All around the world and across cultures, weddings are considered to be very special events, especially for the individuals getting married. We all have envisioned our own dream weddings ever since we were kids. It’s just something that we all do. A couple’s wedding day is one of the happiest and most exciting days in their whole lives. Needless to say, a lot of planning and hard work goes into making it special, and a lot of elements are involved.
Setting aside the psychological “highs” that make a wedding day exciting and also a bit hectic, a lot of material things also end up defining it. Imagine a wedding without the glorious wedding cake to adorn the table. Or, imagine no band at a wedding. Such elements, if taken away from a wedding, make it seem less than what it could’ve been. Thus, getting all the ingredients right for your wedding is very important to make the day special and unforgettable. One of the most important parts of the wedding for the bride is her wedding dress. Most brides start picking out their dream wedding dress in advance and rightly so, a good wedding dress can get booked as soon as it hits the shop. Moreover, brides also tend to consider opinions from their bridesmaids and other friends when it comes to picking the wedding dress. The point is that a wedding dress is an extremely important element in the wedding for the bride. It’s also one of the most exciting parts of the wedding for most brides. Thus, most women tend to get attached to their wedding dress as anyone would, considering the memories that’d be attached to it. Due to such importance attached to the wedding dress in most cultures, the question of what to do with it after the wedding becomes important. This article will explore that question and also guide you, in case you decide to sell your wedding dress after your wedding.
When it comes to wedding dresses, it can be very hard to move on. After all, humans tend to attach memories to inanimate objects. The memories of the day when you picked out the dress with your close friends. The memories of all the laughter, joy, excitement, and nervousness leading up to the big day. The memories of walking down the aisle looking like an angel from the heavens. The wedding dress becomes a symbol or a carrier of all these memories. Thus, it can be really hard to let go. However, it’s never too healthy to hold onto the past, even if the past in question is very intoxicating.
It’s up to you to move on or not. There is no denying that weddings are expensive. If you are in dire need of some money and can do with some funds, you should consider selling your wedding dress. Thus, moving on becomes necessary. And once you decide that it’s time to move forward with your life, it isn’t that hard to part with your wedding dress and sell the bridal gown. On the other hand, if you have ample storage space and finances, you can choose to hold on to it. There is nothing wrong with that as well. It entirely depends upon what you want to do and what the situation demands. Many women choose to keep their wedding dress as a souvenir from their wedding day, but more and more women are opening up to putting up their wedding dresses for resale and we see it as a good sign!
We humans have a habit of drawing up myths around things and events that are considered significant in our lives. Marriage is a very significant social and personal event for most people. It’s also considered sacred in many cultures. Thus, it is only natural that there are various myths, traditions, and superstitions regarding the same. Similarly, there are myths around the bride’s wedding dress too. For instance, many say that it is bad luck for a groom to see the bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony. However, there is no substance to this myth. These are progressive and liberal times, and there is no place for such myths. Similar myths can be found in various cultures. For instance, in many cultures, it is considered inauspicious for the groom to see his bride’s face before the wedding ceremony. However, more and more couples are doing cutesy first look photo shoots before their wedding ceremony!
Another popular myth is that a wedding dress cannot be of colors like red and black. Black is often associated with funerals, and it might be a bit odd-looking color for a wedding dress, however, in our modern times, we are always breaking cultural and traditional barriers. People are expressing themselves freely and such backward and superstitious notions regarding the colors of clothes do not have any place in our modern society. Thus, it’s perfectly okay for someone to get married in a red or black dress. After all, many grooms wear a black tux at their wedding. Why can’t the ladies wear black too? If you wore a colored wedding dress for your special day, sure, your buyer list might be a bit limited, but we are pretty sure there are brides out there who are ready to channel the same vibe as you did on your wedding day.
The final myth and the most relevant to this article is that one shouldn’t sell their wedding dress as it is bad luck. As with all myths, it’s the individual’s personal choice to believe in them or not. It should be apparent that there is no logic behind this myth. As a wedding dress is considered an important element in a wedding, and a wedding is considered a very important social and personal event, the idea of parting with the dress can seem a bit unimaginable to many. Thus, the idea has taken the form of a myth. The sacredness of the wedding has rubbed off on the wedding dress. However, in reality, it is not true. If you want to sell or donate your wedding dress, you can do it without hesitation.
There are several things that you can do with your wedding dress. Some of the options are:
Store away to keep, to give away, or reuse: There is nothing wrong with wanting to hold on to that wedding dress, and don’t let anyone tell you differently. If you have no plans of reselling your wedding dress away to anyone and want it for yourself for good, proper care should be taken to ensure it is intact even decades later and for that, it should be stored right away. A wedding dress invokes a lot of emotions, and it makes sense that a bride will be emotional about the dress that she gets married in! So it makes sense you might want to hold on to it a little longer rather than selling your wedding dress off before you decide on what exactly you want to do with it- give it away to a family member, dye it a fun color or upgrade it for different use!
