Instead of Trashing the Dress, Why Don’t You Reuse It?

by Bridalville Staff

An unusual new trend has started popping up in wedding photography:

Brides, fed up with the fact that they can only wear their expensive dresses for one day, have started booking epic "Trash the Dress" photo shoots.

In these portrait sessions, brides ruin their gowns with mud, paint, water and sand. Some brave ladies even light their dresses on fire... WHILE THEY'RE STILL IN THEM.

While we understand that each bride gets to decide what happens to her gown after the cake is cut, we can't help but feel a sense of loss after looking at these ruined dresses.

Here are 5 ways you can recycle your wedding dress without destroying it:

1. Turn it into Jewelry:

Extract your favorite bit of lace work and turn it into a necklace you can wear over and over again!

2. Turn it into a Pillow:

Legend has it that if a single girl takes a nap on a wedding dress pillow, she'll dream of her future husband! (This is a legend we just made up.)

3. Donate it:

There are tons of organizations and charities that specialize in helping women in third world countries obtain their very own fairy tale wedding dress.

4. Turn it Into an Angel Gown:

While many women turn their wedding dresses into christening gowns for their future children, other brides may want to donate their dress to the Angel Gown Program. The charity turns used wedding dresses into burial gowns for babies that passed away in the NICU. It's a welcome bit of kindness for families who have gone through so much.