The dress you wore to say “I do” was a beautiful addition to your special day, but what do you do with it once the big event is over? Instead of packing up your gown and putting it in storage, consider donating it to a charity or thrift store. The proceeds from these donations can help the community, and they can also be used as a tax deduction for you.
Donating your dress is a great way to clear out your closet and help others at the same time, but be sure to do your research before sending it off to a place that will use it for good. Some charities or shops require you to have your gown professionally cleaned before donating it, and some may have specific requirements for the design.
If you have a designer gown that’s no more than five years old, for instance, you can send it to Cherie Sustainable Bridal in Maryland. This company resells the dresses and donates a portion of the sales to a number of charities that focus on helping women, including Success in Style, Girls Who Code and Every Mother Counts.
Another dress option is to send it to Brides Across America, an organization that outfits military and first responder brides for free. The nonprofit holds Operation Wedding Gown events twice a year and has outfitted 26,000 women to date. You can fill out an online form to see if your gown meets the organization’s acceptance criteria.
For other gowns, you can contact your local Salvation Army or Goodwill stores to see what they accept. Oxfam has a bridal charity outlet in both Dublin and Bangor, Barnardos Bridal is located in both Dun Laoghaire and Wexford, and St Vincent de Paul is available countrywide.
Then there are the unexpected options, like donating your dress to an organization that repurposes it. The nonprofit Shared Dream Dresses, for example, transforms donated gowns into infant burial gowns and other keepsake items that are available to grieving families.
Another unique option is the Emma and Evan Foundation, a program that repurposes donated wedding dresses into bereavement gowns for babies. The nonprofit has stitched more than 50 dresses into angel gowns, bonnets and other keepsake pieces. A volunteer at SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison says the work helps her feel good about giving back to the community.
Drew Edwards, a former celebrity stylist and wedding planner, agrees that it’s important to check out the donation process for an individual charity before sending your dress off to be used for good. He recommends asking what kind of condition the dress needs to be in, as well as whether or not alterations are needed.
You can even make your own wedding dress donation with a DIY approach, though Edwards cautions that this can be difficult and time-consuming. He suggests taking your gown to a professional cleaner before donating it, because mold can develop in a dress that’s been sitting around for too long.