Poll: Keep or sell your wedding dress [Archive]

disneydrmr

03-09-2009, 03:24 PM

RenDuran

03-09-2009, 03:31 PM

I got rid of mine so long ago, I can't even remember what I did with it! It wasn't floor length, though. I have enough pictures to remember it.

Mickey'sGirl

03-09-2009, 03:32 PM

Sell it if you can Di. I tried to get rid of mine when we moved a couple of years ago, but the shops wouldn't consider it 'cause it was more than 3 years old. Maybe you'll have more luck in a newspaper listing?

WDWFanatic

03-09-2009, 03:45 PM

Years ago my mom was able to rent hers. I wish that was still an option.

I still have mine and with two boys I'm pretty sure I'll never have anyone who want to wear it...

Should have sold it when I had the chance.

SELL IT and use the money towards a WDW trip :D.

Stitchahula

03-09-2009, 04:19 PM

I'm holding onto mine. Granted I have 2 sons so I'm hoping neither of them will marry in it.;) I know I should sell it but I just can't bring myself to do it.

pandkx3

03-09-2009, 04:26 PM

I had mine sealed in a special box by the cleaners. I have three boys who may have a daughter someday:mickey:

DisneyDog

03-09-2009, 04:28 PM

Maybe you'll have a Daughter-in-law who wants to wear it. Ya never know. My mom has mine, and she lives in Florida. We never had it officially preserved, so I don't know what kind of condition it will be in. I also have a son, but I couldn't get rid of mine.

vicster

03-09-2009, 04:44 PM

I could never part with mine anymore than I could part with my wedding rings.

Dznygrl79

03-09-2009, 05:43 PM

I gave mine to the Goodwill, I have wonderful pictures to remind me of it. I just know someone else can use it and I'm not gonna wear it again.

Hull-onian

03-09-2009, 06:05 PM

I sold mine, but after long hard thinking about it. I found a consignment shop that I thought was good deal for me. My bridal veil was $125.00. Gown $1,000. Shoes and extras. Got it dry cleaned. Very expensive too. So I brought my gown up there. The woman gave me all the rules of consignment for her shop. I ended up getting $125.00. Someone got a good deal, and it wasn't me. Beware of where you go for consignment. But, I had no place to store it anyways. You made a good choice.

offwego

03-09-2009, 07:32 PM

I donated mine to goodwill a knew I wouldn't wear it and we had a son so it seemed sensible. I didn't try to sell it first. My dh was fine with it as the space it took up in our closet was um signficant and wanted a wee bit of space back.

crazypoohbear

03-09-2009, 07:40 PM

I still have mine 22 years later!!
I loaned it to a friend for his wife to wear years ago.
I have 2 son's ( don't think it's their style :D )
My cousin wore it one christmas eve after a few glasses (Bottles) of wine!~
I would never part with it because I am hoping and praying that my son's get married and give me grand daughters and by the time they get married it will be back in style and I will still be around to see them walk down the isle in my dress! :D

mrsgaribaldi

03-10-2009, 01:29 AM

VWL Mom

03-10-2009, 06:08 AM

I never really considered selling it but did consider making a table cloth out of the vail.:blush:
Of course 30 years ago the prices were no where near what they are now.

Mickey'sGirl

03-10-2009, 08:23 AM

Disney Doll

03-10-2009, 08:27 AM

I am surprised by how many voted to sell. I'm not terribly nastalgic and I don't have a lot of keepsakes, but when it comes to my wedding dress I just can't imagine getting rid of it.

DizNee143

03-10-2009, 08:35 AM

i got married on 9.27.08..and by january i donated it....
i couldnt keep it at my place and my mom kept questioning about it since it was at my parents house..and finally im like i love the dress..but im never gonna wear it again..if i was to ever (god forbid) get divorced and married again i would never wear the same dress..so theres no real reason to keep it...i have hundreds of pictures with me in the dress..but i figured if i donate it..someone else can use it..
i considered selling it..but i couldnt be bothered..

Mickey91

03-10-2009, 09:12 AM

I still have mine. My daughter was thrilled when she saw it. I even let her step into it. It wouldn't do for her to wear one day as I did not have it cleaned and preserved but it is a nice bit of nastalgia that my daughter and I can treasure.

BamaJenn

03-10-2009, 09:17 AM

I still have mine. I know I won't have a daughter to pass it onto but in the back of my head I'd like to think maybe when my son gets engaged his wife would consider it. If not, then I'll sell it because it'll be antique. LOL!

Tinkerfreak

03-10-2009, 10:05 AM

Well my Dad put mine to good use. The dress is hanging in my parents upstairs closet. He had some guns he could not fit in his gun safe so he is hiding them all under the train of the dress. I was in that closet looking for something a while ago and was going to pull the dress out to look at it. When I saw what he had done I said "Dad you just need to buy another safe". He said nobody would think to look for guns under there. I said I hope you are not implying I had a shotgun wedding.:blush:
I guess as long as I don't want to get rid of it and he is putting it to what he considers good use then that is ok. He said the dress cost $800 so he was going to get his moneys worth out of it.:)

tinkerbelle75

03-10-2009, 10:11 AM

15 years later, mine is still in my closet. I have 2 daughters so who knows......

