What to do with my wedding dress?

[2labs]

It's been hanging around like Miss Havisham's (ok I haven't actually been wearing it) for 4 years, uncleaned. It's not in a bad state but is a bit dirty/dusty where it dragged on the floor. I know, I should have had it cleaned straight away but it got totally forgotten about as all sorts of things happened after the wedding which meant it got shoved to one side out of the way.

Apparently it'll cost me a fortune to get it cleaned, and even then it may be a waste of money as they can't guarantee they can get the dirt off as it's been so long. So I've ditched the idea of Ebaying it - there seem to be so many (clean!) wedding dresses on there anyway that don't even get a single bid. It's a two-piece affair with a long satin skirt, simple and I think lovely but very much a wedding dress, can't see either top or bottom being adapted to go out on the tiles in (not that I can do anything with a sewing machine anyway.

What would you do with it? It's taunting me from the wardrobe. Should I be cutting it into satin dusters?

Do you know what I think all mumsnetter should come up with a business plan and start a business in recycling 'finished with' wedding dresses. There must be some money in it somewhere cos there sure is a hell of a lot of wedding dresses sitting out there.

I saw somewhere - can't remember where, maybe in something from Save the Children, about a wedding dress that had been sent to an orphanage in India. About 16 or so of the girls had got to wear it when they left and got married. I thought that sounded lovely - much better than sitting in a cupboard.

Are you sure it can't get cleaned up. The shop I brought my dress from do a cleaning service and the owner showed me a dressbefore and after she had cleaned, this one had been left for months after the wedding and it had champagne, blood, mud all sorts over it.

do get it cleaned (go to an independent, not Sketchley - is expensive only if beaded etc as thay have to do it on Extra Gentle so no bits drop off) then fold it up in a box somewhere.
Even if dds / dils don't want to wear it and it's too late to cut up into a christening outfit etc, keep it to show the dcs so they can see how glamourous you were once.
Then let them dress up in it.

Like Maretta's idea though

FoghornLeghorn - that must have been a hell of a wedding.

my wedding had a proper punch-up with blood and everything

Ta for all suggestions... I think I will go and show it to a cleaner to see what they reckon, before I decide.

Blimey Greensleeves . Mine was fairly low on trauma, only one major row between two people who had just split up, though I did manage to knock someone to the flooor when I threw the bouquet.

Your lucky, i didnt get to wear mine and now have to figure what to do with it.

unworn?

sell it!

i checked prices just acouple of weeks ago. All around £50 to clean, then buy a box with the acid free paper anything from £10 to £30

a friend of mine had her mum make hers into a quilt for her baby.looked very pretty.

Thanks for reminding me. Mine got red wine down the front but I've always planned to get it cleaned (and dyed burgundy if necessary ) and turned into a little cocktail dress. Now I'm back down to pre-wedding weight I ought to dig it out.

YES UNWORE BUT ALTERED. Such a beautiful dress.

2labs, keep it for dressing up. Or make it in to a small blanket for your dc.

A woman in a wedding shop who hired them out told me she washed them all in her own washing machine- they were too expensive to have dry cleaned. If it's just an ordinary fabric (ie not silk) then wash it like you would anything else made of the same. If you're not going to wear it again anyway what is there to lose?!