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.