Wedding dresses are a major part of anyone’s big day but after the wedding, they tend to end up unused and stashed away in a cupboard.
Your dress doesn’t have to just sit in a closet and collect dust. To get the most out it, here are a few ways to reuse your wedding dress and create more special memories.
Donate it
Your wedding dress holds a special meaning but more often than not, it just becomes an ornament hanging in the back of your cupboard. Donating your dress will give someone else the opportunity to feel just as beautiful and glamorous as you did on your big day.
Get crafty
Wedding dresses tend to have much more fabric than others, which can be cut and crafted in new and creative ways. You can cut the dress down and use strips of material for making various home decor items or clothing. Satin and lace work well for this. Or separate the skirt and bodice to wear as stylish separates paired with more casual items.
Dye it
Along the lines of crafting, dying your dress will instantly change its look and make it an elegant evening gown which you can wear out to events or formal functions.
Turn it into a family heirloom
If you feel sentimental and would like to keep your dress, turning it into a Christening dress or princess-style dress for your child or younger family member is a meaningful way of re-using your dress.
Play dress up
Love Halloween, or any kind of dress-up for that matter? You can get seriously creative with your wedding dress for a themed party. Think zombie bride or fairytale princess!
When we think of royal weddings, very specific images come to mind. We think of Princess Diana’s extravagant gown with its never-ending train or Megan Markle’s classic bateau Givenchy dream. A dress less known but even more dramatic is that of Queen Letizia of Spain.
This royal, who was a successful news anchor before she became queen, has gone down in history for having the most expensive wedding dress in history. She walked down the aisle to marry then heir to the throne Prince Felipe on May 22, 2004, in a gown that cost an estimated $8 million (R135 881 600). The pair married in the Almudena Cathedral at the Royal Palace of Madrid, Spain, and became king and queen in 2014.
The off-white dress was designed by Royal couturier Manuel Pertegaz, and featured long sleeves, a unique structured open collar and a four and-a-half metre train. There were floral motifs embroidered onto the silk gown in silver and gold thread.
She adorned her tresses with a lace veil and the Prussian Tiara, which had also been worn by her mother-in-law, Queen Sofia, on her wedding day in 1962.
If you’re a Sailor Moon fangirl or boy, you’re in luck. A new wedding line is bringing the magic of the anime to real life, allowing brides and grooms to dress up like their favourite characters on their big day.
The Pretty Guardian Sailor Moonwedding collection is inspired by the popular Japanese shōjo manga series which has been adapted into an anime series much-loved across the globe.
The collection is created by Japanese fashion line Mariarosa and was completed under the supervision of Professor Naoko Takeuchi. It features six wedding dresses and two tuxedos, and will be available to rent or purchase from August 2020.
“The lineup is rich in variations, including princess serenity dresses and wedding dresses that Usagi-chan wore in the final episode, including those that reproduce the dresses that appeared in the work, as well as image dresses inspired by the work. ..” says the website.
Wedding gowns come in endless variations. We especially love open-back designs for its classy, sultry look. If you like this style, try on a few different ones to see how it looks on you, what portion of your back you want to be exposed, and how much skin you want to show.
Remember that different dress styles fit different body shapes in different ways, so talk to your designer or stylist about what flatters you most.
When we think of 80s fashion, cheesy is one word that comes to mind. The popular style of the decade involved tons of primary colour, oversized shapes and lots of lace.
While some may not look fondly on the fashion of the time, fusing retro style elements into modern style is very on trend right now. Popular style icons are influenced by iconic trends from the 80s, 90s and early 2000s, and these can be seen from the catwalk to the streets, as well as bridal styles.
Typical 80s trends like puffed sleeves, full skirts, lace detailing and sparkling applique dominated the day. Here are a few ways to incorporate the 80s into your wedding dress in a modern way.
Winter is upon us, bringing with it chilly temperatures and unpredictable weather. Winter can be an incredibly romantic and practical time to have a wedding, it just requires some forward planning.
Brides planning to tie the knot in the wintertime must take caution to prevent catching a chill on the big day. Long sleeve wedding dresses made of heavier fabrics like velvet and silk allow for greater insulation against the cold. Add flair with lace detail or embellishments, and you’re all set. You can even add a stunning matching jacket for extra warmth.
A little bit of sparkle never hurt anyone. Glamorous brides who aren’t afraid of a little over-the-top design will love a sparkly wedding gown that shines like the star they are.
Sparkly wedding dresses are perfect for winter weddings or glamorous themes. Go opulent with intricate beading, sequins or rhinestones to elevate your look. Depending on the detailing, these shiny additions can give a vintage effect or go full-on modern day princess.
If you love a bit of glitz and glam, try out one of these gowns.
While lace, silk and tulle often reign when it comes to wedding dresses, we cannot help but love satin.
Satin is a type of weave that produces the smooth, aesthetically pleasing final fabric we know today. This fabric is classy, sophisticated and flattering on many shapes. It’s also incredibly versatile, and looks amazing regardless of the dress style.
Old Hollywood exudes class, glamour and style. The many men and women who graced the silver screens, sang right into people’s souls and kept many entertained have also gone down in history for their fashionable wedding moments.
