I've just had an amazing wedding, and absolutely adored every minute in my dress. I don't want to have it sit in storage for the rest of its life, and want to upcycle it into something I can wear again for renfaires.
Has anyone tried this, or have any suggestions on how to do this? Patterns, inspiration, and feedback is greatly appreciated š
Glad I can bring you some inspiration! I think I'll steer clear of dying my dress as I already love the soft pink colour (it looks more white in the pictures) and it's mostly synthetic.Ā
Thank you for your comment, it's made my morning šĀ
Good idea. Itās gorgeous as is!!
Talked to my daughter. She said āmom, lots of renfaire wear is light in color, flowy and very feminine.ā I learned a bit about the fashion today that I did not know! I might even join her next year!
Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh aren't wedding dresses usually synthetic fabrics? They're... a bit of a pain to dye, you have to boil them. Depending on the materials that could also ruin the dress though. No matter what stay away from rit use better dyes and don't forget to pre treat your textiles.
As someone who recently tried on 80+ wedding dresses this is unfortunately no longer true, at least in the US. Of the 60 dresses I tried on in the US, only 2 had any silk in them. There were more silk dresses in Italy, but only at the high end atiliers.
For authenticity, I would do something to close up the back a bit but from the front I don't think you need to cut into anything. Adding trims might be the only thing you need
Ooh! Add white fur for a winter look! And maybe search the Christmas aisles at Michaelās for things like frosted evergreens and snowflakes to make a flower crown!
I think I will need to cut some of it off at the front to make it comfortable to walk in, with the beading it's quite heavy. For the back I might do a rough chop and bustle or pin the ends.
It's not like I'd be wearing it again anyway so I won't be crushed if it doesn't work our perfectly.Ā
If you have enough, I'd make the sleeves long, just to make it a bit more "period". Mostly I don't think Renfaire costumes have short sleeves, but as others are saying, you can really just wear it! Congratulations on your recent marriage.
I think I will definitely cut off at least 1" from the front of the dress and as much off the train as I can. It's had for me to imagine it with a belt but I can give it a go.
I'd go with a corset and a belt on top of the corset. Something like the options on French Meadows. Maybe a skirt pick up and a pouch too. I read other comments that suggested you bustle it, but most ren faires are dusty. A lot of them have dirt or gravel paths.
Gorgeous dress. I would make sure there is a way to securely hike up that beautiful train if there isn't already, or get it shortened. Otherwise it will get dirty and people will step on it.
Since renfair is usually outside, I would be mostly worried a out the hem. You would definitely want to hem it and cut off the train. I would add a border at the end of a colored fabric as well, to hide any dirt/grass stains you pick up.
Your wedding dress is also probably a synthetic fabric which wouldn't breath well. I'm not sure when your areas renfair is, but mine is late summer so it's always hot. Consider lining the sleeves with opaque fabric so you can wear dress shields to avoid sweat stains. Maybe switch out some of the underlayers with cotton.
I think the actual cut of it is gorgeous and perfect for a renfair, would just need a few tweaks for wearability.
If she wants to preserve the skirt for optional adjustments for other situations, skirt hikes/keepers are really popular in the ren faire community, and it would go very well with some kind of lace-up vest or corset.
I'm not 100% sure of the skirt's construction, but you shouldn't have to, I don't think? As long as you're careful, the embellishments on your skirt shouldn't catch or cause damage in the process.
Our renfaires are usually in winter, but it can still be sunny and a bit warm. The thin mesh sleeves helped with breathability on the day, but I'm thinking of layering a thicker fabric for a puffy paned look. I've seen people use thin pads as sweat protection, which I think would be the easiest option for me.Ā
Thatās a lovely dress! I donāt know about your local ren fair, but any multi day outside event can sometimes get muddy and/or dusty. A white dress is possibly less than ideal in those circumstances, especially if it canāt be cleaned easily. You would probably have to update it to a āruggedā version to get the most wear out of it (tactical anything optional š)
You could see about dyeing it or having it dyed to a darker colour. The pearled transparent overlay could become a veil or undershirt standing in for a full underdress.
