SAY YES TO RE-DRESS
Four ways to turn your one-day wedding gown into a long-term affair,
You’ve said yes to the dress, and to your partner, slept off the hangover and soaked up the sun (or rain) on your honeymoon. Now it’s time for the hard part. Marriage? Sure. But also figuring out what to do with that white gown.
The dress
When I clicked on my wedding dress (yes, you can unclutch your pearls now, I bought it online) I wasn’t exactly head-over-heels for it. But it was on sale and rang in at $712, including taxes and shipping. That was a relative bargain, as the average Canadian bride reportedly spends $1,716 on her gown, according to a 2014 Weddingbells survey. No matter the price, the relationship between a bride and a gown is understood to be short term — but I was determined to turn things from a one-day stand into a longer-term relationship. Somehow I made it through the whole day without spilling any wine on my dress, so I spoke with some experts about how exactly brides can tweak their dress to make it wearable after saying “I do.”
Here are four ways to make your wedding dress more than a one-day affair:
Colour outside the lines
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s marriage, divorce and remarriage were far from perfect. Her style, on the other hand, was usually flawless. Recent exhibitions about the couple have the fashion crowd once again swooning over her unibrow, flower crowns and embroidered outfits. Turn your bridal gown in to a Frida-inspired summer festival dress by adding some coloured embroidery to it. Warning: finding a seamstress who will add embroidery to your dress may take as long, or longer, than it did to find someone to spend the rest of your life with. After some detective work I found Pom Penner, a long-time seamstress based in Markham, who has extensive experience adding embroidery to wedding dresses by hand. The final cost of adding some beautiful blooms to your dress depends on several factors, but you’ll likely love her low rates, which start at a mere $15 per hour.
Put a topper on it
Pull a Keira Knightley and wear a topper, a top that goes over or under the dress. The chic actress had a long-term love affair with her kneelength dress, famously donning it before and after her wedding day. The actress’s Chanel number eventually got red wine on it (dun-dun-dun), but before the spill she added a sheer topper underneath when she wore it to a charity gala. Anthropologie’s trendy wedding line, BHLDN, offers several toppers for brides and bridesmaids that could easily also be worn to a cocktail party. The metallic-threaded lace Camille Topper is a great option and comes in Cameo Pink for $160 (U.S.) or Cashmere, on sale for $80, at bhldn.com.
Strap yourself in
Love is about acceptance, and that applies both to your spouse and to your dress. If you bought a formal cathedral dress à la Kate Middleton, don’t expect to magically turn it into a casual cocktail dress after you walk down the aisle, says Kelly Zarif, executive director and CAO of Dove Cleaners. That’s not to say you should accept it as it is — you can likely do relatively simple things like add straps or bring up the hemline. Zarif advises bringing your dress to an experienced seamstress — the Toronto-based dry-cleaning chain has one on site — to see what alterations can be made so you can wear it again. Be prepared to shell out anywhere from $100 to $500 to revamp your dress, she warns.
Tie it in a knot, tie it in a bow Not ready to be tied down to permanent alterations just yet? Add a colourful sash after the big day instead. I recently bought a mint-green sash and removable flower pin for $98 by Rosy Posy Designs on Etsy. BHLDN offers a range of sashes technically for brides and bridesmaids that could also be worn to other events. The Pumila Bridesmaid Sash comes in a cool white shade to help you channel your inner ice princess at holiday fetes later this year. Coolest of all? It retails for $80 online.
Love blooms
Since my dress was not Mr. Right, but merely Mr. OK For One Day, I had grand plans to give it a makeover by dyeing it a whole new colour. Turns out you can’t force anyone to drastically change, and that includes a dress. I’ve since learned dyeing my dress was an unrealistic fantasy due to it being made of mixed materials, which would likely result in an uneven colour if dyed. So, for now I’ve opted for a less radical change by adding some accessories to make it less “bridal” and more “last-ofsummer garden party.” While it is not Mr. Perfect, it is my dress and I vow to love it forever and ever . . . or at least until I spill some wine on it.