Where to buy pre-loved wedding dresses
Planning a wedding is one of the most exciting chapters of your life, but it’s no secret that traditional celebrations can leave behind a hefty environmental footprint. From single-use decorations to excessive food waste, the big day can sometimes generate a lot of unwanted trash.
The good news is that you can still throw a lovely wedding, while still protecting the planet. In fact, it’s a gorgeous opportunity to infuse your personal values into your celebration, often saving you money.
Whether you’re dreaming of a rustic outdoor gathering or a sleek, modern affair, here is how you can tie the knot while keeping your footprint as light as your love story.
Consider a Pre-Loved Wedding Dress
The average price of a wedding dress is now a whopping £1500. Why not save the money and buy pre-loved, and spend that money instead towards a deposit on a home or raising a family?
You can still wear a lovely dress, and then donate it on (below) or sell it back to let someone else marry on a budget. It saves waste, and stops you going into debt, even before the honeymoon!
Still White is an online marketplace to buy pre-loved wedding dresses (plus dresses for mother-of-the-bride) to avoid spending a fortune on a dress you may wear just once. The site has good security measures in place.
Launder synthetic fibres in a microfibre filter, to stop plastics escaping from the washing machine, going into the sea.
Oxfam has in-store and online dresses, starting from a reasonable £50. It is a ‘big charity’ but there are also many small charity shops you could find wedding dresses from too. However, only shop at stores that don’t fund animal testing (instead, donate to humane medical research).
Where to donate used wedding gowns
KEMP Hospice in Kidderminster (Worcestershire) is a good example of this idea done well. Local brides donate used wedding gowns, for with profits raising funds to provide care for dying patients.
The shop even has a dedicated bridal floor, so you can have a fitting, just like with a traditional shop.
Wedding Wishing Well Foundation was founded by a young woman, who when diagnosed with cancer, found that finances did not extend to a wedding dress. These dresses are donated to women with terminal illness.
Turning dresses into baby burial gowns
Dresses for Angels is a charity, where volunteer seamstresses unpick donated wedding and bridesmaid dresses, and turn them into free burial gowns’ for angel babies, who have gone too soon.
Founded after the sad circumstance of a stillborn child, they can create gowns for babies born sleeping or even from early miscarriage, to full term. Every baby deserves something special, on their journey to Heaven.
