How to Sell Your Wedding Dress: Everything You Need to Know
Are you ready to kiss goodbye to your wedding dress and send it to a better home? Here’s everything you need to know about how to sell your wedding dress
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Of course, you don’t have to sell your wedding dress. There’s a whole host of things you can do with it after the big day, including preserving it, framing it, donating it to charity or customising it into a whole new outfit.
That said, a lot of nearlyweds opt to sell their wedding dress, and we’re always getting asked how and where you can do this. It can be beneficial in many ways, not least because it recoups some of your wedding costs. It can also be lovely to see your dress go to a new home, knowing it will get another moment in the aisle spotlight!
If you’re planning to part with your dress after your big day, we're sharing all you need to know in this ultimate guide to selling your wedding dress.
- Expert Advice on How to Sell Your Wedding Dress
- Top Wedding Dress Selling Tips
- Where to Sell Your Wedding Dress in London
- Shops That Buy Second Hand Wedding Dresses in the UK
Should You Sell Your Wedding Dress?
Selling your wedding dress is a great idea, particularly if you bought one that was slightly over your budget. It allows you to make at least some of the money back.
It is also a great way to give to others – someone in a tough financial situation who can’t fit a brand-new dress into their wedding budget would love to have your second-hand gown.
Other pros of selling your wedding dress include the fact it frees up valuable space in your wardrobe and that it’s sustainable and eco-friendly to pass it on.
Despite this, selling your wedding dress is a personal decision that no one but you can make. Some brides want to keep their dress to pass down through the generations, and others want to keep it to try on again on special occasions like their anniversary.
Expert Advice on How to Sell Your Wedding Gown
As such, her boutique is a haven for pre-loved designer wedding dresses sourced from across the UK and makes shopping for a second-hand dress just as special as buying a new one.
Do many people buy second-hand wedding dresses in the UK, and is this approach on the rise?
"We've been trading for 15 years, and during that time, we've seen a massive change in bride’s attitudes regarding purchasing a second-hand wedding dress," says Sarah. "In earlier years, brides would ask us not to feature them on our social media platforms to hide the fact that they had bought a second-hand gown; today, they are upset if we don’t feature them! Buying second-hand is now something to boast about!"
How should a nearlywed go about pricing their wedding dress when selling?
"Choosing a price for your dress is simple with a little bit of research. You will need to consider the age of your dress and whether the design is still current or on-trend, but usually, once-worn dresses sell for between 30% and 50% of their new price."
What sort of return can a nearlywed make on their wedding dress?
"There are two options when selling your dress. You can choose to sell her online with a website like stillwhite.com and deal with the buyer yourself, or you can choose to find a store that will sell her for you, like us! Your decision on which option to take will be based largely on the amount of time you have to sell your dress and how much return you wish to achieve."
Are there any selling fees/costs to take into account?
"If you decide to sell your dress online, it can cost around £17 to list her, whereas if you send her to a wedding dress agency, they will take a commission, and you should expect to receive between 50-60% of the selling price."
How long can it take to sell a wedding dress?
"Depending on the style of your dress, the route you have taken to sell it, and the pricing you have chosen, it can sell instantly or take a few months until the right bride finds it. We find that if the dress is a petite size, this narrows the market slightly more than if she is a standard UK12/14 with an unaltered hemline appealing to brides of all heights."
What should a nearlywed do if they're struggling to sell their wedding dress?
"If you find that after some time, your dress remains unsold, then reconsider the selling price or even the avenue you have chosen to sell her."
What are the main plus points of selling a wedding dress through a third party like Brides Dress Revisited?
"Selling via a third party means, like our boutique, means all you need do is contact us with details of your dress, and we will do the rest. We will advise on the appropriate price, market your gown, and send you the money (minus commission) once sold.
"Given that second-hand bridal shops work on a commission basis, you can guarantee that they will always try to sell your dress for the best price and, with a team of experienced bridal stylists, the chance of selling your gown is higher in-store than from a photo online. Finally, check to see if the store has a no-sale, no-fee policy so that you won’t be out of pocket if for any reason she doesn’t sell."
8 Top Tips for Selling Your Wedding Dress
1. Timing is Everything
The sooner you advertise your wedding dress “for sale,” the higher your chance of selling it, as Sarah agrees: "Don’t delay! Brides want to buy the latest designs, so my top piece of advice would be to sell it shortly after your wedding day while your gown is still on-trend."
If you sell your dress within three years of buying it, you’ll catch all the nearlyweds who are on the hunt for your specific design. After that, you’ll only be able to target buyers who aren’t so fussed about the specific dress style or designer they wear for their "I dos".
If you’ve got a vintage wedding dress, you’re under a bit less time pressure. Vintage wedding dresses won’t date as quickly, but it might be worth noting which eras are on-trend and, therefore, which dresses are likely to sell more.
2. Sell it for the Right Price
It can be hard to know how much to sell your wedding dress for, but here at Hitched, we’d recommend you follow these rough guidelines…
- If your dress is less than three years old and has been worn once, charge 50% of the RRP.
- If your dress is less than three years old but has not been worn, charge 75% of the RRP.
