Wedding Planning Tips for Brides -- from iVillage Wedding Expert Anne Chertoff
- Weddings
- From I Will to I Do
Admit It. You'll Never Wear It Again
The moment you've all been waiting for...the bridal party photo from Elissa's wedding!
Elissa chose blue and white for her colors and we wore teal mermaid gowns by Jim Hjelm and carried white rose and blue hydrangea bouquets.
Unfortunately, I don’t know where I’m wearing this dress again, so I’ve decided to donate it to a charity. I’ve been researching organizations that take bridesmaid dresses to give to high school seniors who can’t afford a prom dress.
The Princess Project, in California, is one organization I came across that accepts formal dresses. Because you're making a donation to a charity, you can get a receipt to submit to the IRS – a tax deduction - and recoup some of the cost.
There are similar organizations around the country - I’m still trying to find one in New York - here’s a link to charities across the country where you can donate your old bridesmaid dresses, or encourage your ‘maids to send theirs.
If you know of a great charity where you can donate an old prom dress, please post them here.
What a GREAT idea!
I've been blessed with 3 bridesmaids gowns and 2 prom dresses (from 1987 - yikes!) - all of which have become dress-up clothes for my daughter's play time. Her 6 and 7 year old friends never looked so couture - LOL!
Thank you so much for the post. Charity is a great idea.
Cinderella's Closet, www.cinderellasclosetnky.org, is a group in Northern Kentucky that collects and provides dresses to girls for their prom.
I had the honor of working with this group last year and the joy on the girls faces when they found the perfect dress brought tears to my eyes.
I love, love, LOVE this idea!!
Brides Against Breast Cancer (makingmemories.org) accepts donations of wedding gowns, as well as "bridesmaid, mother of the bride and flower girl dresses, veils, shoes, purses, slips, bras, etc" and also jewelry as part of "Diamonds for Dreams."
Donations are restored and resold at discount prices in gown sale events nationwide, with proceeds used to fund last wishes for families facing terminal breast cancer.