Repeat Wearing Bridemaids Dresses?

I like to use them for Halloween. There's one I wore a few times- as a zombie toothfairy and another as the butterfly queen. :)

I wore one bridesmaid dress again. It was at college, early 80s. The school threw a type of "prom" and all us girls dug out an old bridesmaid or high school prom dress to wear. We weren't trying to be funny, we didn't have money for a new dress for an event. The result was pretty hilarious, though!

9 times out of 10 the dress can not be worn again. I have noticed that these days the dresses are much better. I saw the dress I wore for my brother's wedding (I was not in the party) as a bridesmaid dress at someone's wedding online. If you buy the dress at a non-bridal store, you are more likely to wear it again. I think this is particulary true if the dress is short. If the dress is long, there is pretty much no chance you will wear it again unless you alter it.

I've only been a bridesmaid once. My best friend was nice enough not to use the line "you can shorten it & wear it again!" because she knew we were all wearing dresses in the shade of "victorian rose" which is just a fancy name for shiny Barney purple.

Only one dress, but it had to be altered just a bit to work. I had to shorten it and remove some tule, but it's been a great dress for a few fancy evening weddings. But the other three dresses...NO WAY. One was pretty but hot pink...almost neon. One dress was nice, but not flattering for me. And the last one...hmmm. Picture Snow White. Only in all blue with a white floppy hat and white gloves. Seriously. It was 1990, but I don't really think that's a good excuse!

I went to an evening winter wedding. It was cream, black and deep red or maroon I think. The bridesmaids had beautiful black dresses. No poofs or bows or extra fabric. Just lovely black dresses. Each were a little differant. But all out of the same velvety black. It was flattering on all the girls, even the curvier ones. I am sure they wore those dresses again.

But no such luck for me. I have a couple of gawd-awful dresses I was forced to buy and ended up donating to the thrift store. oh just remembered. One of my brides require I buy clear acrylic heels from walmart for her wedding. I thought - yeah I'll wear these again, on my stripper audition!

So funny but true. My first wedding was a huge formal thing - but I chose cocktail length, pale pink dresses for the bridesmaids with a lining that was plain, with spaghetti straps. The "over-dress" was chiffon with three quarter sleeves and a hankerchiif hem. There was no embellishment, no sash or bow - very simple. My MIL was appalled at how simple they were. The flower girls had pink dresses with white eyelet lace pinafores. Two of my birdesmaids did wear the dresses again and the little girls did as well. (FYI this was in the '80s so the hem was in style then!)

I have been in about 6 weddings - and I wore one of the dresses a second time - but it was simple and also a short dress. For one of my cousin's wedding she picked prom dresses from a store in the mall for the bridemaids and it was right after prom season so we were able to call all the malls around us and get 6 of the dresses in the right sizes for a steal.

While I got very little wear out of the dresses, my daughter and her friends wore them all for dress-up over the years and it was fun to see them in resurrected form arise from the basement modeled by sweet young girls with bad make-up! So - while they did get used again - it was not in the manner expected by the brides at the time. ;o)

I gave all my bridesmaid dresses to a family friend, between her and her sister they wore them at homecomings/proms. I allowed them to keep them and to alter them however they wished. Although my bridesmaid dresses were not hideous and maybe could have been worn at the right event. I knew there was no event I would ever be wearing them. I'm glad they got used again. :)

I also had to laugh at 27 dresses b/c when I was a bridesmaid I said the same thing... I'll just have it shortened and wear it!!! I wore it once afterwards on Halloween. It's been sent to GoodWill since then. haha

OMG, yes, I TOTALLY thought that my bridesmaids could wear their red, floor length with a kick train, corset-laced off the shoulder dresses again. WHAT THEY HECK WAS I THINKING?!

One of my friends got her girls some gorgeous little black dresses--just above the knee, black with black lace over it--I would TOTALLY wear that dress to a cocktail party. Made me feel so bad for choosing the dress I did for my girls.

I have 3 bridesmaids' dresses in my closet that will NEVER be worn again.

I told my bridesmaids to get hunter green and I didn't really care what style they chose. I wanted them to be comfortable. So they did. My sisters both picked the same style...I have never seen any of them in the dress again...our course one them was 7 months pregnant.

My old bridesmaid dresses...one of them has been used for a Halloween costume. If was this ugly grayish/silver and two piece...so the skirt was used to be a zombie bridesmaid, i chose a different top...it was fun!

