Wedding Re-Wearing Wedding Dress ***poll included**

[Gwyn]

Okay I think I figured out how to make a poll so I decided to just repost my other topic and include one

OK, i know there has been a few posts on this but for some reason i am having trouble finding answers.

FI and I are getting married on the westcoast then going on our honeymoon then heading to the east coast for a cocktail reception. This is basically a party for all of my family (as only immediate family is attending the wedding on the east coast) and some of FI and I friends from out east.

We rented the top floor of a bar and will be having open bar and hors d''oeuvres and dancing from 730-1130. Here is a link to the place http://www.cobblestonesoflowell.com/third_floor.htm it is seperated into two seperate rooms, one with the bar and pool table and the other with a dance floor and AV system set up.

Ok, all that is squared away the issue is dress. My mother thinks I should wear my wedding dress as all my aunts/uncles and other family will want to see me in it. The place is nice though not super formal. The event will be at night and the place decorated with tea candles and such. I assume most guests will be dressed in skirts/dresses for girld and suits with or without ties for the men. we might even put something like semi formal on the invites or whatever.

Is it weird to wear the dress again? What do you all think? Is the place too low key? DO you think its just plain odd to re-wear it?

Getting the dress over there isnt a problem (my mother would take it back with her after the wedding). And i wouldnt have to buy another dress plus i already feel comfortable in this one (i am pretty uncomfortable with my body b.c i have gained so much weight reccently so shopping stresses me out a little). Part of me is leaning towards wearing it and having FI rent a tux or wear a nice suit. I think alot of my guests would be happy to be able to see it since they were not able to go to the actual wedding. But another part of me remembers a post about someone who thought it would be odd, i just never looked at the responses.

I guess Im just looking for a vote on how many people think its a good idea vs. bad idea. ooh i should learn how to set one of those poles up....

 

[Haven]

Are you kidding!?!?! WEAR THE DRESS!!!!

I wore mine to fireworks after our July 4th wedding. We were on a soccer field, definitely NOT a formal affair. People were staring and I felt GREAT.

I''m actually planning on organizing a wedding gown tea for all my dear friends next year. We are going to buy fabulous hats, wear our wedding gowns, and have tea at a lovely little place near my parents'' home. I''m not joking. I am going to wear that dress again.

 

[Gwyn]

oh it dawned on me a pic of the dress might help. here it is (unaltered). its not super fancy but its definately formal.

 

[Haven]

Oh Gwyn, it''s gorgeous.

 

[marchswallowbird]

I would not wear the dress. I would wear a white knee-length dress that is less fancy. But that''s just me.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

If you were going to be holding the evening reception in a backyard, I would suggest wearing something else, but I think with your venue, it''s totally fine to wear your dress again. Maybe with a cleaning in between?

You''re only going to get one day to wear it in normal circumstances. Why not take advantage to have more pics of you in your gorgeous dress?

 

[ladyciel]

I attended a second reception with an old bf''s family, and the bride re-wore her wedding dress. Quite a few guests were actually talking about how they were glad she wore it again so they could see it. I think it made them feel more included and less like they were B-list afterthoughts. That said, I think it definitely depends on what your reception is like and what you''re comfortable with. Everything you''ve said so far - the description of the reception, your comfort in the dress vs shopping - suggests that re-wearing it is a perfectly great option for you.

One option might be to do what some brides do at their primary receptions anyway - change partway through the night into a new dress. If you could tolerate the search for another dress, you could have it on hand in case being in your gown started to become uncomfortable.

 

[portia]

I wore my dress again to my reception 3 weeks after my destination wedding (sans veil of course). I didn''t want to wear it at first since I thought people would think it''s odd, but after some thought (and urging of my parents since they purchased the dress) I decided to wear it again and I''m glad I did.

Your dress is gorgeous and I definitely think you can wear it again to your reception. Your guests will love to see you in it!

 

[jewelerman]

you could wear the dress ...its simple and elegant,but a bit formal for the more casual Atmosphere...you could wear a less formal outfit that you could wear several times and have a picture of you wearing the dress on a table...or wear the wedding dress to greet people until there is eating and dancing and change into an outfit that would be more casual(so you can dance and move freely) and fits the style of the room.

