Why I Donated My Wedding Dress

It only took two years, but I recently donated my wedding dress. It was slightly emotional but in the best way. I bought my dress with the intention to donate, never intending to keep it. Being the second owner of the gown, it made sense to pass it along again. I buy second hand all the time and it was a no-brainer to do the same with my wedding dress (and to donate it afterward) for a plethora of reasons:

1) Give the environment a break: If you've never researched the environmental impact of buying new, please do so. It's not just the fabric, thread and supplies that go into products but also the packaging and transportation fuel. Not to mention the waste of throwing away items we no longer desire. And the issue of fair wages, safe working conditions, and child labor (sorry to be a downer, but this is reality).

2) Cost-effective: My dress was originally $2,500 brand new and I purchased it second-hand from the original owner for $700. My philosophy is that this is a one-time dress and it's not logical to spend a fortune.

3) Attachment: My mind works this way, and maybe yours does not. An expensive item feels like it must be kept. It feels as though it's precious and needs to be savored. Even if it's not getting any use and just sitting on display or in a box or in a corner, it's expensive, valuable, and we get attached. Is it actually serving us this way? We get attached to items because we attach meaning and emotion to them- they're "special items". In my case, if I'm already giving my dress a second life, it feels even more appropriate to let someone else give it a third life. And hopefully, a fourth and fifth.

I found a non-profit bridal shop, St Anthony's Bridal, that accepts donations and I head to the shop. Taking one last look at my dress in the pale pink bag, I reminisce on the moment when I first saw it. Derik and I arrive at the destination and take the elevator to the fourth floor. A long walk down the hallway (literally, it was the very last door on the right) and we step into the shop. The St Anthony's employee hands me a form to complete while admiring the dress I said good-bye to. She takes it out of the bag and immediately hands it to a bride-to-be who is trying on dresses for her upcoming May wedding. "You should stay and see her try it on", she says to us. I'm a little hesitant to see her in "my" dress- how will I feel? But I remember, it's no longer mine to hold on to. She exits the dressing room beaming from ear to ear. Just like when I tried it on the first time, it fit her perfectly, as if it was made for her. A "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" (or, Sisterhood of the Traveling Wedding Dress) moment. She looked gorgeous- she looked bridal. It is hers.

We left the bridal shop feeling excited that the dress would be loved again. How many brides get to say they met the owner of their second-hand dress, and how many former brides get to say they met the bride who will now love their former dress again? Few things in this life would I call "perfect", but this event is one of them.

If you're considering giving your wedding dress a second life, I highly encourage you to do so. While it served you on your big day, it's no longer serving you in the closet. Allow someone else the joy that it brought you. Fashion fades but the memories will never.