I didn't, but mine did. I got married at 29 and didn't want my bridesmaids looking like they were going to a prom. I let them choose what they'd like and we found a great, just above the knee length dress at Nordstrom that worked for everyone. I saw pictures later of them wearing their dresses to other occasions, so I know they truly did get to use theirs again.

Bahaha! LOVE 27 dresses. Totally know what you are talking about, too. **snicker**
I actually told my bridesmaids "You will probably NEVER wear this again, so have fun, mess it up and make it look like you had the best night ever!"
I have totally worn two (and only 2) BM dresses again - One was a beachy style dress that was an off-white that I wore a few times on vacation years after the wedding.
The other was a black one that looked like a cocktail dress that has been a companion to a few holiday parties (I refuse to wear black to weddings unless forced to, BTW).
To note, though, both of these dresses are no longer in my closet. I sold them in a garage sale this spring - and people bought them - testament to their wearability after-the-fact.

I have never wore a bridesmaid dress again. I did have one that I could have wore if I wanted to though. Knee length, red, simple cocktail partyish. However, an occasion never arose that I needed it though.

The worst one I ever had was a sherbert orange and bubblegum pink atrocity. It looked like two Care Bears threw up on me. Awful.

The brides maids dresses I picked out where two piece, on of my bridesmaids did wear the top part out clubbing once or twice.

No.. No, No.. They all screamed Bridesmaid.

The other problem is that they are not "classic" also by the next year or 2 they are totally out of style..

If you are wearing a bridesmaids dress forever.. you need to have a really good friend tell you the truth.. Get rid of it..

I've worn one after, but it looked like a bridesmaids dress. Both my girls have worn their dresses again. They were very flattering.

I had a friend that would wear the ones that looked good again. She bragged about a black one and a blue one that she would wear to cocktail parties and such. She did say that some of the others she would never wear again. I believed she donated them.

Only one out of the 3 wedding I have been in, have I re-worn the dress.

I was an usherette. It was all black and the top was a halter style and bottom is all black and goes to the ground. I have wore it together many times for Halloween for various things. I have worn the skirt many times to other formal gatherings. I can only think of one or two time that I have wore the top.

For my first wedding I went to JC Penney's and picked out the dress. It was a very nice maroon semi formal dress. I know at least 2 have re-worn the dress ( actually its pretty funny imo that my cousin wore that dress to my second wedding, lol she was embarrassed when I pointed it out, she didn't even remember that was where she got it from... just the only dress she had that was nice in her closet that still fit lol)

For my second wedding, the wedding party was my SIL as my maid of honor, I let her pick any dress she wanted to wear. My bridesmaid was my 6 yr old niece, my flower girl was my 5yr old niece, I let them wear what ever they wanted. My husbands best man wore a suit jacket and jeans. Our grooms men was my 6yr old son and the ring bearer was my 5yr old son. My 9yr old walked me down the isle ( or really the dirt trail). We had our wedding outside on an over look of the Mississippi River. It was very low key! So I know for a fact they all re-wore their dresses :)

The best ( imo) re worn dress was after my divorce was done our small town bar always does a "prom" ( where you wear the ugliest, goofy, majorly outdated dresses/ suits... think 70's and 80's style). I showed up with my best friend ( who my ex hated) wearing my wedding dress and did my hair just like I did when I got married :D B!tchy... yes, but the look on my ex's face was priceless! It was my little pay back to him... since he was there after all with his wife who got married 60 days ( the legal wait until you can remarry after a divorce) after our divorce was final.

Yes I did chose bridesmades dresses that could be worn again. They were black strapless long dresses with the slit in the back. Both my sisters had them shortened..One wore hers to homecoming with lots of bling and my other sister wore hers on a cruise. I do have to pat myself on the back...I did a great job :)

My bridesmaids have worn their dresses again. But then again, I was crafty in how I chose them. One of the girls had bought the dress to wear as a guest to another wedding. I loved it on her and thought it would do the rest right. I sourced it and bought 5 more. It wasn't a conventional bridesmaid dress though. It was a donna ricco design (she did the black and white dress that M. Obama wore when she appeared on "the View). Cowl necked, short sleeved, silk jaccard with a leopard pattern, in a deep raspberry color. Hits at the knee.