RenDuran

03-10-2009, 10:21 AM

I didn't vote because I feel this way. I think if you have a great marriage you probably want to keep it and if not, then you probably want the money. Not you specifically but in general. So, in a nutshell, I think it depends.

No offense, but you can't be serious?! A good marriage can not be qualified by whether one keeps her wedding gown or not. I like to think that my relationship with my husband of almost 16 years is a little more substantial than that!

I thought this was funny! I've been married over 15 years. Believe me...I cherish my husband. The dress was just something to wear during our ceremony! Mickey's Girl, I guess we're renegades in some people's minds!

afowl1017

03-10-2009, 10:23 AM

I voted to keep it because that is what I have done. I know that it won't be wore again but when I get real nostalgic I take it out and look at. I also thought now that I have a daughter....she might enjoy looking at it when she gets older,maybe even try it on....just to have fun.

jrkcr

03-10-2009, 11:32 AM

I kept mine. It is floor length, white, very tight fitting(I was skinny back then...:scale: ) I had spilled a little BBQ sauce on it. We had a very fun wedding reception with 3 tiered cake(every tier was a different flavor with a flavored filling), a keg of beer, BBQ and all the fixin's, and a bag pipe band that played.

But I couldn't afford to have it cleaned and stored, so it just went into a box. Then about 9 years after I was married, after my third daughter was born-my parents took the dress without my knowing about it, and they had it cleaned(the sauce came off) and sealed by the dry cleaners and gave it back to me for Christmas. It made me cry! That was so thoughtful!!
:gift::cry:
Maybe one of my 3 DD's will wear it. If not, it will just wait for the Antiques Roadshow.
My mom kept hers, but not stored in any way-just hanging in the closet. And I reallllly wish I could go back in time and store it!! It was complete lace, but now it is un-wearable. I wish we could have saved it for my DD's too.

WDWFanatic

03-10-2009, 11:32 AM

I thought this was funny! I've been married over 15 years. Believe me...I cherish my husband. The dress was just something to wear during our ceremony! Mickey's Girl, I guess we're renegades in some people's minds!

Ditto, I said sell it and I have a great marriage, but I'm just not into "things"...I would NOT sell my husband, well unless it was for the right price:D. I am ONLY kidding!

magicofdisney

03-10-2009, 11:47 AM

No offense, but you can't be serious?! A good marriage can not be qualified by whether one keeps her wedding gown or not. I like to think that my relationship with my husband of almost 16 years is a little more substantial than that!
I got a completely different feeling from her post than you did. It was my impression that those with a great marriage will look at their dress and be reminded of a fabulous day in their life. Those in a bad marriage may not want to dwell on those memories and rather not keep a memento of the occasion.

Mickey'sGirl

03-10-2009, 12:16 PM

I got a completely different feeling from her post than you did. It was my impression that those with a great marriage will look at their dress and be reminded of a fabulous day in their life. Those in a bad marriage may not want to dwell on those memories and rather not keep a memento of the occasion.
Thank you for pointing out another frame of reference. If this was the intention of mrsgaribaldi's post, then I am very sorry for my comments. :mickey:

Nascfan

03-10-2009, 01:31 PM

I voted sell it. I know your "real life" and knowing you don't have kids makes it a little easier to sell, in my opinion. But even if you did, you've been married quite awhile. Styles, tastes, everything changes. It's taking up space, never to be worn again. Why not put whatever it fetches to good use, something for you and hubby?

mjaclyn

03-10-2009, 02:38 PM

I love my wedding dress and it was pretty expensive so I can't imagine selling it for a measly amount of money on Ebay or somewhere else. It would break my heart to see a several thousand dollar dress that holds so many memories go to a stranger for a few hundred or less...just my opinion.

conorsmom2000

03-10-2009, 07:20 PM

My dress was silk and I had Conor's christening gown made from the train of it (it was made with a salior collar, trimmed in blue, which could have been removed and replaced with lace should we have had a girl)...Conor is not happy to hear that he wore a gown but it was beautiful and so special - and can be passed on to his children some day, should he wish.

So, I definitely can't sell my dress or have someone wear it as a chunk of the back is missing!! Yet, it still hangs in a closet because I can't bear to get rid of it! :blush:

RedSoxFan

03-10-2009, 07:33 PM

I still have mine after almost 23 years. It's been cleaned and stored in a box. I know DD will never wear it; but I can't part with it either.

tinkwest

03-10-2009, 09:03 PM

There is no right or wrong answer to this question.

I kept mine just because it was the prettiest and fanciest dress I figured I'd ever have in my life. It is fun to look at every once in a while and think "Was I ever really that young and skinny?!" Three years after I wore it my sister borrowed it for her wedding (she's very thrifty). My DD doesn't think it is her style, so she probably won't ever ask to use it, but I hang on to it anyway and would gladly loan it to anyone special to me. But personally I would probably never sell it to a stranger.