 

[swingirl]

Everybody will want to feel like which ever reception they attend it is the "real" one. So wear the dress and enjoy it. A bride is special and the people at the second reception are seeing you as "the bride"! Most will appreciate the details of your outfit.

 

[clop]

Aww Gwyn, your dress is so beautiful! Definitely wear it again. Your guests will be so happy/excited to see you in it.

Plus, ditto to Haven! That is an AWESOME idea!! I''d totally do something similar but by the time everyone gets married in the next 2 years, I''d need to preserve/clean my dress again?

Date: 8/21/2008 8:48:50 PM
Author: Haven
Are you kidding!?!?! WEAR THE DRESS!!!!


I wore mine to fireworks after our July 4th wedding. We were on a soccer field, definitely NOT a formal affair. People were staring and I felt GREAT.


I''m actually planning on organizing a wedding gown tea for all my dear friends next year. We are going to buy fabulous hats, wear our wedding gowns, and have tea at a lovely little place near my parents'' home. I''m not joking. I am going to wear that dress again.

 

[musey]

I didn't vote, because I don't think it's weird... but if it were me, I probably wouldn't. Not because it's weird or inappropriate, but just because I identify the wedding dress part with the wedding (ceeremony), rather than the reception... so for a reception sans ceremony immediately preceding it, I wouldn't wear a wedding dress.

HOWEVER, since so many brides always say "So much money for a dress I'll only wear one time!" perhaps this is a good excuse! And your mom is right, those who weren't able to attend the wedding will love to see it.


We're also doing a post-honeymoon-hometown-reception, and I've chosen to wear a full-length gown that's somewhere between cocktail and formal. So I'll still be more dressed up than most (therefore easy to spot as the "bride").

ETA: I'm surprised that the overwhelming response is to re-wear! I posted a similar thread a week or two back and the only responses I got were anti-re-wear. Interesting.

 

[Shoopy]

Date: 8/22/2008 10:38:27 AM
Author: musey

ETA: I''m surprised that the overwhelming response is to re-wear! I posted a similar thread a week or two back and the only responses I got were anti-re-wear. Interesting.

I''m really surprised too. I think for me it depends on the dress, the venue, and what is expected for the guests to wear. If it is supposed to be a casual event where as a guest I could wear something casual, then the bride shows up in her wedding dress...that would be a "huh" for me.

But if its a formal or even a semi-formal event then I would think its lovely. Depends.

 

[Pandora II]

Definitely wear it!


On the tea-party idea, mu aunt was invited to a ''wear your wedding gear'' party last month. She and her DH were married in 1983 as were most of their friends. I understand it was pretty funny - most of them had to let them out and put pink panels in to show where!

 

[littlelysser]

I say ABSOLUTELY wear the dress again!

One of my best friends wore her dress to the BRUNCH the day following the wedding...her rationale was that it was so darn expensive (it was a lovely handmade gown), she figured she doubled the value of it by wearing it twice. Of course, she also loved the heck out of it...

Oh, and everyone at the brunch thought it was awesome that she wore it again...

SO for SURE, I''d wear it again!

 

[littlelysser]

Date: 8/22/2008 10:38:27 AM
Author: musey
I didn''t vote, because I don''t think it''s weird... but if it were me, I probably wouldn''t. Not because it''s weird or inappropriate, but just because I identify the wedding dress part with the wedding (ceeremony), rather than the reception... so for a reception sans ceremony immediately preceding it, I wouldn''t wear a wedding dress.


HOWEVER, since so many brides always say ''So much money for a dress I''ll only wear one time!'' perhaps this is a good excuse! And your mom is right, those who weren''t able to attend the wedding will love to see it.



We''re also doing a post-honeymoon-hometown-reception, and I''ve chosen to wear a full-length gown that''s somewhere between cocktail and formal. So I''ll still be more dressed up than most (therefore easy to spot as the ''bride'').


ETA: I''m surprised that the overwhelming response is to re-wear! I posted a similar thread a week or two back and the only responses I got were anti-re-wear. Interesting.

My guess is that you got so many anti-re-wear responses because you made it pretty clear in your initial post that didn''t want to wear it and thought it was silly to do so...

 

[robbie3982]

I would definitely rewear it! My cousin had a party a year after her wedding since she got married on the west coast and all of our family is on the east coast. She wore her dress to the restaurant where the party was held and I was really glad that she did since I was unable to go to the actual wedding.