Decades later, we cannot forget the iconic looks some celebrity brides chose to walk down the aisle. Here are a few of our favourite dresses from famous brides in American history.
Grace Kelly
For her 1956 weding to Prince Rainier of Monaco, actress Grace Kelly stunned in an Victorian-inspired gown made of 125-year-old Brussels lace, taffeta, and thousands of hand-sewn pearls. The skirt was made of ivory faille and featured three petticoats: a smoothing petticoat, a ruffled petticoat and a foundation petticoat. The gown itself was made of 100 yards (91 metres) of silk net, and the veil was 90 yards (82 metres). To keep the veil in place, Kelly opted for a Juliet cap decorated with lace, orange blossoms and seed pearls instead of a tiara.
Credit: Pinterest
Audrey Hepburn
Breakfast at Tiffany’s star Audrey Hepburn married actor and stage and film director Mel Ferrer in 1954. For their big day, Hepburn stunned in a Balmain-designed tea-length flared dress with a satin sash, a high neckline and balloon sleeves that she accessorised with elbow-length gloves and a flower crown.
Credit: Pinterest
Priscilla Presley
The King of Rock and Roll married longtime girlfriend Priscilla Ann Beaulieu in 1967 in Las Vegas. She wore a floor-length white babydoll dress made of chiffon, with a beaded neckline and pearl-encrusted long sleeves. And who can forget that bouffant veil!
Credit: Pinterest
Mia Farrow
A then up-and-coming actress Mia Farrow married megastar musician Frank Sinatra in 1966. The actress wore a two-piece skirt suit with elbow-length sleeves, following the mod style aesthetic of the decade.
Credit: Pinterest
Elizabeth Taylor
This iconic actress had been married a number of times throughout her life, but our favourite dress was from her very first marriage to Nicky Hilton in 1950. Taylor wore a high-necked satin gown designed by Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer costume-designer Helen Rose, who famously went on to design Grace Kelly’s wedding dress.
Credit: Pinterest
Julie Andrews:
Before she hit it big with her breakout role in The Sound of Music, up-and-coming actress Julie Andrews married her first husband, set designer Tony Walton in Surrey on May 10, 1959. She wore a long-sleeved ankle-length gown decorated with floral appliqué and a trailing train.
Credit: Pinterest
Bianca Jagger
Bianca Jagger epitomized ’70s style in her 1971 wedding to rockstar Mick Jagger. The Nicaraguan-born socialite wore a crisp white YSL Le Smoking jacket with no undershirt, atop an ankle-length skirt. She accessorised with a large, veiled sunhat.
Credit: Pinterest
Brigitte Bardow
Actress Brigitte Bardowe married her Babette Goes to War costar, Jacques Charrier in France in 1959. Instead of a traditional wedding dress, the blonde bombshell opted for a pink gingham knee-length dress.
Credit: Pinterest
Jacqueline Kennedy
Jacqueline Bouvier became Jacqueline Kennedy when she married future US president John F. Kennedy. For their 1953 nuptials, she wore an ivory silk-taffeta off-the-shoulder gown with a massive skirt. The dress was designed by black seamstress Ann Lowe, who opened the door for many other designers of colour.
Credit: Pinterest
Ava Gardner
Iconic actress Ava Gardner married third husband Frank Sinatra in 1951. She wore an intricate dress featuring trim box pleats along the neckline and short sleeves, and accessorised with a pearl necklace.
Credit: Pinterest
Sharon Tate
Valley of the Dolls actress Sharon Tate married director Roman Polanski in 1968 in true 60s style. She wore a high-necked babydoll minidress with puffed shoulders and long sleeves. She accessorised with ribbons and flowers in her hair.
Credit: Pinterest
Marylin Monroe
Marylin Monroe married third husband, playwright Arthur Miller in 1956. For their nuptials, Monroe wore a mid-length figure-hugging gown with ruched sleeves.
Chrissy Tiegen is known for sharing much of her life and hilarious musings on social media. Her latest confession about shopping guilt is truly fascinating, and has left fans greatly amused.
The model admitted to feeling guilty trying on clothes or using store restrooms, and has devised a guilt-induced tactic to deal with it.
It all started when a fan tweeted this at Chrissy Tiegen.
wowowowow anyone that knows me knows this is very true all too often https://t.co/ciZePatK9o
“One time I saw you at barneys and you bought a Celine bag so you wouldn’t feel guilty about asking to use the bathroom,” a fan tweeted. “I knew I loved you before but that solidified it.”
“Wowowowow anyone that knows me knows this is very true all too often,” Chrissy responded.
The model later shared a message her friend had sent her, proving that this is a habit of the stars.
“Sort of like that time you bought like 5 wedding dresses you knew you would never actually wear because you felt guilty about ‘just trying on dresses’ which is precisely the point of TRYING ON wedding dresses I love you,” a friend wrote to her.
“THOSE WENT TO GREAT HOMES,” Teigen responded.
Her followers were left polarised by this admission. Some fans argued that her actions were indicative of wealth and privilege, while others defended her right to spend her money how she likes.
Tiegen ultimately wore three Vera Wang dresses for her 2013 wedding to musician John Legend in Italy.
