If you’re someone who has chosen to wear a wedding dress to get married, know that the life of your dress doesn’t have to end when the party is over. Donating your dress is a great way to let your love keep shining and for your marriage to help make the world a better place.
Donating your wedding dress will not only make a difference in another person’s life; it is also a potential tax deduction, and according to Zola, it helps reduce pollution from new materials.
There are tons of organizations seeking to reuse, resell, or repurpose wedding dresses in a way that benefits those in need. Here are four:
The Brides Project
Based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the Brides Project sells donated wedding gowns to raise money for free programming for families effected by cancer. The money specifically benefits the Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor.
Founded in 2011, the Brides Project was inspired by a Canadian organization of the same name. Those who have dresses to donate in Canada can find more information here. The Brides Project accepts any gowns designed within the last five years.
Adorned in Grace
For over ten years, Adorned in Grace has sold used gowns in Washington and Oregon while working with Churches in the fight to prevent sex trafficking. Its three dress shops support its youth mentoring program, outreach events, and more. The organization even helps provide professional counseling for survivors of human trafficking.
NICU Helping Hands Angel Gown Program
Texas-based NICU Helping Hands provides support services to families with babies in the NICU. The organization’s Angel Gown program launched in 2013 to give families who have suffered the tragic loss of their infant custom made gowns for final photos and burial services. There is currently a waitlist to donate wedding dresses to the program, but for now, it is actively seeking monetary donations to help pay for shipping of the custom gowns to families.
Brides For a Cause
With shops in Tacoma, Seattle, Sacramento, and Portland, Oregon, Brides for a Cause resells wedding dresses and donates proceeds to a variety of charities. It has donated over $1, 200,000 since 2012. Most of the organizations to which they donate focus on helping women. 2020 beneficiaries included Young Women Empowered, Girls Who Code, and Every Mother Counts.
Molly Sprayregen
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