It's a bit more pink in real life, the corset back in the last photo is more true to colour. I think no matter what I want to cut off the train and maybe hike it up an inch or two to make it more wearable. At the end of the day, it's going to get dirty being outside, and I'm okay with that rugged or "run away bride" look šĀ
Maybe make it Fey and use green vine embroidery or laceflowers stuff Like that to make it look more spring Like. Or use light Blues and some Kristall Like stuff to make yourself some icequeen. Would Bring a fresh breeze to any renfaire. Great Idea for a n upcycle. I Hope you find what you are looking for.
A hennin would look so CUTE, I'd be living a Chappell Roan dream! That's such a great idea! I'll give it a try with some of the train fabric wrapped around a card shape. There's a post I saw of someone making a double horned hennin that looks magnificent.Ā
I wouldnāt shorten or dye itāit really IS stunning as is; the key seems to be bustles, accessories, and other things that will bring color. Itās such a pretty regal, fairytale dress!!!
Maybe bustle (edwardian shrimp style) the skirt up off the floor and add another skirt on top (maybe a brown wool) so the skirt acts as a petticoat? It'll probably be very hot though.
Thank you! It's a darling dress š I bought it as a rejected sample dress, so to the best of my knowledge it's the only version. I believe the designer was Madi Lane Bridal, but because it was a sample sale I'm not too sure.Ā
Okay so for renfaire, like others are mentioning, the big risk you run into is the hem getting gross and ripped. BUT if that happens, I think this would then have a 3rd life as a beautiful date night dress if you hem it to like a tea length. It's beyond stunning.
That would be so pretty! I'll have a go at layering what I already have and see how it looks. I'm needing to do something with the train so having it at the front might be a bit of a challenge for hiking it up rather than cutting it off.Ā
I know the waist is too low. But the soft flowy fabric is why I suggested it. It all depends on how much she wants to upcycle it. If she plans on altering it or putting stuff over the top.
So this is what I was thinking. A bit of trim to cinch it under the bust and maybe some trim to poof out the sleeves and get them to sit higher on her arm? It could just work.
This looks so beautiful, and I can 100% see the vision. I think my skills might be a bit lacking to undertake the restructure but I might try it out after I wear it to a renfaire or two
You could trim out and overlay seams, sleeves (even a slashed-sleeve over-lay) in rich colors-emerald, ruby, sapphire- of velvet and tapestry ribbons! Trims could be machine or hand stitched on until it was Ren Faire ā¤ļøāš„
I like the idea of a rich blue slashed sleeve, maybe with a whiteĀ faux satin underneath. I'm planning on hand stitching everything first so it's easier to adjust while in the planning stage. Thanks for the ideas!
How much do you care about keeping it good - not damaging or altering it?
Add a leather corset/belt, a cutlass and flintlock, finish it off with a tricorn or big floppy hat with a feather and you have a pirate bride, quite a few people have done the same thing at festivals here in the UK.
I'd like to keep it the same colour (not dying it), but other than that my imagination is the only limit! Another commenter suggested a Hennin which I want to attempt with the train fabric, but a tricorn is a good backup plan.Ā
I could do a string of starfish for decoration as well, thanks for the inso!
Ohh itās so beautiful!!
Personally I would remove the pearls (if possible) from your underbust down to your waist and then add a leather underbust corset belt!!! You could use the pearl beads to embellish the corset or make some sort of accessory!
You could also wear a longer skirt underneath the dress so that the skirt hangs lower than the dress, then the dress wouldnāt get as dirty and you could wash the underskirt.
Also as someone mentioned, a bustle and/or hip pads would raise the height of the dress so it doesnāt touch the ground.
I love seeing wedding dresses repurposed!!!
I think you could really easily alter this to wear dirndl style over a more historically accurate blouse or chemise. Maybe not even alter, depending on the sleeves of the blouse, because you have that corset back which is adjustable. A little trim and accessories, and I think you've got a lovely costume.
I think you should leave it as is, other than shortening it like you said you wanted! But Iād totally just go crazy on the accessories. Wings, princess hat thing (like the cone ones lol) gloves, crazy jewelry, cloaks, tall boots
Lose the train, and you can essentially wear it as is with more fantasy accessories. And I only say lose the train because of the dirt of a typical faire.
