The Dress...What Happens to It?

For many women, finding the perfect dress is the most important part of the wedding planning process. I cannot tell you how many clients I've worked with who run to the nearest dress shop immediately after getting the ring.

Millions of dollars are spent each year on wedding dresses alone. But when the guests begin to leave your reception and you arrive in your bridal suite, the dress comes off and you never wear it again. Sometimes it goes directly to the cleaner's to be dry cleaned and preserved, then you get a box a few weeks later with your most prized possession.

What's the point of lugging this gown with you wherever you go for the rest of your life? Many women hope that one day their daughter will wear it when she walks down the aisle. But how do you know that 1) your daughter will want to wear it and 2) If she'll be able to fit into it. What if you don't have a girl?

There are some women who feel it would be bad luck to sell their gown or have another person wear it. On the buyer's end, she may think this is taboo. Or maybe we're just reading too much into this. A gown does not decide the route of the marriage. If it did, the divorce rate would increase by double.

Today many women are selling their gowns on eBay and Craigslist to try and get back some of the money they invested in the gown. There's a great website, PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com, that carries many designer dresses just waiting for someone to purchase them at a fraction of the cost.

Another option: Turn it into art. A while back some brides decided to get a bit artsy with their dresses and had videos made with them and their grooms trashing the dress. Why waste $10,000 on a dress if you're only going to trash it? I get the whole art is sexy thing, but why not get a $99 dress at David's Bridal and sell the real gown or donate it? Makes no sense to me.

But I shouldn't talk. Right now I'm staring at my HUGE, really inconvenient box in storage that follows me everywhere we move. I do have a daughter, but she insists she's never getting married and is going to live with me forever. I highly doubt my dress is going to tickle her fancy anytime soon. I guess I could give it to her for dress-up, but then I wouldn't want to ruin it. So I'm stuck...

What are your thoughts on keeping the gown? What if the marriage you are in today doesn't last a lifetime? Would you consider wearing the same gown twice or do you think it's bad luck? What if the companies that resell a gown had a tag story that told you what happened to the previous owner? Do you think it's bad luck to wear someone else's gown? It's like walking down the same aisle runner as the last bride, right?

Let's throw another detail into this scenario—what if the gown belonged to a fave celeb who's now divorced? Would you feel the same way? Would you still buy it? Or would you consider it bad luck?

I look forward to your responses.

xoxo
Sam

Posted by Samantha at 3:59 p.m.