We''re going to a reception for a couple who eloped next weekend and I really really hope she wears her dress as well.

If I had a reason to wear my dress again I totally would.

 

[bee*]

I''d definitely rewear it! It''s such a beautiful dress and people will enjoy seeing it.

 

[musey]

Date: 8/22/2008 11:31:59 AM
Author: littlelysser

Date: 8/22/2008 10:38:27 AM
Author: musey
ETA: I''m surprised that the overwhelming response is to re-wear! I posted a similar thread a week or two back and the only responses I got were anti-re-wear. Interesting.

My guess is that you got so many anti-re-wear responses because you made it pretty clear in your initial post that didn''t want to wear it and thought it was silly to do so...

Likely true, but people could just as easily have said "I don''t think it''s silly, but if you don''t want to..." the only people who volunteered opinions were those who agreed that it wasn''t appropriate for the situation. To be fair, though, there were only 3 repliers that mentioned it at all.

I was just pointing out that it was interesting, I wasn''t trying to make some comment about PS support v. oppose psychology

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 8/22/2008 10:38:27 AM
Author: musey
I didn''t vote, because I don''t think it''s weird... but if it were me, I probably wouldn''t. Not because it''s weird or inappropriate, but just because I identify the wedding dress part with the wedding (ceeremony), rather than the reception... so for a reception sans ceremony immediately preceding it, I wouldn''t wear a wedding dress.

HOWEVER, since so many brides always say ''So much money for a dress I''ll only wear one time!'' perhaps this is a good excuse! And your mom is right, those who weren''t able to attend the wedding will love to see it.


We''re also doing a post-honeymoon-hometown-reception, and I''ve chosen to wear a full-length gown that''s somewhere between cocktail and formal. So I''ll still be more dressed up than most (therefore easy to spot as the ''bride'').

ETA: I''m surprised that the overwhelming response is to re-wear! I posted a similar thread a week or two back and the only responses I got were anti-re-wear. Interesting.

I agree with Musey. I also didn''t vote -- I don''t think it''s weird to wear your wedding dress again, but for ME, I''d choose something else for the same reason that Musey mentioned. I also think that others who couldn''t see the dress the first time around would love to see it though, and as Musey said, it would be a good excuse to get one more chance to wear your dress (since you paid for it already).

 

[dreaming of the day]

I would wear it again for sure. You are celebrating your wedding with your family, why wouldn''t you wear it? Its gorgeous and comfortable and most likely the most expensive dress you will ever own! I wouldn''t think twice about it, I don''t think its weird and remember the reason for the get together - that''s right your wedding and I honestly don''t think it would be quite right to wear something else.

 

[qtiekiki]

I wore my wedding dress again for our second reception.

 

[Gwyn]

Thanks for all the responses. I talked about it at length with my Fiance and we decided since most of the guests are my aunts and uncles and older people that have known me since I was a baby (with the exception of 4 very close friends and their dates) more would probably appreciate it then think anything weird of it (maybe the dates of my friends who don''t know me so well).

So, should FI rent another tux or will a nice suit and tie do? My mother is going to take my dress home with her after the wedding and have it cleaned and repressed while I am on my honeymoon so I dont have to worry about transportation and such. I could send FIs suit with her or he could get a rental somewhere local.

Only issue is that he obviously wouldnt be able to go in for a fitting and he is pretty big (6 foot 5 inches) so it isnt a typical size. I suppose we could call in his measurements since he will have just been measured... what do you all think?

 

[purrfectpear]

Whatever he will be comfortable in. I think a nice suit would be as appropriate as a tux.

P.S. Love your dress

 

[miraclesrule]

Absolutely, without hesitation I would wear the dress again.

 

[violet02]

At first I thought this thread was asking about re-wearing the dress for a second marriage! Heh.

I voted yes, if you''re having a nice second reception and yes definitely bring something to change into later in the evening (ditto ladyciel) as well if you prefer. If it''s a casual affair I might not wear it again.

We may be doing a second reception on the east coast for my FI''s family. It would be a big family dinner. I probably won''t re-wear my dress because I don''t want to haul it with me over there and get all done up again. Lazy!

 

[HappyAnniversary]

Yea! I am so glad you''ve decided to wear it. I would so want to see the wedding dress of someone I loved but couldn''t attend the wedding. And the dress (and you) are so gorgeous!