Weddings are a magical event, but for many brides the expense of buying a new dress is not feasible. Fortunately, the gown you wore on your big day can still have a meaningful impact on another bride. You can donate your wedding dress, and the proceeds will go to help fund charity projects that benefit women around the world.
According to Zola, a green online wedding planning site, there are many ways you can give your gown the second life it deserves. You can sell your dress, but there are also plenty of charities and bridal stores that will accept dresses for donation. The key is to find one that matches your values and that you can easily reach with a quick phone call or email.
Reselling your wedding dress can be a great way to make money, but it’s time-consuming and requires a lot of work. Finding a reputable retailer, getting it professionally cleaned and mended and taking high-quality photos are just a few of the steps involved. Plus, you’ll need to set aside some space in your home for storage. If all of that sounds like too much work for you, consider donating your dress instead.
Most charity shops and thrift stores will clean your wedding dress before reselling it or donating it to a cause. However, it’s best to contact the organization before you drop off your dress. It will help save you time, and ensure that your donation goes to the right place.
Here are a few of the top places to donate your wedding dress:
The Bridal Garden will accept your gown for donation and use the proceeds to fund educational programs for children in New York City’s poorest communities. This non-profit organization has donated more than $4 million to date, and you can make your gown’s second life even more special by donating it to this worthy cause.
The Brides Project is a non-profit that sells donated wedding dresses to raise funds for breast cancer causes. It also supports other women-focused nonprofits. It has bridal showrooms in Portland and Seattle, Washington, and Sacramento, California that resell the donated dresses.
If you have a newer dress from 2016 or later, you can donate it to this organization. The resale proceeds will be invested in international non-profits that focus on empowering and educating vulnerable young women to allow them to choose their own future.
This Texas-based charity will transform your dress into an infant burial gown, or Angel Gown, for families who have lost a baby in the NICU. You can donate your dress through a donation form on the website or by calling the nonprofit to book an appointment.