You’ve just celebrated one of the most special occasions of your life, but now that you’ve had your wedding, what can you do with your dress? Keepsakes made from wedding dresses are unique ways to cherish wedding memories long into your marriage. If you haven’t thought about what to do with your wedding dress after walking down the aisle, now’s the time. Consider some of these creative ideas to preserve your gown in a special way.
1. Use It to Create a Pillow or Blanket
The fabric of your dress can become a stunning decorative pillow, blanket or quilt if you get a bit crafty or find a seamstress. With so many material varieties in a wedding dress, you’re sure to create a unique and sentimental piece. Consider these ideas to transform the materials in your dress:
- Use lace in your dress to create a frilled edge for a pillow or blanket.
- Use satin or silk sections as trim for a blanket or pillow.
- Incorporate a squire of your dress into a quilt with materials from other milestones.
- Craft multiple squares with different materials from your dress into one quilt.
- Create a small blanket out of the material from your dress.
You can preserve your creation so it lasts a lifetime, or use it for a practical purpose. It can be your child’s first baby blanket or a stunning decorative accent. You can even embroider the date of your wedding or other relationship milestones onto a wedding dress pillow or blanket for an extra sentimental touch.
2. Create a Clutch or Purse
Turn your wedding dress into another useful item with a clutch or purse. Bring it with you to formal events to show off your creativity, or pass it down as a family heirloom. You can use fabric and embellishments from your dress to create different clutch or purse styles like:
- An envelope clutch with details on the closure flap
- A kiss lock clutch with beading or lace details
- A classic zippered clutch with simple fabric
Combine multiple materials and details from your dress to make a purse that captures the full style of your gown, or keep it simple for a subtle wedding memento. Some styles, like a simple envelope clutch, may be easier to DIY than others, but you can always hire someone experienced to help transform your gown into a clutch or purse.
3. Make a Christening Gown for Your Children
Continue your wedding dress’s tradition of being worn in special ceremonies by creating a christening gown for your children. A wedding dress can also transform into a baptism or communion gown, which is perfect if you have children of different ages.
Don’t worry if you don’t have the sewing skills to transform your wedding dress into a christening, baptism or communion gown. Seamstresses and other professionals offer services to transform your wedding dress into something new. Their skills often allow them to conserve as much material as they can so you can use your dress for other purposes.
If you already have a christening gown or other ceremonial outfit for your children, your wedding dress can become a part of it. A sash or embellishment made from your wedding gown will be the perfect sentimental touch to your children’s special occasion attire.
4. Turn It Into Jewelry
Wear your dress after your big day in the form of jewelry. If your dress featured beading or lace, you can use these components to create pieces of jewelry. Craft ideas for old wedding dresses that transform the material into jewelry include:
- A lace cuff bracelet
- A lace bib necklace
- Drop earrings with beads
- A beaded necklace and bracelet set
If you’re cutting the fabric for other uses, you can also add a section to a locket so nothing goes to waste. Many of these dress-to-jewelry ideas are simple enough to do on your own. If you want something a bit more complex or aren’t sure how to craft jewelry from a wedding dress, commission a professional to make your dream a reality.
5. Have Your Dress Cleaned and Preserved
Preserving your wedding dress removes stains and prevents the pristine white fabric from yellowing over time. If you store your dress without cleaning or preserving it, lingering stains that you can’t see right now may develop over time with exposure to air. Even if you want to create a wedding dress keepsake such as a child’s dress, a piece of jewelry, or a quilt, you should still get your dress cleaned to remove any stains and soiling.
As a member of the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists, Classic Drycleaners is happy to care for your wedding dress and preserve it for the future. Our wedding dress services include:
- Cleaning
- Pressing
- Preservation
- Restoration
- Alterations
- Repairs
After your wedding, seek our cleaning and preservation services to maintain your wedding dress for generations to come. We’ll clean your dress to remove the stains you can and can’t see, then carefully package it in a wedding dress preservation box or chest. These storage containers are acid-free and keep out light to maintain long-term preservation. A preservation box or chest is a better storage option than a garment bag because a bag may not block out light and could react with the dress material to cause discoloration.
Our care and storage methods help to protect your dress while still allowing you to open the preservation box or chest. Check with a specialist to learn how to handle the dress correctly if you’d like to remove it from storage to create a keepsake.
Bring Your Wedding Dress to Classic Drycleaners
Classic Drycleaners is the only Certified Wedding Gown Specialist in South Central Pennsylvania. Trust your gown with us for convenient services that preserve your wedding dress for the future. We’ll evaluate your dress’s needs based on the material and other concerns to give it customized and long-lasting care.
Learn more about our wedding gown services or contact us today with questions.
Tags: wedding