I understand that the girls have worn them to showers, communions and other daytime events.

I have been in 5 weddings that I can think of and I have NEVER worn one of those damn dresses again!

I have a bridesmaid's dress from my sister's wedding that my teens have worn to a formal dance, and my oldest wore her bridesmaid's dress from my wedding to the same formal dance, and it will be worn again to the same dance (a few years later) by my youngest girl. Yes, we re wear the dresses many times!

One of my friend's aunt made us lavender dresses for her wedding, tea length. I ended up wearing mine again for my own vow validation at church. (We got married in Vegas and later had our marriage blessed in the church.) I still have my other bridesmaids' dresses, which are super cute, but I never really need to dress up like that. But they'd be good for a formal occasion.

Yes, my cousin wore her bridesmaid dress several times. She said it was the best dress of all the weddings she had been in and got "good mileage" out of it.

The dress was a deep blue velvet that was floor length. In fact there was a cut out in the breast area and the bridal shop covered up the opening with fabric from the dress so that there was a rhinestone circle only. The extra fabric came from hemming the dress.

It is possible but not probable.

The other S.

PS I had a winter or late fall wedding (November).

No and No!

(I've been a bridesmaid once and a MOH 2 times.)

Now MY MOH may have worn hers--informal Vegas wedding and she chose a cocktail dress of her choice for the occasion.

I could have worn my sisters again, but I was young and never went anywhere fancy. My bridesmaid dress were a regular dress from Maurices. So they could have worn them to work.

I have several that I have worn again... very considerate friends and sister! I let my bridesmaids pick out their own dresses for our wedding. I chose the color and they selected the style they liked the most. Very pretty summery shade of sage green. My sisters have both worn them again.

I have two that I have donated b/c they were great "High School Homecoming" dresses (short with a sash), but not really appropriate for an adult cocktail party.

I actually re worked my sister's dress ... I was the MOH for her wedding my Senior year, I was able to rework the dress a touch (good seamstress for some alterations) and wore it for a Winter Formal dress or was it Military Ball? I am not sure exactly what occasion (I had TONS in highschool) but I have reworked a dress. In fact, to lengthen mine (even though we bought the tall version) we bought a second dress to "double up" the waist detail and she wore the shortened version in a tea length for the formal dinner on her honeymoon cruise. It was a simple wine colored empire waist with a lace detailing - quite elegant, very pretty and the seamstress made coordinating sheer shalls to go with. I am planning my wedding and many of the dresses that have caught my eye have actually been coctail dresses in stores, not traditional bridesmaids dresses. One of my friend's weddings was just a few people standing up so she said go together, buy simple black dresses that look nice together - and look nice on you but they do not have to match. For the most part they will never be reworn but sometimes you can find a winner!

I've worn 2 bridesmaid's dresses again. The first I had trimmed to above the knee for a cocktail dress. It worked, and I didn't feel weird because it was simple, and a classic tank style cut.

The other was a 2 piece black strapless top, with a long black skirt. I wore it to a "black tie" function, and while I fit in, I still thought the whole time, that I was wearing a bridesmaid dress and that people probably knew that. I think it was just me being self conscious, because a friend of mine (girl) thought it was a new dress for the occasion. Anyway, I never wore that one again. ha ha.

Now I have both of those dresses in my little girl's "dress-up" wardrobe in her playroom. It cracks me up to see her and her friends throw those on for fun. :)

Yes, yes I have.....

I was in my first wedding at 18. My BFF was 18 also and she was marrying a guy 16, well, maybe 17 but I know his parents had to sign. Their first child was born on the date of their first anniversary. They had 5 children.

The guys wore top hats, their tuxedos had tail (The groom wore a morning coat instead), and and they carried canes. The girls wore a ring of babies breath in their hair, carried parasols, and their flowers were attached to a pretty fan.

My dress had an empire waist, some pin tucks on the bodice, long mutton sleeves where the cuffs buttoned about half way up. I wore this dress multiple times for pioneer days, old fashioned days, back then we could wear long dresses to church and not look out of place too. My dress was cream color. I was one of about 7-9 bridesmaids. She is one of 12 kids and she had 6 sisters and 5 brothers. The groom was one of 2 or 3, it has been so many years. But with siblings and other close relatives it was a huge wedding.

