Wedding dresses: Keepsakes or Clutter?

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Deciding what to do with your wedding dress can be a tricky decision for anyone

Do you have a large box containing a beautifully preserved wedding dress that’s been sitting in your closet for years?

Likely the most expensive item of clothing you’ll ever own and certainly the most expensive in terms of cost per wear but one which holds little future value. We often hold onto these dresses worried that getting rid of it may serve as a bad omen for the marriage or perhaps hoping that one day our daughter may wear it, taking us back to the magic of our own special day!

Consider the following things before making your final decision:

  • Space - Wedding dresses can take up a lot of space, if space is limited in your property ask yourself would you be better off using this space to house something that you use regularly?

  • Passing it onto your daughter - Be realistic, how likely is it that your daughter will actually want to wear your dress? If my mum had suggested I had worn the dress she got married in (2nd time around) I would have died laughing……it was a 1980s special, Princess Diana style off the shoulder number……maybe to a fancy dress party……Sorry Mum! If the dress is a timeless classic then perhaps it will last the test of time. Do you and your daughter have similar styles and tastes?

  • Keeping it as a reminder of the day - ask yourself what other reminders of the day you have, videos, photos, conversations with other loved ones who were there. These things do not take up the same amount of space in your life.

    If you have separated, holding onto your wedding dress can become a negative reminder of the failure of the marriage, letting go of it may also help you move on.

    Recognising that we often cling onto these things as a reminder of the love we felt on that day, perhaps this love has waned and we are craving to go back to this time. Sometimes this stops us dealing with the issue at hand, locked in our past rather than moving on with the life we have now and making decisions that allow us to progress.

“If the only reason you are keeping your dress is the HOPE that one day you might see your daughter wearing it, be honest with yourself about the likelihood of that happening.”


You’ve decided to let your dress go but what can you do with it? Thankfully there are lots of good options to make you feel good about your decision:

  • Send it to the local charity shop.

  • Sell it via a specialised 2nd hand wedding dress reseller. A simple google search throws up lots of options both local bricks and mortar stores and online (AU based - www.stillwhite.com.au, www.easyweddings.com.au, www.whitegown.com.au), most of these sites will handle the sales side and take a small commission.

  • Donate it to a local theatre group.

  • My personal favourite: Donating it to a charity that uses the material to make into angel gown garments for families that have sadly had a baby pass away (www.angelgownsaustralia.org.au).