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Your mother's wedding dress can be incredibly meaningful to you, even if wearing it for your own wedding was never part of the plan.
Ahead, I’m sharing helpful wedding planning advice about five meaningful ways to repurpose your mother’s wedding dress without wearing it, with ideas for turning her gown into something special you can wear, carry or use on your wedding day.
Maybe the style isn't you. Maybe it doesn't fit. Maybe the dress hasn't exactly survived the last 30 years in pristine condition. Or maybe you already found the wedding dress you love, but you'd still like a way to bring a piece of your mom's dress with you on your wedding day.
The good news is that you don't have to wear the dress to honor it.
Above photo: Real The Garter Girl bride Caitlyn and her mom helping her into her wedding dress.
As the founder and designer of The Garter Girl, and I've spent more than 20 years helping brides transform mothers' and grandmothers' wedding dresses, veils and other family materials into meaningful wedding heirlooms and bridal garter keepsakes.
Here are five of my favorite ways to repurpose your mother's wedding dress into something you'll actually use, wear or treasure. As I always say, you don't have to wear your mom's dress to feel closer to her on wedding day.
If you don't want to wear your mother's wedding dress, you can still incorporate it into your wedding by transforming the fabric, lace, beading or other details into a new heirloom.
Popular options include a custom wedding garter, personalized wedding handkerchiefs, a keepsake patch sewn inside your bridal gown, a ring bearer pillow or a handkerchief to carry with your bridal bouquet.
These ideas allow you to preserve meaningful pieces of the original gown while creating something that fits your own wedding style and can be kept long after the wedding day.
So, let's get into it! Fair warning though, grab your tissues, this is always such an emotional moment as you realize that there are so many ways to keep mom (and grandma!) close to you on wedding day...
A custom wedding garter is one of my favorite ways to repurpose a mother's wedding dress because you can literally wear a piece of her dress with your own.
And you usually don't need very much material.
Lace from a sleeve, satin from the skirt, a few pearls, a button or even one beautiful appliqué can become part of a completely new wedding garter designed just for you.
I've made heirloom wedding garters and bridal garter keepsakes from beautifully preserved gowns, dresses that have yellowed or stained over the years and even small pieces of material that were all a family had left.
If you're not sure which part of the dress could be used, don't cut anything yet. That's something I can help you figure out.
See How Custom Wedding Heirlooms Work →
A custom wedding handkerchief is another beautiful option, especially if you want an heirloom that can be used by more than one person.
I typically incorporate lace, appliqués or other meaningful details from the original wedding dress. This gives you the sentimental connection to Mom's dress while creating a handkerchief that's actually functional for all those wedding day happy tears.
Above photo: For two sisters, I made custom bridal garters and wedding handkerchiefs from their mother's wedding dress material.
It can also be personalized with initials, a monogram or wedding date.
Wedding handkerchiefs aren't only for the bride. You can have one made for the groom, Mom, Dad, a grandmother or someone else special, which makes this a great option if you have enough material to create several family keepsakes.
Create a Custom Wedding Handkerchief →
If you want something a little more private, turn a small piece of your mother's wedding dress into a hidden wedding dress patch.
A piece of lace, fabric or another detail can be sewn inside your own wedding dress, giving you a sentimental something old that's literally with you as you walk down the aisle.
Above photo: Personalized wedding dress patch made from bride's mother's bridal dress.
This is also a wonderful option when you only have a very small amount of heirloom material available. A wedding heirloom doesn't have to be large to be meaningful.
Ask Me About A Custom Wedding Dress Patch →
A custom ring bearer pillow gives a larger section of your mother's wedding dress a completely new purpose on your wedding day.
Satin, lace, embroidery, beading or other details from the original dress can be incorporated into a custom ring pillow, and you can personalize it further with initials, your wedding date or other meaningful details.
After the wedding, the pillow becomes a keepsake rather than another wedding day item that gets packed away and forgotten.
Get Info on Custom Wedding Heirloom Designs →
If you love the idea of incorporating your mother's wedding dress into your bridal bouquet, you don't necessarily need to turn it into a traditional bouquet wrap.