Sell the dress: If you have determined that you will rather sell your wedding dress, than storing it, let it be known this is a sustainable option, as it will slow down production and inspire more brides to wear preloved wedding dresses. Selling a wedding dress is not only better for the environment, but it is also financially more affordable for another bride-to-be, as she gets to wear a pretty dress that has only been worn once before and is in immaculate condition. Picking the right platform for your wedding dress is essential, as it can help your dress reach its perfect new match faster! There are various different ways you can put up your wedding dress for sale- both online and offline!
Donate: The best thing that you can do with it is to donate it. Many people cannot afford lavish wedding dresses due to financial limitations. Yet, each and every bride desires to be clad in a gorgeous white dress on her special day. By donating your wedding dress, you can make someone’s special day even more special without letting her break the bank.
If you do decide to sell your wedding dress, you might face various challenges as selling your wedding dress is not as simple as selling any other article. One of the biggest challenges is having a worn-out dress or one with some tears on it. By the time you decide to sell your dress, it might’ve taken some damage. Another challenge is having a dress that is not of conventional size. But the biggest challenge of them all is to find a place that will give you a decent price for your dress, even if it is in tip-top condition.
Even if you find a place, you will have a rough time figuring out what price you should settle on. As it’s your wedding dress, you shouldn’t get ripped off. Thus, it’s better if you do a bit of research on the internet before settling down on a price. If you’re selling your bridal gown immediately after your wedding, chances are that you will get around half the initial price. That’s not a bad deal, considering how costly wedding dresses are. However, if your wedding dress is very old, you might not get much for it. This is because your dress might be out of fashion by today’s standards. Moreover, it would show signs of wear and tear if it’s pretty old. Yet, you should still try and sell it as you will get some amount of money for it regardless.
In order to make your wedding dress resale process seamless, you should keep the following points in your mind.
• Research all you can before selling your wedding dress. If your dress is quite old (or vintage), it might not be worth going through all the pains of selling your bridal gown only to get shoddy prices. Moreover, it’s harder to sell really old dresses. By researching, you can also arrive at an estimated price that you can get for your wedding dress. This will really help when you find a buyer and start negotiating.
• Get your dress in proper condition in order for it to attract buyers. The first thing that a buyer will look at is the outer appearance of your dress. If it’s not clean, no one would even consider buying it. Thus, it’s important that you find a professional wedding dress cleaner and get it in near-perfect condition. It would be worth putting funds in to get your dress in the very best condition as it will greatly increase the price that you’ll get for the dress as well as your chances of finding a buyer.
• If your wedding dress is a bit older or you did some damage to it while dancing your shoes off on your wedding day, it might be a good idea to go see a seamstress. Damaged goods fetch very low prices. If you put some money in and get your wedding dress mended, its potential selling price will skyrocket. It’s an intelligent move to put in a few bucks in order to enhance the condition of your wedding dress as it will greatly increase its selling price.
• Once you’ve got your wedding dress cleaned and mended, you need to make sure that you advertise it properly. Most people choose to sell their wedding dress online, and on the internet, photo quality matters. It’s the photo of your wedding dress that will make the first impression and not the dress itself. Thus, you need to ensure that your dress looks great and the photo quality is on point too. Get a proper camera from a friend or rent one. It will greatly increase your chances of convincing a buyer to get your dress.
• Make sure that you list the measurements of the dress correctly. You wouldn’t want to handle a disgruntled buyer after they’ve received the dress. To avoid this headache, describe your wedding dress properly on the internet and get the measurements right. Make sure that you communicate with the buyer and let them know what they are getting. Have some proof of the agreed price too, in case the buyer tries to pull a scam on you. Although, you wouldn’t have this problem if you choose a reputable buyer.
• The biggest challenge is to find a buyer or a platform where you can sell your wedding dress. The best option is to sell it online. However, if you decide to sell it locally, you have to remember it can take a lot of time. Moreover, most shops don’t offer money for used wedding dresses. So, it’s preferable that you sell your wedding dress online. There are various sites that you can go to in order to sell your wedding dress.
• Once you’ve found a buyer, you will have to pack your dress and ship it. While packaging your dress, you have to be really careful as it can easily be damaged during the shipping process if it’s not properly packaged. There are a lot of tutorials available online on how to package and ship your wedding dress. Make sure that your dress is packaged properly in order to avoid any conflict with a disgruntled buyer.
Selling your wedding dress can be a hectic task, but it’s quite easy if you know what you’re doing. If you follow the aforementioned tips properly, you will be able to sell your wedding gown in no time.
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