My Granny gave me one of her old dolls (from about 1910) when I was in grade school. To make it even more special she had her wedding gown made in to a dress for the doll.

mrsgaribaldi

03-11-2009, 12:01 AM

No offense, but you can't be serious?! A good marriage can not be qualified by whether one keeps her wedding gown or not. I like to think that my relationship with my husband of almost 16 years is a little more substantial than that!

I didn't say it could be, you're reading far to much into it. Think of it like this. If your husband cheated on you, beat you and then you divorced, would you feel remotely inclined to keep your wedding dress? Like oh I want to remember that? Anyway, it's my opinion, and I'm sticking with it;)
it doesn't mean your marriage is just good or bad depending on if you keep your dress or not. Is anything that black and white?

mrsgaribaldi

03-11-2009, 01:22 AM

I got a completely different feeling from her post than you did. It was my impression that those with a great marriage will look at their dress and be reminded of a fabulous day in their life. Those in a bad marriage may not want to dwell on those memories and rather not keep a memento of the occasion.

This is it exactly!!! And Jennifer you don't have to apologize, I wasn't offended at all:mickey:

MickeyMousse

03-11-2009, 09:42 AM

I always planned on using my train to be made into my kids christening gowns, but after having 2 boys, my DH was like "not".....so my next hope is that maybe when I have grandchildren I can do the christening gown for them.

Recently I heard of gown material being used for photo album covers, ring bearer pillows (that's a good one!!), bassinet coverings and bridal bags. All great ideas to start your own family tradition! :thumbsup:

princessjojo

03-11-2009, 10:35 AM

When I got married, I thought my dress would be the most expensive "thing" I would ever own with exception of my wedding rings and my pearls. At that time, I just wasn't into "possessions" and their inflated cost. That was until I bought my first real handbag, Prada, then my Gucci bag. We bought my dress from a fu-fu boutique store, 1/2 price because it was a discontinued dress and it was still more than I paid for my first car. It was altered to fit me specifically since I was at the time a size 1 with a "shelf" that wasn't thanks to mother nature.

But I can't bear to part with it. I look at pictures and see how it sparkles since it had rhinestones and crystals and we were married with candle-light/low-light. I loved it. No my boys won't wear it, but maybe my sister will, or my neice. My bouquet was duplicated into silk flowers and placed in a shadow box hanging in my bedroom. My veil is hanging on my the curtain rods by my bed and I still look and think about that day...just can't let it go.

drummerboy

03-11-2009, 11:00 AM

My dress was silk and I had Conor's christening gown made from the train of it.

Cool idea. :thumbsup:

There is no right or wrong answer to this question.

Very true. There are just individual answers. My first (and only) marriage was DW's second marriage, so she wasn't about to keep the dress from #1 around. :humph: She wore an off-white dress for our wedding, elegant but relatively simplified. I think it might still be lurking somewhere in her closet after 32 years, but it wouldn't upset me if she had discarded it by now.

RocknBev

03-11-2009, 11:24 AM

Ok, help me out here... guys and girls welcome to answer this poll... should a woman keep her wedding dress? I'm wanting to sell mine.. it's not like I'll ever wear it again.. and I don't have any children to pass it on too.. but dh gets upset when I mention it.. so I just want to know the thoughts of everyone here... keep or sell?

When you make a decision...let me know. I am in the same boat as you. 10 years later...my dress still hangs in the closet. It is very beautiful...made of raw silk and lace. It is in great condition. I loved it then and got a good deal but I will never need it again. I have lovely pictures and memories...so why not have a little Disney cash? I never sold it because I was a bit attached and thought it wasn't worth the effort to try to sell it.

thrillme

03-15-2009, 07:16 PM

Well 17 years later my dress is still hanging in the closet. My first husband passed away and I've gotten remarried since then to a WONDERFUL man (no I didn't wear the old wedding dress in fact I bought a simple floral dress that I can wear again and we got married in a park).

I've got plenty of pictures from my first wedding and it's all very nice. When my nephew got married I offered the dress up for his girlfriend but she found a different dress and bought that one. I came to the realization that my dress is "out of style". No one uses long satin puffy sleeves anymore. It was $800 17 years ago but now...I'd be lucky to give it away. I feel a bit uncomfortable just selling it and getting practically NOTHING for it (the financial part of me "twitches" everytime I think about it). I "originally" kept it thinking I was going to pass it down but...my son's not interested and really doesn't want a large wedding when his time comes. My Mom had one too but by the time I got married her "velvet" gown was not right for "July" wedding and it had pretty well disentigrated. I really just don't have the closet space for it.

I've realized over the years...I dearly loved the man I married...the dress is just fabric. I lost him to cancer but the dress is still in the closet and it just doesn't matter anymore...it's still just "fabric".