Okay, so, my marriage ended. It sucked, big time. But, you know, life goes on. One of the things I was left with was this big, poofy, expensive wedding dress. It was gorgeous, sure, but it was also a huge reminder of… well, you know. So, I had to figure out what to do with it. I definitely wasn’t going to wear it again!
The Initial Purge
First, I just stuffed it in the back of my closet. Out of sight, out of mind, right? Wrong. Every time I opened that closet, there it was, mocking me. So, I pulled it out. The first real step. I laid it out on my bed and just… looked at it. It was still beautiful, even though the memories attached to it were pretty awful.
Exploring My Options
I went online. Googled “what to do with old wedding dress.” Seriously, that’s what I typed in. A bunch of stuff came up:
- Sell it: Seemed like a good idea, get some money back.
- Donate it: That felt good, maybe help someone else out.
- Trash it: Honestly, a very tempting option at the time.
- Repurpose it: This sounded interesting… making something new.
Making a Decision (and a Mess)
Selling it seemed like a hassle. Posting pictures, dealing with buyers… ugh. Donating was a strong contender, but I felt… I don’t know, I wanted something more out of it. Trashing it felt too wasteful. So, I decided on repurposing. I am NOT a crafty person. At all. But I found this blog about dyeing dresses and turning them into other things.
I bought some fabric dye – a deep, gorgeous blue. I followed the instructions (mostly), and dumped the dress in a giant tub in my backyard. It was… messy. Dye everywhere. My hands were blue for days. But, the dress transformed. It was no longer a “wedding” dress, but a beautiful blue gown. It was still a little “extra” for everyday wear, so that was to deal with another day.
Final Touches (and a Bit of Relief)
I still have the dress. My next plan, maybe find sombody who sews to make it into something, maybe a cocktail dress. Who knows. But that weight, that reminder of what I will never wear again, is gone. I took something that represented a painful chapter and started to turn it into something… different. And that felt pretty darn good.
