Donate Wedding Dresses to Charity

A bride’s dress is often her most cherished wedding keepsake, but what happens to it once she no longer needs it? The good news is, many charities that accept gown donations give them new lives, helping brides find the perfect dresses at prices they can afford.

While some charities have a specific focus like supporting cancer patients, others are general in scope and can help all women who don’t have the means to purchase new dresses at full price. In addition, many thrift stores and resale shops that sell used wedding dresses will take gown donations to make them available to budget-conscious shoppers who might not be able to afford a brand new dress.

KEMP Wyre Forest Hospice, based in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, is one such charity that takes dress donations for its Bridal Floor at the hospice’s Coventry Street Charity Shop. The funds raised from the sale of donated dresses go toward care and support services for individuals suffering from life-limiting illnesses, their families and carers.

Dresses are either sold on the shop’s website or made available to a local network of bridal consultants to be given to brides-to-be who may not be able to afford a new wedding dress. “The feedback we get is really uplifting,” says the hospice’s community support specialist, Lisa Chapman. “People are so grateful to be able to have a gown that they can wear and love on their wedding day.”

A bride-to-be in need of a gown will fill out an online form to request a dress and provide measurements. The charity then sends the requested dress to the bride, along with a veil and shoes. The charity will also resell the dress at its next Operation Wedding Gown event for military and first responder brides, which are held twice a year.

The charity’s website includes a page that outlines their vetting process, with guidelines that include whether a dress should have been worn and how to prepare it for donation, including having it professionally cleaned. It’s worth doing your research as not all charities will accept every gown, even if it’s in excellent condition.

In addition to local charities, look for buy/sell/trade groups on social media and online forums that can match you with someone in need of a dress. Those groups may have threads specifically for wedding dress donations, or the option to post your dress in the appropriate section.

For instance, Shared Dream Dresses, a Facebook group started by former PEOPLE bride Stulgis, connects donors with brides-to-be who need a gown through a private group where members share photos and size information. The group’s 19,000 members have helped connect more than 200 pairs. The brides-to-be have had compelling stories, such as one woman who lost her original dress in a fire and reached out to the group for assistance. The pair successfully matched, and the dress was shipped to the bride. Donated dresses can also be repurposed into something else, such as a baby gown for a child who passed away in the hospital.