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Would you wear a pre-owned wedding gown?
Results so far:
| Yes | 68% | 969 votes | Total: 1431 votes | |
| No | 32% | 462 votes |
Yes
by Elaine M. Doxie
Created on: April 17, 2010 Last Updated: April 18, 2010
There is a time I would have said definitely no to this question. However, that was before I found the most beautiful gown I had ever seen in a small second-hand store for $55. It was a perfect fit when I tried it on, as if it had been made just for me, and I suddenly felt like a bride. It was ivory lace with an asymmetrical hemline and a large bow in front. The bow had a rhinestone brooch attached, which I did replace with a newer, more up to date one, but other than that, I wore the gown as it came.
Needless to say, I bought the gown, took it home, and saved it for my wedding that was still over a year away. As my wedding grew nearer, I looked at other gowns, but none of them fit my personality and sense of style better than the gown that I already had. I found a pair of ivory satin shoes to wear with it, and my husband found a little ivory dress with pretty burgundy flowers for our one year old daughter. She also wore little burgundy velvet shoes, and had a little satin covered basket to carry. I put flowers in her hair, and put it up in a little half ponytail. Even my husband wore ivory for our wedding to match my dress. In fact, my dress created the theme for my entire wedding. The dress was vintage, so we got married in a very vintage little wedding chapel as well.
I wore flowers in my hair instead of the traditional veil, and I felt every bit the beautiful blushing bride as I would have had I gone out and spent $10,000 on a brand new dress. It's not the dress that makes the wedding special. It's the joining of two hearts and lives together that makes weddings as special as they are. It doesn't matter if you wear a dress from your mother, the second-hand store, or a couture boutique. What matters is that you feel special on your wedding day. I don't know who wore this dress before I did. I don't know if her marriage worked out, ir if it didn't. All I do know is that I had a beautiful gown for my wedding day, and I was happier than I had ever been before on that day.
We put way too much emphasis on the wedding, and not enough on the marriage. You can have the most beautiful, expensive gown in the world, but if you don't take care of your marriage, you just wasted your money. On the other hand, you can wear jeans to your wedding and have things work out well if you're truly in love.
Learn more about this author, Elaine M. Doxie.
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No
by Christina Bernice Butler
Created on: June 04, 2010 Last Updated: November 05, 2010
The wedding ceremony is sacred, like the holy union of marriage that it produces. It is extremely personal as it is a covenant between a man, woman and the Lord that the man and woman will now be as one in His sight, their sight and the sight of all the world. With that said, I definitely would not wear a dress that someone else wore.
There are three reasonable causes for which a person would decide to do so but only one is an actual exception exists for me. I am a semi-idealist, not a perfectionist; I simply believe that certain things do have a higher priority and need to be a certain way. This is one of those things. I do not believe in the idea of passing wedding garments down, except for in these three special cases:
Finances
A person who is intentionally looking for a previously owned wedding gown, most likely, is attempting to get a marvelous look at an inexpensive monetary charge. This is a situation that I can understand and relate to but I still would not do. It is correct that the price tag does not have to be high in order for the value to be but why lose that value by wearing something that has already been worn? There are thousands of wedding gowns that cost under one thousand dollars and hundreds that cost under five hundred.
Pre-owned equals pre-worn?
What if the wedding gown in question was, in fact, never worn? It could have been carried around for several months or could have sat in a closet or box for a couple of years by this previous owner but never have been worn. Maybe that owner tried it on a couple of times but did not ever have it on for any longer than that.and never wore it again. In that case, sure, I'd take it off their hands! This is my one exception.
Sentimental much?
The last exception is to wear a previously owned wedding gown purely for the sentimental value of it all. If you do have a sentimental type of relationship with a maternal figure in your life and circumstances allow for or even call for it, why not go ahead and wear her gown? I wouldn't do it but if I was in that first situation of not having the cash for a brand new dress, I'd rather wear a pre-owned dress that does have some type of personal value to me than one worn by a person I don't know at all.
To choose a wedding gown is a personal decision and, that I would not wear a pre-owned wedding gown, is my personal account. My advice is, be sure that you truly do not have the funds for a brand new gown for your wedding, do not have a mother who has a wedding gown that is still here and in good enough condition and do not know anyone who has one previously owned but never worn a fabulous gown before deciding to get one that has been previously worn. If you do get a pre-owned and pre-worn gown, do your best to send it to be altered so that it can better fit and flatter your body, your personality and the actual style and location of your wedding. Yet, to my knowledge, alterations may end up costing the same price as a new dress, anyway. A wedding gown is surely something to consider thoughtfully because it is significant in a wedding and to the involved parties. Pictures will be depicting the special event for years after you've already worn and forgotten about the gown. Simultaneously, this is, in no way, compared to the magnitude of the relationship between bride and groom or the significance of the ceremony that is being held for the sole purpose of celebrating their nuptials.
Learn more about this author, Christina Bernice Butler.
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