Thursday, August 26, 2010

I sold my wedding gown!

Now, now, before you all start flipping out with questions like "How could you?!?" and "What about your daughter?" let me just say that I did in fact discuss the issue with my daughter first.

I have always been one to notice that it doesn't seem like very many girls wear their mother's gowns in today's day and age. Styles change over the decades for sure and with shows like Say Yes to the Dress and all that jazz, it's like every girl's (and mom's) dream to get to go into a salon and try on all kinds of styles until she finds 'The ONE'. So how could I deprive my daughter (and myself) of that very special moment? I mean, it is in fact a once in a lifetime moment, right?

Now this gorgeous gown is in fact something I was so absolutely amazed by and excited about on my wedding day:



When I first tried on the Maggie Sottero SaBelle, I was not sure that it was the one. But after carefully going over the dress and every single one of it's amazing details (the beading, the lace, the sweetheart neckline, the pickups and gathers, the unique split front/side and the ruching and fitted bodice) I mean it had everything that I had wanted in my gown and more!



So, my hubby and I decided that there was no reason to save it. Instead, I would try to sell it. Now I didn't rush out to do this right away because as you know, we just this week had a post wedding shoot which provided me an opportunity to don the gown one last time. But while I was browsing that web site I told you about going through wedding classifieds looking for photographers, I noticed that they had boards to sell and ask for wedding gowns as well. So I just did a quick search for my gown and found that there was a girl many, many months ago who was looking for my exact gown. I left a comment on the post asking is she had ever found her gown indicating that I was considering selling mine. Well, lo and behold, about a week ago a young lady from Canada contacted me saying she saw my comment and wanted to buy my gown.***

I shared the details of the dress with her - size, color, alterations I had made - and we discussed her height compared to mine and all that jazz. Though she is about 6 inches shorter than me, we contacted our tailors and asked them about the concerns regarding altering a dress like this for a shorter woman. Well, she decided she was too in love with the dress to let it go by. She had already tried it on in some bridal salons and was in love with it.

So we negotiated a price which gave me a 60% return on my original cost of the gown and I told her that as soon as I have the gown cleaned this week, it'll be shipped off to her for her wedding next year! I am so excited that I didn't have to put hardly any effort into selling it at all and that I am getting to help out another bride who also loved my precious beauty.

And since there's that whole nostalgic tradition thing that I am losing by parting with the gown, we came up with an alternative family tradition. Instead of saving my gown for my little girl, I decided to share something else with her on her wedding day. I received so many compliments on the custom designed brooch necklace that I had made for our wedding that we have decided to keep it in the family as a treasured 'hand me down' from one girl to the next. I will keep the necklace and as each young lady in our family marries she will have the option of wearing the necklace on her day. This way not only my daughter but also our nieces, cousins, etc will be given the opportunity to have something borrowed and 'old' that has been used in many family weddings. I already have one niece who can't wait to don it on her day :)


Sorry I don't have a clearer picture of it. So, what do you think ladies? What are your plans for your gown after the big day and are there any other items or things from your weddings that you are considering using in future family weddings?

*** She has sent me the check but we have had some problems cashing an international money order, so the final sale is contingent upon us clearing the exchange of funds :)

15 comments:

Shannon said...

I'm too much of a sentimental pack rat to sell my gown. Hell I still have old prom dresses! haha. I know it will probably never be worn again but I don't care, I can't imagine parting with it. One thing I did consider was using it to make a christening gown when I have a baby but I may just use snips of fabric to incorporate rather than cut up the entire dress.

Hannah said...

Wait... if I still have old prom dresses and am planning on keeping my gown, I'm a sentimental pack rat!!!

SG to SP - You are absolutely right!

And yes, although I never expect her to wear it, I think it would be awesome if material from mine can be made into a clutch or garter.

Kudos on the sale! I'm glad to hear that you're not pathetic like me and can let go of worldly possessions.

GM said...

I'd definitely consider selling mine. I'm not a "sentimental pack-rat" (teehee) when it comes to clothing. I'm more interested in memories in the form of photos. That's great you found a buyer and I hope the transaction goes smoothly! I'm sure you made that bride's day :)

Kim said...

Good for you for selling the gown so quickly - fingers crossed the transaction goes through! I would love to sell my gown after the wedding - as you know, it has caused me a lot of drama, and I actually feel a twinge of sadness now when I put it on just because of all the stress and unhappiness the process was for me. Also, the gown is custom made-to-measure for someone with a very large chest but small ribcage, so I'm not sure there would be many takers. It's a gorgeous gown and always worth a shot, though!

little luxury list said...

I would love to sell my ceremony gown but can't seem to let go of the Monique Lhuillier which is simpler but more classic.

I like the idea of passing it on though a small girl like me would have to fit it!

Sigh of course living 9k miles away is hard though! I should really get to it when I'm visiting NY next time!

Heather said...

I think you made a great choice. I also would never expect my daughter, if I’m lucky enough to have one in the future, to want to wear my gown, which will surely be old, faded and outdated by the time she gets married. Right now, I’m waiting to wear my gown again for a “rock the frock” shoot. I’m not sure what I will do with it after that point, but I think it would be hard to sell, since the alterations are so specific to my body, especially since the gown was a mermaid silhouette.

SG to SP -- I love the idea of using it to make a christening gown!

Salt said...

Gahhhh your dress is so beautiful. Congrats on the sale. I was toying around with the idea of selling mine, but I think I might just be too attached to it. Maybe one day I will use it for a vow renewal. If I can still cram myself into it, that is.

BigAppleNosh said...

Your gown is absolutely gorgeous! I haven't yet decided if I'm selling mine yet, but I'm leaning towards it.

My Dream Ring said...

Good for you!! Its your life who cares what anyone else say...right?
I can't let go of mine because my oldest daughter LOVES my dress for now and even if in the future she hates it, it can be turned into a table cloth or something like that.

redwhitebride said...

good for you! i'm undecided about my gown. in the meantime, it's just hanging in our bedroom.

NuFlaiir - Planning a Destination Wedding said...

I think you made the right decision. Your dress is gorgeous but I don't think you are going to wear it again anyways :-). Besides, you still have all those beautiful pictures and video that will save the memory forever.

~lilian~

Katie said...

Heck yes to selling your dress! I am struggling with the decision myself. All along I said I was going to sell it, but now that I am less than pleased with my photos, I know that another photo shoot is a necessity before I can consider letting the dress go. I can't part with it until I have some stunning pictures to remember it by.

I HAVE made the pact with myself that whoever I do sell the dress too...I'm requesting that she send me photos of her in it on her wedding day...so I can see how it looks and how it is being enjoyed by another bride.

Anonymous said...

I think I'll keep mine. I'm very sentimental. But we'll see :)

Mrs T said...

I want to sell my gown - but I don't think I could part with it.

It's great that your gown will be loved again.

Cyn said...

Congrats on selling your dress! I don't imagine my daughter will want to wear my dress, but I just can't bear to give it up. I love it so much! Although I totally see the logic in passing along the beauty and benifiting financially from it.

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