So, if you still want the dress of your dreams but are feeling bad about the cost for something you will only wear once, then why not consider a dress that can be recycled into something you can wear on other occasions? This may sound odd, given traditional wedding dresses have a very specific look that is very much bridal, however it can be done!
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Dying Your Dress
One way some wedding dresses can be transformed into normal evening or formal wear is by dying them. If you have a dress in a cut that would work as a normal evening dress, for example a simple long silk dress then by transforming it into a less bridal colour than white, cream or ivory you can easily get plenty of wear out of it. While the light colours of typical wedding dresses can easily be dyed you may want to get this done professionally to get the look you want. Your white wedding dress could become a beautiful red evening gown or even your new favourite black dress!
If your dress is a more grand style which you would never wear to an evening event then you can also consider the dying option to turn it into a ball gown. While you may not get invited to that many balls those kinds of charity or social events do pop up occasionally, and you won’t have to spend a lot of money on a ball gown for the event if your wedding dress has been transformed ahead of time.
Using the Bodice
If you have a ball gown style wedding dress and don’t really feel the need to own an actual ball gown then another way to recycle it for normal wear is to use the bodice part of the dress. You can dye this and wear it as an evening top with black trousers or a cute skirt or sew it to a shorter skirt style to make a nice party dress.
Of course another option is to simply get married in a dress that you would already pick for other occasions. If you don’t go for traditional white and instead choose a wedding gown in another colour like red, purple or blue you can reuse it as formal wear without actually having to modify it at all.
When shopping for your dress, choosing one you can reuse all or parts of by dying or modifying it will help justify the cost of your dream wedding dress!
I thought about dying my one, I love it so much in white though. I’d love to wear it to a Jane Austen ball!!!x