Tell Us How You Feel About: Renting Wedding Dresses

I love weddings. I love the idea of planning someone else’s wedding, I love the idea of planning my own, and I love to watch hours of Say Yes to the Dress and tell myself that I’m doing it ironically. I completely understand why someone would spend years searching for the perfect gown– I’ve made lists of pretty engagement rings that I love to gawk at, and marriage is a while off for me– but I also have to wonder if we’ve let our obsessions grow to an unhealthy point. For instance, when I told my friend that I’d just stumbled upon an online community of brides looking to trade and rent their gowns, I was surprised to see her turn up her nose. “You only get one wedding,” she said, shaking her head. “Why would you want to wear someone else’s sweat?”

(Related: Tell Us How You Feel About Wearing Tights Under Shorts)

I’ve been thinking about that quote for a while now, and it’s kind of sparked a little debate inside my own mind. The way I see it, renting a wedding dress would have its cons:

• You wouldn’t get to keep it forever, and you’d be throwing away any chance of a daughter or granddaughter or niece wearing it down the aisle.
• You might have to deal with damages or stains or other little reminders that someone else had their big day in your dress.
• You’d have to worry about damaging it on the dance floor or getting droplets of champagne on it, when that should be the last thing on your mind at your reception.

All of those points are valid. On the other hand, though, renting a dress could potentially be a really awesome idea. For instance:

• You would get to spend the money you saved on the dress on extra honeymoon desserts and drinks.
• You would get the chance to wear a more expensive dress than you could afford in real life. (Me and Elie Saab can finally begin that love affair!)
• You’d save the space in your closet where a giant gown would probably live, untouched and unloved, for all of eternity.

This is a real dilemma, you guys. A very real, very important, very pressing dilemma. How do you feel about renting wedding dresses? Have you done it yourself? Do you think it’s tacky? A brilliant idea? Is it okay for someone else but not right for you? Is it exactly what you plan on doing? Leave us a comment and maybe we can solve this mystery together!

We’ve always been able to count on our readers to bring awesome insight to the comments section, so we’re giving you guys a chance every Thursday to tell us how you feel about new trends! Click here to see the Tell Us How You Feel About archives.

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