Is it weird to reuse a dress if I've never been married?

This is really going to come down to personal preference. From a practicality standpoint, it totally makes sense to reuse. And, no, I don't think it's "weird", it's not like your guests will know. I think it just depends how you feel when you wear it, does it make you think of the other wedding at all? If even a little, I wouldn't do it. If you're totally disconnected from the other wedding/dress attachment then go for it! You're only going to wear it once anyway.

I haven't dealt with this personally, but I do have some feedback on how I would handle the situation!

If I look at the dress, and all I can think about is the old relationship and broken engagement/wedding that it was intended for AND those thoughts made me upset, then I would sell the dress and use what money I got from it towards a new one for the new marriage.

If the dress doesn't deeply connect me to the past, and I don't feel emotionally hurt by looking at it and being reminded of what it was intended for, then I would keep it. Save my money and keep it.

It also depends on whether you bought it because YOU fell in love with it, or if you bought it because you thought your previous spouse would love it on you. Also, it depends on whether you're still in love with the dress or not when you put it on. The dress can have new meaning, and can be a symbol of second chances and a new start that resulted from something negative. If you have negative thoughts towards it, but don't want to lose/waste money, then you could look at it from that point of view. Try and make something the represents a negative part of your life, become the symbol of a fresh start and happy future!

This is definitely a tough decision and will really come down to being honest about how you feel. If you look at that dress and see your ex partner, broken relationship, pain, etc. AT ALL, then I would personally get a new dress. There are lots of sites where you can resell wedding dresses, like stillwhite for example, so you could make some money back to put towards a new dress!

Personally, if it were a dress I really liked and if I did not associate the dress with my ex-fiance, I would wear it! The only time I wouldn't is if I thought of my ex every time I saw the dress. I don't think it'd be weird to wear that dress otherwise, but it's totally personal preference.

I would get a new dress. That dress was bought with the intentions of marrying someone completely different. Also, styles have changed so much, I would want to look at what else is out there before settling for an older dress.

I mean if you love the dress and still do. Use it. My friend was previously engaged and kept hers. I dont think its an issue unless it was a rough break up and you have a huge attachment to it. I think women buy a dress because they look great in it not because the man picked it out.

View Quoted Comment I agreewith this. I would most likely reuse it.

I think I’d probably sell it and put that money to a new dress. Different relationship/wedding, different dress.😁

The you you were then, bought it for you to wear, not for the guy. Now you need it, wear it.

From what I've seen, when you resell (if online), you don't get back what you paid for it and the platform takes a percentage. I would honestly just keep the dress. I think what helps is that your fiance has the same mindset as you about saving money and you don't have previous wedding photos in the dress.

If the dress doesn’t make you think about the past, and you still love it, why not. It is a dress of your choice, and I assume you paid it yourself. Then I would wear it. The past is the past, and no one has to know when you bought the dress.

If you still love the dress then wear it. Even new with tags you won't get more than half price if it sells, and a new dress will be very expensive.

Wow..crazy how some people pick dresses/clothes out.... i custom made my wedding dress cuz it screamed "me" doesn't matter who the man is, this is my dress, i paid $687 for it and i am not wasting money on another dress. period. you should be buying clothes cuz YOU love it, and YOU feel amazing in it, not for the venue, or the person, or even your friends/family members, but for you alone.

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It's your (collectively your, as in you and your fiance's) wedding, and if neither of you have a problem with it, then I would say its totally okay to use the dress if you want to. However if it makes either of you feel even the slightest bit weird or uncomfortable, then I think its worth getting a new dress.

I would also encourage you to get a new dress if it makes you think about the past or you just don't love it as much anymore. Your style and preferences may have changed and you should feel amazing on your wedding day. Don't hold onto a dress you have because it is already paid for if it isn't you anymore.

If you do decide to sell it, you will not recoup what you paid for it, but that doesn't mean you couldn't find another dress for less than the price you originally paid.

For me personally I wouldn't wear it because I feel like it would make me think about my past relationship and I wouldn't want to bring that "baggage" per say to my new relationship.


But that's just my personal opinion. If you as well as your fiancé aren't concerned by it then go for it. You could also add other details (a belt, have it altered adding/removing things etc) so that it becomes a complete different dress!

I agree with the previous people- if you love your dress & it doesn’t bring up the ex than why not?

It would be weird if you had actually gotten married in it, got divorced, and now wanted to wear it again. But, you called off the wedding. If you love it, and FH doesn't care one way or the other, I say wear it! I'm always up for a way to save money. Win win!

I went through this EXACT thing. I ended up consigning my first dress. The sentimental part of me won out. I also spoke with my (now) husband, and he said he didn't care, he'd support my choice. I spoke with my parents and (very frugal/financially savvy) bridesmaid and they ALL said to get a different dress! I was so happy I did it. And, oddly, my husband had no recollection of our first conversation, said he would have felt kinda weird about it in retrospect (I don't think he was expecting the wedding experience to be so emotional on his end) and has an emotional attachment to the dress I did buy and wear. You don't want that nagging in the back of your head during wedding planning or on the day. I think if you can afford a new dress, you should go for it!

I would wear it but I am very practical that way, lol. Do you what feels right to you.

Honestly I went through a divorce. And I’m now in a very happy relationship of over a year and we talk about getting married all the time. And I loved my dress so much that I would re-wear it. (ofcourse I asked him how he felt about it first) i bought the dress for me. I bought the dress to make me feel beautiful and that’s how I feel in that dress. And I have no connections to the dress based on my previous relationship. I honestly just love how I look in it and how I feel in it and that’s what should matter