When people start planning for a wedding, most of them have a budget and plan on how much they are going to spend on their big day. Some may have a small wedding with only close friends and family while others will have a big lavish fairy tale wedding. Normally, for white weddings, brides spend lots of money on their dress. That is one of the biggest expenses on the wedding budget. But most of the time this dress is worn only once, on the big day and then kept in the closest as a souvenir. I quite like the idea of hiring these dresses as well but then most of the women are too emotional to part from their wedding dress so they normally buy them. Let me not go to the part about what may happen to the dress if ones marriage breaks or one is angry with the soon to be ex husband later in the life.
With Nepali weddings we wear many outfits. I had 10 different outfits for different days during my wedding, which lasted 10 days. Most of those outfits I can wear again on many other occasions like parties and festivals. I have already worn some of them for my friend’s wedding. There is a Dupata sari which you reuse again when there is a celebration called ‘Janku’ or ‘Bhat Khuaune’ (rice feeding ceremony) of your kids. All of my wedding outfit will be reused again and again as I had spent good money for them and I love them as well.
But with a white wedding dress most of the time reusing it is not possible because normally they are long and in off white or white colour with long train. You really can’t wear that to anyone else’s wedding and alternation is the only option.
One of my colleagues who got married more than a year ago came up with a brilliant idea with her friends to reuse their wedding dress (they all had white wedding). There are 10 girls altogether one day who were talking about what they are going to do with their wedding dress. Their dresses stared from $1000 to $6000 which was worn only once and was then collecting dust in their closets. So one of them came up with the idea to organise a ‘Wedding dress Night Out’. So last night they went out in their respective wedding dress to a French restaurant. They hired a photographer as well and got some very nice single and group shots.
My colleague told me that she had a great time and all the other people in the restaurant were complimenting them on their dress. I was so excited to hear about the whole idea and seeing their photos was even more amazing. Some of the girls had this princess style gown so they looked like a princess on their night out. I really admire their determination to reuse their dress and getting a great night out with friends in the process.
Where is your wedding dress? Have you worn your wedding dress after your wedding? Please share if you have similar stories.
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