Wedding dress for sale, worn once: Why brides sell their gowns

Emily Rooney waited nearly two years after her wedding before she decided to put her wedding dress up for sale.

It was a difficult decision, she said. "I am a super-sentimental person."

Weddings are expensive and if I can help get a bride a beautiful dress at a third of the price, why not?— Katie MacDonald

Rooney's is one of hundreds of wedding dresses posted for sale second-hand in P.E.I. — and many of the brides have similar reasons for deciding to let go of the dress they wore on their special day.

Rooney married in September 2015, and said it was a home renovation that prompted her to let go.

She paid $1,500 for her dress and is selling it for $700.

"We are now renovating our home and would love to put the extra funds into updating," Rooney explained.

Katrina McGuigan is also looking to recover some of what she spent.

"I'm really just trying to get some of my money back," she said.

"Plus since it's so expensive I'd love to sell this beautiful dress that was literally only worn for a few hours to someone else who can't afford a new one. If I could have found this dress second hand I would have purchased it in a heartbeat!" McGuigan said.

'Weddings are expensive'

McGuigan was married in July 2013, but didn't buy her wedding dress until two years later. She said that after alterations she spent close to $3,000 and is asking a third of that — $1,000 — for the dress.

"At the time we actually didn't have a lot of money so we eloped, and I bought the dress two years later just so we could take wedding photos," she said.

Katie MacDonald, married in June 2017, is also hoping her dress helps a new bride keep things within budget.

"Weddings are expensive and if I can help get a bride a beautiful dress at a third of the price, why not?" she said. Her dress, originally $3,200 is posted for sale for $600.

Megan Arsenault, who purchased her dress for $1,300 and is selling it for $500, commented that wedding dresses are "so expensive."

"I thought if someone could get one that was in excellent condition for less than what they would pay retail for it would be a great help with the overall wedding budget."

Taking up space in the closet

MacDonald added that she's "not someone who holds on to things." 

"I have beautiful pictures and memories that will last a lifetime so no need to take up space in my closet," she said.

"It's not urgent to sell it, as if it doesn't get sold I may get something made from it down the road."

Arsenault, who married in September 2016, also took some time to make the decision to sell.

"It's so beautiful that I feel like it's a shame for it to be sitting in a garment bag in my guest room closet and never being looked at," she said.

Reduce, reuse

Bobbi Jo Walker, married in August 2016, said she is feeling good about the decision to sell her dress — even though it was a hard one.

"We've been in the process of simplifying our lives a little bit, kind of more aware of just the need to kind of recycle and reuse," she said.

She said her memories and photos will be there to remind her of her wedding day — and that "hopefully someone else will have memories with that dress."

Her dress, which retails for $1,400, is listed for sale for $900.

Consider consignment

Walker bought her dress at a consignment store. She said it was brand new at the time — from a bride-to-be who found another dress instead. That's another common reason wedding dresses are posted for sale.

"It's funny because it was the first dress I tried on and I tried on the second dress just to compare and I looked at my sister and was like 'This is the one. We're going to take it.' And she's like 'Do you want to go have a coffee or think about it?'" she recalled.

She is happy with her decision not to buy new.

"It was just all about the dress and what made me feel good," she said. "I did appreciate especially that it was reusing and not contributing to — you know, we have a massive problem with … waste."

It will be dated for your daughter

Walker has a three-year-old daughter, but believes it's unlikely she will want to wear her mother's wedding dress.

"I know my mom, the dress she wore — I wouldn't have worn it to my wedding," she said. "I know [my daughter] may or may not want to use my dress, so to keep it, holding onto it for her just didn't seem to make a lot of sense."

Rooney agreed she doesn't need to keep her dress for a future daughter.

"My mom kept her dress for me to maybe wear one day," she said. "But the dress was circa 1988 and a tad out of style so for that same reason I decided to sell mine knowing that my future children would most likely find it ancient looking."

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