As for getting married so young, she is the friend who's son fell off the top bunk and died when he was in elementary school. They have had some tough times in their long marriage but they are still married nearly 40 years later and life is good to them now.
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When I got married the first time my dresses were of a floral polyester fabric. They were the colors of the rainbow, each lady was able to choose the color she wanted. They had a gathered empire waist and the bottom had a nice big ruffle all the way around. It was the days of Gunny Sax, if you remember those styles.....My bridesmaids wore them to church afterwards, dinners, dates, all sorts of things.

My 2nd wedding the dresses were peach lace over peach taffeta. They had a basque waistline and a deep V neck. Basque means the bodice was tight fitting and the waistline extended below the natural waistline. The front of the waist went to a point just below. Like corsets today. They could be called basque waists.

The sleeves were just a short, at the elbow bend, sleeve. They were just below the knee. No ruffles, no frills, etc...

I don't think they got worn much afterwards. My daughter wore hers a few times to school parties though.

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Pictures of gunny sax styled dresses:

http://www.google.com/search?q=gunne+sax+clothes&hl=e...

I eloped, but my cousin's bride had all her bridesmaids wear their favorite (modest) little black dress. No one had to spend any money on the dresses, everyone looked confident and amazing, and they wore the dresses many times over.

So funny. My friend said my bridesmaid dress needed to be floor-length and canary yellow, but that I could pick it so that "I could wear it again"- with those specs how would that be possible? I'm a bridesmaid for the 2nd time coming up and was able to select a pretty cute cut (knee length this time)- "so you can wear it again". But then she informed us of her color choice, and it's basically magenta. Not going anywhere in that color.

I let my bridesmaids pick any sleeveless short black dress they wanted and KNEW they could wear again, and then they wore custom made feather earrings and matching Haiviana flip-flops . I've seen them all wear the whole ensemble out a few times! And my husbands groomsmen had awesome Black Tommy Bahama shirts and black pants, and I've seen that those guys wore those outfits to othe events too. I loved it, and they all loved it. :)

Never wore one of my bridesmaid dresses again. I let my maid of honor pick the dress and I picked the color...but even so...I don't think any of those dresses ever saw the light of day after my wedding.

I let my bridesmaids wear what they wanted. It was any color blue, so they pretty much wore what they already had. One wore a cute light blue mini dress with a black cardigan, the other wore a navy blue skirt with a cute white blouse, and the other wore a blue top and a blue-sih floral skirt. Everyone looked pretty, matched pretty well and it was so easy to put together. Noone had to go out of their way to stress on finding something to wear.

As for me, I never wore my bridesmaid dress again, but I did pass it on to someone who wore it to a prom.

HAHAHA! Very funny, and yes, I would agree overall. I did a quick Vegas wedding... no bridesmaids, etc, BUT, I am going to be in a wedding this summer, and my friend, who is getting married for the 1st time at 40... has been in many weddings! So, her bridesmaids are wearing different styles and colored dresses. All of the dresses are knee length or just above with about 5 different styles and colors to choose from so each person can find the most flattering fit and color. I love the dress I picked and really think it is a dress I can easily wear to another wedding... I have NEVER been able to re-wear a bridesmaid dress though!

I've never worn a bridesmaids dress again after the wedding. Really, how many formal occasions do you have to wear a long evening dress? I've never worn a long gown except as part of a bridal party (I am 44). I see that there are some weddings today where the bridal party dresses are cute, short, cocktail type dresses. Maybe those could be re-worn.
My mom (who married in 1952) actually had her wedding gown shortened and dyed black and wore it to a fancy occasion.

I have actually worn two of my three bridesmaids dresses again. One was a full length ballgown style that I paid nearly $300 for!! A few years after I was in that wedding, my husbands company had a fancy-schmancy formal Christmas party, and I was able to wear it then. The other one I have been able to wear again, is a knee length peacock blue number, less formal than the ballgown style. I had actually worn that one several times since the wedding, for occasions like weddings and funerals. The one I have never worn again was a powder blue, butt-ugly, home made dress. That one went straight to the back of the closet, and it has since been thrown away.

I have to add, that I chose dresses I thought were pretty, but didn't necessarily think could be worn again, for my own wedding. I had no false ideas of them being "practical for everyday use". I only had 2 bridesmaids, and one of my bridesmaids has worn hers again on 3 other occasions that I know of. I guess they were a little more practical than I thought! lol