If you decide to donate your wedding dress, you’re not only helping a charity or giving a bride-to-be a chance at their dream gown — you’re also doing good for the environment. Clothing that is thrown away contributes to landfills, which releases toxic chemicals into the air and water, which, in turn, affect our health. According to GreenDrop, the production of new clothes and textiles accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions.
In addition, discarded dresses take up space that could be used for something more valuable – like another gown for a second wedding, or a quilt for a new home. If you’re thinking about donating yours, here are some of the best places and organizations that accept wedding gown donations.
Many bridal shops that offer preowned gowns for sale accept dress donations as well. However, before you drop off your wedding dress for donation it’s a good idea to have it professionally cleaned first. Not only will this make the dress look more attractive to potential buyers, but it will also help protect your gown from stains and other damages that might happen while in storage.
Depending on the location, some bridal stores and charities require the gowns be no more than five years old and be in perfect condition. Before bringing your wedding gown to a store, check the website or contact the store’s client service to receive specific details on their dress donation guidelines.
Some charities and thrift stores specialize in accepting wedding dress donations. For example, a shop that’s part of St Ann’s Hospice in Greater Manchester hosts speciality shops that sell both new and preloved gowns and attire. Proceeds from the sales support the hospice’s activities, making this a meaningful place to donate your wedding dress in the UK.
Other charities that accept wedding gowns include Adorned in Grace and Operation Deploy Your Dress. Both of these groups work to raise money and awareness for sex trafficking victims and their families. They accept gowns for their online boutique and use the proceeds from sales to provide professional counseling and education to sex trafficking survivors and promote anti-trafficking efforts in local communities.
The Angel Gown Program by NICU Helping Hands takes donated wedding dresses and turns them into memorial gowns for babies who died during or shortly after birth. These are then provided for free to grieving parents. The program is located across the country and works with talented seamstresses and tailors who volunteer their time to repurpose the dresses into infant burial gowns, bonnets, and other keepsake items for grieving families.
A wedding dress is often the most expensive item in a bride’s wardrobe. For this reason, some people choose to keep theirs and pass it on to their daughters or granddaughters. This is a beautiful and thoughtful option, but it’s important to remember that it is ultimately your choice to donate or keep your gown. If you’re keeping it, just be sure to properly store it so that it stays pristine and safe in storage for generations.