Second-Hand Wedding Dresses: Sad Or Savvy?
By Denise Ngo. Posted on .
Maybe it's because we're just barely out of a recession, or that vintage clothing is "in," but the idea of wearing a second-hand wedding dress doesn't sound as crazy as it once did. When it comes the environment, consumerism and our checkbooks—we're all a bit more averse to excess these days.
Recycled Bride, a popular online marketplace for used wedding attire and paraphernalia, lets vendors sell everything from jewelry, veils, and table decor in addition to gowns. The website isn't some half-baked eBay knockoff, either. It's a business that attracts more than 100,000 women a month. Finding The Perfect Wedding Dress
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Last summer, founder and CEO Tracy DiNunzio spoke to Fox News about the upside of buying or selling a used wedding dress. 5 Things To Know Before You Plan A Wedding
For one thing, the dresses aren't like what you'd find in a neighborhood thrift store. Over 50 percent of the gowns listed online have never been worn, having come from "two dress brides" who end up wearing a different dress than the one they had originally purchased. Secondly, after all the anticipation, money and time spent on a wedding dress, it's a little unfortunate that many of them are relegated to back of an attic. Thirdly, her service saves you money, as it offers discounted prices on designers as high-end as Vera Wang. Plus, on Recycled Bride, there are no commissions or listing fees, as they exist on other auction-based sites. The 9 Worst Retail Chains For A Wedding
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Actress Alicia Silverstone also lauded Recycled Bride, noting its eco-friendly appeal. Typically, a wedding dress enters an intense process of chemical dyeing, manufacture and transport before ending up at your local boutique. The rising popularity of second-hand wedding dresses could help reduce the carbon footprint for brides.
If anything, the numbers agree that brides-to-be are catching on the appeal used dresses. In its SmartMoney colum, the Wall Street Journal reported that sales at PreOwnedWeddingDresses.com jumped 169 percent in 2009. These websites are easy to navigate, provide helpful pictures, and allow you to search by price or location.
