Selling my wedding dress and veil

[Kel1234]

I got married in 2015. I got my wedding dress from a proper bridal boutique. The dress was by a fairly popular dress designer who has a great collection (I remember from looking at the website of the shop I went to). It was a pure white princess ballgown with sparkles and tulle and sequins sweetheart neckline and chapel length train. So fair to say it was quite big. The veil was a white chapel length two tier veil, with sequins, that finished just before my dress train. I had the dress made to measure, so it was a perfect fit.
The dress cost £1400, the veil cost £150, and my alterations cost £100. So £1650 in total.
Now I know I can not include the alterations cost, so I left it at £1550.
I was considering trying to sell the dress and veil, looking for a price about £750, half of what I paid.
We could do with the money, and I'm never going to wear it again, and I have no intentions of passing it on to a daughter (if I have one one day).
However part of me feels that it was my dress for my day, and the thought of anyone else getting married in it kills me. The other part of me thinks the money would be useful, more useful than a dress and veil hanging in a dress bag in my dads spare room.

Has anyone got any advice? What would you do?

I kept mine, and every year on my anniversary I get it down from the loft and swan around in it for a bit like a princess. I would never sell it.
(I'm totally not a princessy person. And dh Calls me miss havisham all day!)
But, that being said, if you need the money then it does seem silly to have it sat in the loft getting old.

I think youd be very lucky to get £750, not least because it's been altered. I also got married last year and my dress is sat at the top of my wardrobe. My dd has said she wants to get married in it but tastes will have changed by then so in keeping it for nostalgia really. I was very lucky to get such a good quality dress at a very cheap price so I'm not fussed about recouping costs. It might be worth trying eBay but don't hold your breath, used dresses don't seem to sell well at all.

Know that the longer you wait the less it will be worth. Even now the chances of you getting a 50% return as very slim. In 5 years it will be with maybe £150 as the styles do change subtly and constantly over time. If you are going to do it, make it now.

I think most dresses (in my area anyway) go for between £150-300. Most people will want new for their dress, you could buy new for £700.

Says she who scored her dress for £199 from a designer sale room at a wedding show....2 years before the wedding (5 year engagement)

You will struggle to get even £250 for it. Wedding dresses just don't sell. Especially with alterations done. It seems like a kick in the teeth after the amount you spent on it but there just isn't a huge market for them.

I've still got mine (married in 2004). I keep saying I'm going to donate it to one of the charities that turns them into burial gowns for miscarried and stillborn babies but I can't quite bring myself to part with it just yet.

Decide a price at which the cash is more valuable to you than then sentimental attachment of the dress. Then list it online as a buy it now or with that amount as reserve and see if you can get that for it.

From what I've seen (I'm looking for a wedding dress) you would be extremely lucky to get 50% of what you paid for it.

I keep saying I'm going to donate it to one of the charities that turns them into burial gowns for miscarried and stillborn babies but I can't quite bring myself to part with it just yet.

I did that after getting divorced. It was very satisfying.

I've been trying to sell mine for a couple of years. They're really quite tricky to get rid of

I think half price is cheekily high for an item like a weddings dress - it means you pay a net cost of £750 for a brand new dress, from the present season's collection and the person you sell it to pays £750 for a secondhand dress from a previous year's stock that has already been altered and so might restrict future alterations. So if money is your motivation, then you need to consider whether a more realistic price is worth it to you or not. I get the emotional attachment, so it's up to you to put a 'price' on that while also considering issues like storage space in your home etc.

I do think you are being irrational if your main reluctance is someone else would get married wearing it. That seems a bit extreme to me.

For sentiment, could you keep the veil as a potential family heirloom (doesn't have to be a daughter - sister, cousin, niece, daughter-in-law)

As others have said unlikely you will get £750 . I'm looking for a wedding dress at the moment and would never pay that for a second hand dress. If you feel sentimentally attached to the dress why don't you put it in the attic for another year and decide then?

I couldn't sell mine for even £150 although it wasn't a recognised designer. I gave it to a charity shop and it was apparently sold in a couple days, no idea what they priced it at.

Which are the charities that turn wedding dresses into burial gowns? I'd happily donate my first wedding dress, better than it sitting in the attic doing nothing. Assuming the mice haven't had it already.

I sent mine to Heavenly Gowns.