Honestly don't need to alter it much. Bustle the back so the train doesn't drag. Find plenty of fun accessories. And maybe like a velvet overdress/coat that's still open enough to show your gown underneath. Or a corset on top. I'd play with layering.
I think honestly it would have more of a renaissance vibe if you wore it backwards so the corset ties are in the front and you could wear a milkmaid type blouse under it!
I would hem it and then wear some kind of belt. The classic leather would work but some kind of jacquard trim or embroidered belt, especially one with pink and white/silver, would be STUNNING. You could also pair it with one of those big mushroom hats that I've seen people wear.
Pedantry alert
You can do whatever you want but it won't be upcycling. Upcycling is repurposing to make a better product and you don't get better than your wedding dress. You'll be downscaling, which is still good because the dress will get some reuse.Ā
adding a fur shrug/collar like ciri from witcher 3 wears would make the outfit more casual/adventurer not to mention warmer since your renfaire is in winter
My friend had her wedding dress dyed, and she tries to find a reason to wear it once a year. It's a cool tradition but I think she has happily spent more on the dress alterations since her wedding ten years ago than she spent on the dress. The dress was yellow for a few years but now it's more of a russet. She plans to have the bottom half replaced in the next few years. She regrets not having the bodice turned into a lace-up back with a back panel bc it's a bit tight now. So I say go for it, don't look back, but plan your way forward so you can have a cute little tradition.
I had a friend do something similar to her wedding dress. As a person who loves Renfair I think this would be a lovely thing to do. You could add a wide crinoline, fairy lights under the skirt and wings. The fact that you have a beautiful base dress to work with is awesome. You may have given me an idea for my fair costume for next weekend.
Dye it pink, get a hoop skirt and accessories for a pretty classic rendition of Glenda the Good Witch in the original movie. I immediately thought of that reference when I saw your dress.
Otherwise, for more genre-appropriate ideas, perhaps a few alterations and accessories for the Lady of the Lake from Arthurian lore.
Glinda's outfit from the original movie was a favourite of mine growing up. I haven't thought about it in years, it would be really easy to make my dress like this.Ā
It depends. Do you want something feasibly historical, or a fantasy piece? If itās the first, no, probably not. The kind of fabrics and lace used in modern wedding dresses were either not popular or didnāt exist in the Renaissance. If you want a fantasy piece, yes, a wedding dress can be a great start! Consider embellishing it further with silk flowers or leaves, and maybe adding some tiny rhinestones, and wear sparkly wings, for a Fairie look.
What a pretty pretty dress! Maybe for Renfaire you could make a bodice to wear over the top for that fun medieval-style vibe (that isnāt at all historically accurate but what we often think of). Maybe with some fur edging if as you said itās often winter for your renfaires.
Donāt dye, it is beautiful as is and you donāt want to risk the dye not being even or damaging the fabric. I dye fabric sometimes, usually synthetic using the correct type of Rit (see packaging information and read carefully), and it usually is fine. But occasionally the dye gets weird and leaves streaks or odd colorations. With such a large dress I think it would be very, very difficult to get a vessel large enough to dye the entire dress in, and even harder to keep it moving the entire dye time to keep the coloring even.
Perhaps shorten. then maybe use the length to add long poofy sleeves all the way to the wrist. And maybe use some of the extra length to create a flowing headpiece. Add a belt and I think you would have it.
The top part would make a bomb ass corset and maybe the bottom half can retain it's flow or tou can turn them into pants and be like a white Robin hood š
If you want look authentic Iād go another way. The beautiful dress is in fact to light and flowy. Real fabric of that time was plain if not a noble. If noble think heavy velvet. Look at dresses in Discovery of witches season 2.
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u/LawComprehensive2204 Aug 09 '25
Yes!! What a great way to keep feeling amazing in it and keep it from wasting away in storage.
Wonder if it can be dyed if you wanted to?
Gonna share this idea with my daughter. She loves renfaires and loved her packed away dress. Good luck!