Trouble in Paradise
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
what do you do with all your old
bridesmaid dresses?
Have you ever ever been able to actually wear one again (altered or not)?
I got close once, but it was because 2 brides chose almost the exact same dress for the wedding party. Luckily, the second one bought my dress for me. I am so glad I don't have to worry about doing that again!
I agree with everything that muddled said. You should listen to her. -ESDReturns
Re: what do you do with all your old
I wore a black dress that was pretty plain for my brother's wedding so I've been able to get away with wearing it a few times - mainly on cruises when they have "formal" night at dinner. That's the only dress I have kept and that's still in my closet. Other than that, I sent them all to Goodwill.
Anyway you can alter them to be more suitable for a party/cocktail dress?
Supposedly that's possible. I have one that would not be obviously "bridesmaid," but I never do anything formal enough to wear it.
There is something about spending 200+ on a dress that makes it hard to get rid of.
Don't be embarrassed. It's an honor, blah, blah, blah, but really is expensive and a pain in the ass.
If you want, I'd be happy to send you a dress and you can pretend.
There's something about the very idea of paying more money to alter a dress someone else chose for you that you had to pay for that makes me irrationally angry.
This is exactly why I don't feel bad or guilty about not having any bridesmaids for my wedding. My sisters and I had a closet full of our old BM dresses at my parents house. About a year ago, my mother went through them and donated them all. We kept what we wanted, which wasn't many of them. I think my sister was offended that I didn't keep her BM dress, but it was fug and light purple. It's been almost 10 years and I had never worn it again.
that too.
I agree, but figured it's an option (for some dresses) to be able to keep wearing it. I am a big fan of the pick your own dress if you're a bridesmaid, but seriously I told my sisters to do this when I was engaged years ago and they all stomped around and told me that I had to TELL them what to wear and it had to be the same and the same color, whatever. It was exhausting when all I was trying to do was make it simple.
I'd get angry w/ brides who would tell me that the dress was so versatile that I could wear it to a lot of things after the wedding and it was not even one ounce of truth.
My mom made our dresses for my sister's wedding. She bought the fabric and let us choose the pattern. I've worn it to a few weddings since.
I have 3 more that have just sat in my closet for a few years now.
I want to have mine altered and wear them again. Right now I have 4 and everyone was kind in their selections, 3 of the 4 are black and all are easily re-purposed if I get around to altering them.
1. HS friend's wedding, pretty black full-length halter style dress that I could probably wear as-is for a special occasion. This was before I gained weight. I think I weighed at her wedding what I do now, maybe 5-10 lbs less.
2. BFF's wedding, pretty black knee-length halter style dress, wore this mid-weight loss, I will need to have taken in to fit and would love to have it on hand as a LBD.
3. Sister's wedding, full-length flowy hot pink dress that I need to have taken in and possibly shortened (seamstress botched it and couldn't fix in time for the wedding ... I look like a tent in the photos!) and would wear again for summer special occasions. It would be really cute with the right styling and could be dressed up or down.
4. Ex-SIL's wedding, which I had to drop out of when I threw her brother out of my house. The dress was already paid for, but fortunately we got to pick our own. It's a really, really cute knee-length strapless black dress that I bought several sizes too big for my body to accommodate my bewbs. It's possible that I've lost too much weight to actually get it altered and have it look right, but I either need to have it altered or sell it. It's NWT in a garment bag. (So if anyone needs an LBD, PM me, lol. It's size 16 or 18 in bridal-wear sizes.)
Seriously, Bowies, don't be embarrassed. It's a pain in the azz. Kinda cool, yeah, but mostly, pain in the azz. Everyone knows this, including brides as they ask you to take part in their wedding.
I will not have attendants if I get married again. Well, I say that. But more than likely Mr. Bang will want a traditional-ish wedding complete with attendants (his first wedding was at his house, with a notary, on a weekday after work) so I'll ask my sisters and have them pick a nice dress they would have bought anyway.
I donated the only one I ever had, because I hated it so much, I just wanted to be rid of it.
I've heard of people cutting the dresses up and using the fabric for covering decorative pillows and table cloths and stuff.
I'm more than willing to start validating people's ideas when they start having ideas worth validating
3 of the 4 dresses I have are really pretty, but they look like bridesmaid dresses no matter what you do with them. It's too bad because they were not cheap. I really should have the girls whose weddings I was in be my attendants so they have to buy a dress for my wedding that they will never be able to wear again! Or, they can wear the one that I wore in their wedding as their bridesmaid dress! HAH!
BTW...I would never do that...it would be butt ugly!
Same here. *sigh*
You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted and used against you. My Blog
Heh, I have good reasons for why I'm always a bride and never a bridesmaid.
Friends from my younger days had small weddings/lots of sisters, my current crop of friends are either already married or single. It still makes me feel like a lewser though.
When I get married again, I plan to have my BFF pick out a dress and then call it a day. BF has also voiced that he wants a traditional wedding, but we compromised on making it a small one. (Someday, not now.)