What to do with your old wedding dress: Lend, Rent or Wear?
Dressing up in your old wedding dress
How would you feel about sharing your old wedding dress? Would it somehow diminish its meaning?
Like many brides, I used to feel that part of the value of my dress lay in it being exclusively mine. But as time has passed, and I’ve relaxed my grip on it, I started to change my perspective. I’m not personally ready to chop it up yet, but I am ready to share it. And the main options for this include lending, renting or wearing it again.
Watching children play dress-up in my bridal studio, tottering around in ivory lace stilettos, trying on tiaras, and letting their imaginations run wild in old wedding dress samples, something magical happens. Their pure joy doesn't take away from the dress's significance, or make it any less special to me.
If you don’t have a bridal studio to hand with samples to play dress up with, but are keen to explore sharing your dress, it’s now easier than ever. Designer rental companies are working increasingly with celebrities, designers and boutiques to offer sustainable solutions. Something Borrowed and Recycle My Wedding for example are worth a try if you’re exploring renting your dress and are loved by brides for their sustainable luxury approach. Amelia Murs, for example, put her bespoke evening wedding dress up for rent to other brides after her wedding to singer Olly Murs. "I really, really loved the thought of someone else being able to wear this gown," she said. Rather than hoarding this beautiful creation, she was sharing its power to make other women feel extraordinary. PS Bridal , through which Amelia rented her dress, no longer offer rentals, but they have a fabulous collection of pre-loved dresses, so do check them out.
This shift from scarcity to abundance thinking isn't easy. We're conditioned to believe that something precious must be protected at all costs. But what if we've got it backwards? What if holding our dress lightly – as I learned – actually makes you feel better than hiding it away?
The rental market for wedding dresses is thriving . If you’ve not long been married, so the style of your dress is still on trend, you may be able to earn up to thirty percent of its value each time it's rented, while still maintaining ownership. More importantly, you're allowing your dress to fulfill its true purpose: making somone feel beautiful and confident.
Dressing up in old wedding dresses
Another somewhat unlikely example of sharing your dress (while still keeping it) is the "wear your wedding dress to work" charity fundraiser. Have you heard of this? So much fun. Yes, there are risks. Accidents happen. Stains are a possibility. But in my experience, the fear of damage is often greater than any actual damage. And even if something does happen, it doesn't erase the dress's meaning – which is probably why you kept the dress in the first place.
The most surprising benefit of sharing? The connections it creates. Whether you're renting to another bride, letting your children play dress-up, or organizing a workplace charity event. These experiences grow your confidence in ways that hiding treasures never could.
I'm not suggesting everyone should rent out their wedding dress or turn it into a community costume. But we could examine our grip on these precious items. Are we protecting them, or are we just locking them up and forgetting about them?
When we share what we have – whether it's time, skills, or yes, even wedding dresses – we often discover that abundance, not scarcity, is our natural state. Your dress doesn't lose its meaning when others enjoy it. Instead, it becomes part of a larger story of joy, connection, and celebration.
So what do you think? Would you share your dress?
If you're ready to explore creative ways to keep enjoying your dress while building community connections, join my "Beyond the Big Day" newsletter for monthly inspiration and practical ideas.
If you’re a bride-to-be, then download my FREE "Peaceful Dress Journey" guide HERE to discover answers to the most commonly asked questions from all my brides. After your wedding, I’ll then send you some ideas for what to do with your old dress.
You’ll find more about wedding dress repurposing and the bridal world in my book, Relovable which you can buy HERE. It was sustainably produced in a small print run and there aren’t many copies left, but makes a perfect gift for a bride-to-be, or for anyone who loves sewing, upcycling and wedding dresses.
