What to Do With Your Wedding Dress (and Other Accessories!) After the Big Day

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Yes, wedding attire and accessories could be pretty pricey (based on the WeddingWire Newlywed Report, the typical cost of a wedding gown is $1,600). But it's vital that you realize that your wedding gown, tux, jewelry, and accessories, can in fact have a life long afterwards your special day. When you are looking at what to together with your wedding dress following the wedding, works out you have lots of options!

“Every item you buy for the wedding can be reused or repurposed following the wedding out of your dress for your place cards,” says Jamie Chang, owner and destination wedding coordinator at Mango Muse Events in Los Altos, California. “The secret is to choose items which can possess a life after the wedding—and the wonderful bonus is the fact that many times deciding on the best item isn't just eco-friendly, but could also help you save money which helps your financial allowance as well.”

If you’re wondering things to do together with your wedding dress after the wedding, here are a few tactful methods to make utilization of the special items from your special day once it's passed.

Pick wedding shoes that suit into your wardrobe.

Of course, the wedding shoes may well be a little fancier than every other pair of heels (or flats) you have, but when you want to make utilization of them after your special day, they shouldn’t be overtly fancy—or something you would not wear again. This should encourage you to definitely buy a set of shoes you actually, really like—even when they might be pricier than you’d invest in a regular set of fancy shoes. “This way you're buying something which has value following the wedding too and is a much better use of your hard earned money,” says Chang.

Donate your wedding gown.

When it comes to things to do together with your wedding dress following the wedding, so many women opt to donate or resell their gown utilizing an online resource like Nearly Newlywed—and some choose to save theirs for any future generation. If you go the selling or donating route, consider keeping a bit of fabric from your wedding gown and/or veil. “A part of your dress, even something tough to see line area of the liner, could be turned into a unique keepsake like a handkerchief,” says Kate Reavey, owner of Chicago Vintage Weddings, in Chicago, Illinois. “Similarly, keep your ribbon out of your bouquet to help you use it again for something or display it!”

Turn your dress right into a keepsake.

Since wedding gown trends will always be changing, you might choose to turn the fabric out of your dress right into a "something borrowed" that could be used years down the road, possibly even at your child’s wedding! “The dress fabric could be turned into napkins or perhaps a tablecloth, and could be used alongside the wedding china for a lot of dinner parties in the future,” says Kristen Gosselin, owner and inventive director at KG Events & Design in Edgartown, Massachusetts. “There are a number of methods to turn a costly splurge into a good investment piece when you consider all the ways that the dress could be honored, also it serves as a reminder of the items it means in the years following a wedding.”

Choose timeless jewelry.

Wedding jewelry is much like jewelry for every other occasion within the sense that it's not intended to be worn for just your big momentous day, explains Josh Levkoff of Josh Levkoff Jewelry. “It holds true that many people make or obtain new special pieces for the special day but that doesn’t mean that it's only for your day!” he admits that. “The pieces are intended to be worn forever and for a lot of occasions down the road.”

Jewelry is especially something which you may decide to pass right down to family members, much like your children or grandchildren, so picking out a stone or perhaps a setting that won’t walk out style inside a decade is really a wise investment! For this reason, additionally, it makes sense to utilize a jeweler which team you trust and who'll craft a marriage band and diamond engagement ring using sturdy crafting techniques to ensure that they are able to stand the exam of being worn daily for many years. “While diamonds hold a conventional and sentimental appeal, they're also chosen because they are the strongest gems that may withstand deterioration and resist breakages and scratching,” shares Slisha Kankariya, founder of With Clarity, a web-based jewelry retailer focusing on engagement rings. “Over 75 percent of couples choose classic styles like halo and solitaire and also over 80 percent of couples choose white gold for wedding rings and engagement rings.”

In addition, it’s a good idea to make sure that the jeweler you train with has an eternity warranty along with a diamond upgrade policy. “The lifetime warranty will make sure that your diamond or gemstone jewelry is going to be maintained and kept beautiful always,” says Kankariya. “Any jeweler that's offering an eternity warranty also stands behind the caliber of their jewelry in the get-go.”

This passing things down thing isn’t just for women’s jewelry. In fact, Levkoff highlights that a popular tradition at this time is grooms being gifted watches on the wedding day using their bride using the sentimental goal of passing the watches right down to their children eventually. “It is really a big investment so that they want to make sure they invest inside a piece that they'll wear for any long period of your time and/or have the ability to pass down,” he adds.

Choose a method and color tux you’d wear again.

This is most tangible for that groom, since they’re more prone to rewear a tux or perhaps a suit. For this reason, Danielle Rothweiler of Rothweiler Event Design in Verona, New Jersey, always recommends that her grooms purchase their tuxedo or suit for that wedding rather than rent. “This is really a great investment since the wardrobe can get used over and over, since there will always be opportunities to wear a proper suit,” she says. “By selecting a custom suit or tuxedo, your daughter's groom can have precisely what he wants, meaning he is going to be even more prone to wear it within the future.”

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