Marianne and John Sullivan (at left) are pictured on their wedding day, June 18, 1955. Marianne originally purchased her gown at Joslins Department Store in Denver. Kim Kramer is pictured (center) on her wedding day, Dec. 2, 1978, wearing her mother Marianne’s gown. Josi Wambach is pictured (at right) on her wedding day, July 9, 2011, wearing her grandmother Marianne’s gown after she revamped it to suit her own style.
Reuse. Repurpose. Recycle.
With the average wedding dress hovering around $1,500, according to TheKnot.com, it seems like such a waste to wear all that lace and beading exactly once and then keep it in a box for decades. But that’s what most brides do, even though there are some much better ways to reuse, repurpose or recycle a wedding gown.
Most women tend to save their gown for younger generations. One of the primary reasons to preserve a wedding gown is to save the dress for a daughter, granddaughter or another relative to wear at her own wedding.
“I love the idea of revamping a wedding dress that has been passed down through generations to continue wearing on a wedding day,” said fashion design expert Josi (Kramer) Wambach. She revamped her grandmother Marianne Sullivan’s wedding dress — that her mother Kim (Sullivan) Kramer wore when she married Byron Kramer — to wear on her wedding day when she married Dustin Wambach. She did the same for her husband’s sister.
“I love when pieces are passed down and loved by every generation. Artifacts outlive us and we can use them to carry on our stories, especially such a special piece like a wedding dress,” noted Wambach.
Most wedding gowns are made up of so much material that the possibilities for repurposing are pretty far-reaching. Create a unique keepsake by using some of the material to make a christening gown if kids are in the future. Fashion a decorative object like a pillow or Christmas tree skirt or turn it into an accessory like a clutch or evening bag.
“I have made some quilts for girls out of their bridesmaid dress to give to the bride as a baby shower present,” said Wambach. “A quilt would be a cool and sentimental way to reuse a wedding dress and still have something that can be passed down through the generations,” she added.
“Creating a ring bearer pillow made from a mother’s or grandmother’s wedding dress would be a sweet way to incorporate a past generation into the wedding and check off ‘something old,’” said Wambach.