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There are plenty of ways to reuse your wedding dress – whether you want to repurpose it for yourself or give it away to someone else.
You can also turn your old wedding dress into a family heirloom to pass on to future generations. You could also have it redesigned into something you love, like a pillow or quilt.
Make It Into A Family Heirloom
Your wedding day is special for the two of you but also a milestone for your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and aunts and uncles. As a way to honor this, you may want to incorporate some family heirlooms into your special day.
Heirlooms can be anything–objects, written words, or jewelry–that holds some value for the originating family. They are a way for the couple to commemorate their heritage and share that with others, according to Kristine Cooke of Simply Charming Socials in Atlanta.
She advises couples to consider how they will incorporate heirlooms into their big day, which can be a delicate process. Firstly, it is important to honor your heirloom in a meaningful and respectful manner.
Once you’ve chosen the heirlooms that are right for your wedding, it’s time to take care of them. It’s not just a matter of cleaning them; it’s important to ensure they are safely preserved so you can pass them on for generations to come.
Make It Into A Quilt
If you have a lot of wedding dress fabric to work with, making a quilt can be a great way to turn it into something that you can use and enjoy. It’s a project that can be a keepsake for you and will also make a lovely gift for someone else.
Start by taking the seams apart using a seam ripper. This will separate out the lace, satin and other decorative elements from the bodice. Then you can cut around these elements and save them for a future upcycling project, whether that’s a memory bear, a bouquet wrapper or a quilt.
If you want to save some of your wedding dress fabric for a project but you don’t have enough to make a full quilt, consider making some scarves or other accessories with it instead. This will let you get the most out of your fabric and use it every day – perfect!
Make It Into A Pillow
After the big day, many wedding dresses end up in the back of closets, collecting dust. Instead of packing it away and forgetting about it, you can reuse your wedding dress to make it a memorable keepsake that will be enjoyed for years to come.
Using parts of your wedding gown as throw pillows is one way to prolong your memory of that special day and bring it into your home year after year. Use the lace, satin, or beadwork from your dress to create a beautiful decorative pillow that you will enjoy every time you sit down and relax.
You could also turn it into a special ring bearer pillow that your son or daughter can use as they walk down the aisle one day. This is a sweet keepsake that will be a great reminder of your special day when they are old enough to understand what it means.
Make A Photo Album
One of the most rewarding projects that you can undertake with your wedding dress is to make it into a photo album. After all, you can relive your big day over and over again when you see your album.
To create a dreamy wedding album, start by choosing your favorite photos and editing them into a timeline that tells the story of your day. Remember to include a mix of candid and posed shots, both formal and informal.
Next, decide which images are the most important and how they should be displayed. You may want to add a few different pages or spreads so that your album can be both visually interesting and chronologically organized.
Depending on your budget, you can buy a physical album with a variety of cover options and styles. Most online album companies offer premium leather, faux leather, plastic or painted metal covers in various sizes and colors. Or you could have the photo album wrapped in your Wedding gown as the cover.