Your wedding dress may hold a special place in your heart. It's the symbol of an unforgettable day celebrating love and filled with joy. But have you ever considered what happens to that dress once the big day is over? We'd like to encourage you to consider another option: donating your wedding dress (before it loses its worth!)
Many choose to keep their wedding dress as an heirloom or keepsake for their daughter or granddaughter. But with fast-changing wedding fashions, others find that their wedding gown becomes stuck in the back of their closet collecting dust. Years later, that gown is sadly discarded in a landfill.
You have invested so much time and emotional energy in selecting your perfect wedding dress. But now, or within the next 3 years, you can make a generous choice to donate your beloved gown to a good cause for a second life! However, it is important to note that dresses that are older than 3 years are hard to sell or donate as virtually no bride will buy them.
Selling your wedding dress allows you to recover part of the expense of your dress, but selling pre-owned wedding dresses can be more difficult than it seems with some reports showing less than 25% will sell. The hassles include: paying cleaning fees, negotiating with potential prospects, packaging and shipping, and return rates being an estimated 50%. The industry average resale price for a gown is 25-50% of the original dress price. So, a $3,000 dress may sell for $750 - $1,500 (just a fraction of the retail price!) Additionally, as time passes, brides are less likely to purchase a second-hand wedding gown that is over three years old. With today’s ever-changing bridal trends, brides are searching for the best deal on a wedding gown that is still in style.
Here are some heartfelt reasons why donating your wedding gown can make a difference!
- Bring Joy to Another Bride: Just as you felt so beautiful in your wedding dress, another bride can experience that same magic when she wears it. By donating your dress, you have the power to make someone else's dreams come true. You can help another bride feel beautiful and confident on her special day, and that's a gift that keeps on giving!
- Create Priceless Memories: Wedding dresses can be quite expensive, and for some brides, the cost can be a barrier to having their dream wedding. By donating your dress, you can help a bride who might not have been able to afford a beautiful gown otherwise. Your dress becomes a part of her beautiful memories, just as it was for you.
- Reduce Waste: The fashion industry has a significant environmental impact, and wedding dresses are no exception. In fact, the wedding industry fills a football field nearly seven stories high with discarded wedding gowns each year. Many wedding gowns are made from luxurious materials that take a toll on the environment. By donating your dress, you're giving it a second life and reducing its environmental footprint. It's a small step towards a more sustainable future.
- Save on Taxes: From a financial perspective, donating your gown is tax deductible! You will receive an IRS 501(c)3 donation tax receipt which may save you money on your taxes (talk with an accountant).
- Support a Good Cause: There are numerous charities and organizations that accept wedding dress donations. These groups often use the funds generated from selling donated dresses to support various charitable causes, such as cancer research, women's shelters, or education programs. Your dress can contribute to making the world a better place.
If you decide to donate, we encourage donating your wedding gown to wedding dress-based charities, versus Goodwill or Salvation Army, that know how to resell dresses such as Brides Against Breast Cancer (breast cancer causes) or Brides Across America (helps military brides).
About Brides Against Breast Cancer Charity
Since 1997, Brides Against Breast Cancer, a 501(c)3 charity, has been funding its charity mission mainly by selling pre-owned wedding dresses. They’ve been covered in major media from Oprah Winfrey to the Today Show to The New York Times Newspaper as well as written into the NCIS: Los Angeles TV show. Their mission is on awareness, education, and misdiagnosis. Visit www.bridesagainstbreastcancer.org