Eco-Friendly Wedding Idea: Re-using Vintage Wedding Dresses
November 8, 2008 by Christine Gooding
Filed under Wedding Fashion, Wedding Gowns
Vintage wedding dresses are the ‘in thing’ at the moment but here’s one thing you can do if you want to go ‘truly vintage’ — rather than buying a faux vintage wedding gown, why not dig up your mother (or even your grandmother’s!) wedding gown.
There are many ways you can incorporate your mother’s (or auntie’s or nana’s) wedding gown into your own wedding dress.
Wendy Davidson has some great sources of tips to recycling or re-using second-hand wedding gowns!
Most earth-friendly guru’s will agree that when it comes to green living one of the very best ways to do it is to recycle, recycle and recycle. You wouldn’t think this could be applicable to a wedding dress, no matter how special an old gown might be. All the best will in the world might not be able to do something with your mother’s 1960’s wedding dress, or even the Flapper gown your great-grandmother wore.
Time can ravage fabrics and render them absolutely useless. But, rather than sighing regretfully and then putting that special family dress aside, take it to someone who specialises in restoring old gowns. In England, that someone is Heirloom Couture.
Even if the dress seems to be beyond repair, Heirloom Couture will take key components and details from the gown you bring them and make something new from them. It doesn’t, of course, have to be a family heirloom. Any vintage dress you take to them can have new life breathed into it.
Start a new family tradition of making a keepsake from your gown. I have made keepsakes from gowns 80+ yrs of age. These pretty garters were gifted to children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They will all have a part of your special day. Perfect shower gift. Watch the room fill with tears as you present a part of your special day to the next generation. Something sentimental for sure. Web site,www.weddingdresskeepsake.net