS. That’s me in the photo above with my now 16 year-old-son giving us the rings.
Hi got married pregnant and designed my own dress based on a deisgners style but my own colour pallet. I am preggers again so I am wondering whether I will get it out for a whirl. I have since seen skirts and other dresses similar style and colour pallet to what I chose.
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I say go for it!
I know a couple who dress up in their wedding attire every year on their anniversary. They stay in a hotel, and have a nice dinner in their room with candles and a floral centrepiece. I think it’s such a lovely idea!
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Oh, that is a lovely idea … it would get around the “stigma” of wearing it in public and it obviously looking like a wedding gown.
My dress was made up of a “sunset” coloured shot silk corset, and a RIDONKULOUSLY huge red silk bustle skirt with a train.
I understand most people wouldn’t have use for a bustle skirt in their everyday wardrobe, but a combination of historical re-enactment events, masquerade ball & formal/costume party DJ gigs has seen me wear it time and time again..
The corset is lovely for going out to dinner, things like that.. with different skirts it’s suitable for all sorts of occasions.
So – yes, my advice is, avoid white if you can bear it (or choose silk and dye it afterwards?) and choose separates!
My dress (or the pieces thereof) has proved far more durable, reliable, and generally happy making than the marriage did 😀 😀 😀
My other big tip? So many women go on crazy diets and manage to squeeze into a dress size they will never wear again. I focussed instead on looking healthy and radiant, and didn’t do any mad crash dieting. So my dress still fits, a divorce, a baby and eight years later! 😀
(Cross posted over at JustB 🙂 )
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Thanks for sharing on both posts, Omega … love your advice!
This was EXACTLY what I needed – thanks so much Nikki!
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Happy to help, Katy … happy shopping x
There is no way that I will ever wear my wedding dress again. 1)It doesn’t fit anymore; and 2)There isn’t much call for a full length a-line satin skirt with diamantés on it. lol. I would however consider wearing it for a “trash the dress” type of photo shoot. I have plans soon of photographing my daughter in it, to put away for when she gets married one day.
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Oh, I love the idea of photographing your daughter in it.