One of my favorite alternatives is a personalized wedding handkerchief made from Mom's dress that you can carry with your bouquet.
I create these using meaningful pieces of lace, appliqués or other details from the original wedding dress and can personalize them with initials, a wedding date or hand embroidery.
I prefer this bouquet wrap alternative with a handkerchief, because it's so much more versatile to use because it fits on any size bouquet, and pass on to another family member in the future. (It's the perfect something borrowed!)
Above photo: Bridal bouquet wrap alternative of wedding handkerchief made from the bride's mother's wedding dress.
When you're making bridal bouquet wrap specifically for the bouquet out of your heirloom materials, you'll need to connect with your florist to find out how large the bouquet stems will be. So, using a handkerchief makes it much easier logistically., it's one less wedding vendor to connect with.
You can tuck or drape the handkerchief around the bouquet while you walk down the aisle, hold it in your hand for photos and, most importantly, actually use it when those happy tears start.
After the wedding, simply remove it from the bouquet and you have a family wedding heirloom to keep, or pass on, rather than something designed specifically around one bouquet.
Have Me Create Your Bridal Bouquet Wrap Alternative →
Please don't start cutting just because you've decided which idea you like.
Wedding dresses are constructed in ways that aren't always obvious from the outside, and the part you think you need may not be the part that will work best for your project.
I've had brides send me entire wedding dresses, sleeves, pieces of lace, veils and tiny scraps of fabric. You don't need to figure out what to cut before you ask what's possible.
If you're working with a professional, show them what you have first and let them tell you what they need.
And if you're thinking about having me create something for you, you can send me your entire dress. I'll help you determine what's usable, what makes sense for your design and what should remain untouched.
Related: Before You Cut A Wedding Dress: 7 Things to Consider→
There isn't one right way to repurpose your mother's wedding dress.
The best choice is the one that gives the dress a new purpose that actually means something to you and your family.
Above photo: AFamily heirloom wedding handkerchief with family wedding dates and made from the great grandmother's wedding materials.
Maybe that's wearing a piece of Mom's lace underneath your wedding dress in a custom garter. Maybe it's giving her a handkerchief made from her own gown. Maybe it's carrying a piece of her dress with your bridal bouquet saving one tiny piece inside your own wedding gown.
You don't need to wear Mom's wedding dress to make it part of your wedding.
A mother's wedding dress can be repurposed into smaller wedding heirlooms such as a custom wedding garter, wedding handkerchief, bridal dress patch, ring bearer pillow or keepsake to carry with your bouquet. Lace, satin, appliqués, beading, buttons and other details from the original gown can often be incorporated into a new piece.
Yes. Many wedding heirlooms require only a small portion of material, so it may be possible to repurpose part of a wedding dress while leaving most of the gown intact. Before cutting an heirloom wedding dress, have the person creating your keepsake determine exactly what material is needed and where it should come from.
An older wedding dress doesn't necessarily need to be in perfect condition to be repurposed. Depending on its condition, usable lace, fabric, appliqués, buttons, beads or other details may still be incorporated into a new wedding heirloom. I've worked with family wedding dresses that were stained, torn, yellowed or poorly stored, so I always recommend having the material evaluated before assuming it can't be used.
Related: What to Do With a Wedding Dress that Wasn't Stored Properly →
It depends on what you'd like to have made, but many wedding keepsakes can be created with surprisingly little material. A small section of lace, a single appliqué, a few beads or buttons, or a piece of fabric may be enough for certain designs.
Related: How Much Fabric Do You Need to Repurpose a Wedding Dress →
Usually, no. If you're hiring someone to repurpose the dress, let them see the gown or material before you cut anything. The best section to use may depend on the construction of the dress, condition of the fabric and the heirloom you'd like to create.
For more than 20 years here at The Garter Girl, I've been transforming family wedding dresses, veils and other sentimental materials into custom wedding garters, handkerchiefs, dress patches, gifts for the family, ring bearer pillows and other one-of-a-kind wedding heirlooms.
You don't need to know exactly what you want, and you don't need to cut anything before you contact me.
Show me what you have, tell me a little bit about your wedding, and I'll help you figure out what's possible.
