The other day Dom asked me about what I thought she should do with her wedding dress. Should she keep it, should she sell it, should she do something more crazy with it? After all she’s never going to wear it again, although to be honest, this being the second dress related Friday Fight-Out in a row (both at Dom’s suggestion) I’m pretty sure she wants to!
Anyway, it strikes me that this is a dilemma faced by pretty much every couple after the big day, so we thought it was about time we stepped into the ring and tried to settle the matter once and for all! So let’s take a look at the arguments: is the dress something that should be kept and treasured forever, or is it time to sell or, more spectacularly, time for a crazy trash the dress shoot?
Let’s meet the contestants!
Treasure Vs Trash
In the Red corner, mostly trying to find an excuse to wear her dress again and therefore talking up the “Trash the Dress” shoot… although to be honest she did a pretty good job of trashing it on the day itself! It’s Dom “The Tog Bride”
In the Blue corner, feeling that even with only a very rough idea of how much Dom’s dress might have actually cost it should probably be placed in a glass display case and worshipped daily… therefore arguing to keep it safe, it’s Matt “The Gormless Groom”
FIGHT!!!
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Dom: You’re never going to have the chance to wear your dress again so what’s the point in keeping it? Either getting a little money back for it, or alternatively giving it one last hurrah with a Trash the dress shoot is surely better than it gathering dust!
Matt: You spend so much time and money building up to your wedding day, but when it’s over there’s very little of the “stuff” that you get to keep! Apart from photos and videos the dress is probably the one big purchase that you have the chance to hold onto as a keepsake of the best day of your life.
Dom: A trash the dress shoot is a chance to use your dress again to get a completely different set of photographs in a very different style from your wedding. It’s another really amazing day and allows the dress to keep on giving – providing you with more awesome, memorable photos.
Matt: Why would you wreck something you’ve spent SO much money on!!??
Dom: If your dress is still in good condition after your day then you can actually often sell them for a significant amount. When you’ve spent so much money on it it’s great to be able to get a lot of that money back, and in a recession second hand dresses are often the best choice for lots of brides out there.
Matt: The wedding dress often becomes something of an heirloom Who knows, maybe one day your daughter might wear the same gown on her own special day.
Dom: Passing on your dress to someone else is something kind of special, particularly when it’s someone you really care about. A dress is designed to be worn and it’s something you think about so much; giving someone else the chance to use it kind of creates a strange bond between you.
Matt: I think the dress is one of those things that just after the day doesn’t seem to matter but becomes so much more important later on when you’re looking back on your day. It is a huge expense but part of why it’s worth it is that it is something that you keep forever and one day show to your grandchildren.
Dom: How about trashing the dress in a whole other way? Instead of getting it professionally cleaned and put in a box, how about getting it cleaned and dyed so you can use it again as a whole other dress? Now THAT is going to be your new favourite go-to dress!
Matt: The old tradition used to be that the trashing of the dress would come only to make Christening outfits for your kids, which I think’s a really cool idea and really makes it even more special (and easier to store!)
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So, those are the arguments as we see them but what do you think? Are you thinking about doing something different with your dress after the day? Is your dress locked up safely in the attic? We’d love to hear your thoughts on the debate! Leave a comment below or catch us on Facebook or Twitter
Photos by York Place Studios
I did a Trash The Dress – well actually, it turned into a Rock The Frock (the pics are online somewhere), and I would do it again IN A HEART BEAT. Put it on, a pair of biker boots, 2 other togs and traipsed round the streets of Digbeth in Brmingham. Got it muddy and dirty, possibly even scuffed in a few places, and it was worth it.
If I had had a daughter, I wouldn’t for one second expect her to wear my dress (I’d be more horrified if she DID want to wear it – she’d be her own person, not me). As for expense – yes I paid a LOT of money for mine, so I’d like to wear it again than have it shoved in a cupboard for no one to see.
£1k on a dress and only wear it once? You MUST be kidding. In fact, if any other togs want to do another Rock the Frock with me, I am TOTALLY UP FOR IT. (YAY I get to wear my dress AGAIN! Nyer.)
😉 xx
Ooof! I am struggling with this myself!! But I think I am going to go for the dye and wear as an awesome evening dress! Luckily in my line of work I get to play very glamourous gigs where I am actually required to wear an ‘evening dress’ but now I’m stuck as to what colour to go with! Can you do another Friday Fight Out about dyeing it either green or blue please?!
I am with Dom on this…Trash it, have fun with it…It’s like those peeps who have stunning, vintages cars in their garages and spend the whole time polishing the thing, never drives them…It is the dress destiny to be worn again and have fun …FACT…:)
I wish I could get into my dress now – I’d do a rock the frock shoot in a heartbeat. I would love to wear the dress and go slashing through the sea with my hubby (on a warmer day than today of course!)
If Jay wants to recreate the “here to eternity” scene give me a shout- I’m game for a fun shoot this summer.
I wish I could still get into my wedding dress, I’d rock that frock in a heartbeat too!
Jay if you fancy a frollic in the sea this summer just drop me an email. I’d be up for taking some different photos for my blog.
🙂