- If your dress is older than three years old, you’ll want to drop a further 10-20% off those recommended percentages.
If your dress is vintage, in theory, you should be able to sell it on for the price you paid for it, providing it's still in excellent condition. That said, if you choose to sell your wedding dress on eBay or similar, you might want to reduce the price to attract your buyers.
3. Maximise Its Value by Having It Professionally Cleaned
Your dress is more likely to sell if you’ve had it professionally dry-cleaned before you try and sell it. That way, its new owner has one less thing to worry about.
Take a look at our top tips for preserving your wedding dress to find out how to get it dry-cleaned in the right way.
4. Take Nice Photographs
If you want to sell your wedding dress to a good home, you’ve at least got to make sure it looks nice in the photographs.
Take time photographing your wedding dress. You don’t need to use a proper camera if you don’t have one – a smartphone will do – but make sure you shoot the photographs in natural light and against a fuss-free background.
Include at least one full-length photo and any close-up photos of the dress details, such as beading, sequins, bows, appliques and lace. Oh, and photos where a 'model' is wearing the dress tend to do better than photos where the dress is simply hung up. It’s always useful for a buyer to be able to see the dress on someone else!
With this in mind, it might be a good idea to recruit a friend to take photos of you in your wedding dress or model the wedding dress for you if you’d prefer to be behind the camera. You could even use your professional wedding day photographs (as long as your photographer allows it).
If the platform you are selling your dress via allows it, consider including a video showing the movement and fit of the gown and close-ups of the dress details.
5. Give a Detailed Description
Make sure the description which accompanies the photos of your wedding dress is as detailed and thorough as possible.
Give the correct measurements (and as many as possible – more on that later), and make sure you name the designer, the dress number or style, the fabrics and describe any details. You will also want to mention how many times your wedding dress has been worn, dry cleaning instructions (even if it has already been dry cleaned), and whether there are any marks or stains on it.
6. Be Honest About Any Marks, Stains or Rips
Giving a detailed description ties in with the next point: you’ve got to be honest with your listing if you want to avoid any issues with the transaction.
If there are any stains, rips, or marks, it’s best to be honest from the beginning and include photos of any signs of wear or damage to the dress. Dry cleaning doesn’t always remove every mark. But don’t worry - small stains and marks aren’t as likely to affect your selling prospects as you might think.
7. Have a Fair Returns Policy
Be considerate of the fact that wedding dresses are a large purchase, and think about the returns policy you’d be drawn to if you were buying a second-hand dress.
You’d probably want to be able to try the dress on at home and send it back if it wasn’t quite right, so mention that you’re happy for other nearlyweds to do the same in the listing. It’s likely to mean your dress will attract more attention, even if it does take a little longer to sell properly.
8. Share, Share, Share!
Last but not least, once your listing is live, you’ve got to share the hell out of it. Post it to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and ask your friends and family to do the same.
Use hashtags on Instagram like #weddingdressforsale, #weddingdressinspo, #secondhandbridal, and #weddingdresssale and post the listing in any relevant Facebook groups. After all, the more people who know about it, the more likely your dress is to sell.
How Do You Measure a Wedding Dress to Sell?
If you’re hoping to sell your wedding dress, and particularly if you’re selling it online, you’ll need to know its measurements. You might already have these from when you originally bought it, but if you don’t, you’ll have to measure it yourself.
It’s a good idea to include the following four measurements: shoulder to hem, bust, waist and hem.
- For the shoulder-to-hem measurement, measure from the top of the shoulder down vertically to the bottom hem.
- For the bust, place the tape measure around the fullest point of the chest rather than under the bust.
- For your waist, measure side seam to side seam at about seven inches down from your armpits, then double that measurement.
- For the hem measurement, it’s best to lay the dress flat. As you are measuring the circumference of the bottom hem, you’ll want to measure along the bottom hem from side seam to side seam, and then double. If the hem is asymmetrical, you’re best measuring the entire bottom hem and not doubling.#
Our guide to how to measure yourself for a wedding dress can help.
Where Can I Sell My Wedding Dress?
So, now you're armed with all the info, tips and tricks to sell your bridal gown, the only question that remains is where to actually sell it. There are multiple options to consider, whether selling your wedding dress locally yourself by posting on social media or selling it to a shop nearby that buys second-hand wedding dresses.
There's also the option to sell it online via a dedicated pre-loved wedding dress website or on a marketplace site.
Selling Your Wedding Dress Online
If you want to sell your dress, then online marketplaces are a great place to start and help make the process pretty straightforward. Thanks to the power of the internet, it has never been easier to turn your beautiful wedding dress back into cash… and you can also sell used bridesmaid dresses and bridal accessories on many of these sites too.
Still White
Still White is a commission-free site that allows you to sell your wedding dress online. It’s actually the UK’s largest website of its kind and gets bonus points for being oh-so-easy to navigate.
It costs £17 to list your dress as a standard listing and £27 if you opt for premium. With premium, you get to upload eight photos and one video, as well as having your dress featured on the homepage.
Nearly Newly Wed
Nearly Newly Wed is another great place to sell your wedding dress. There is a $25 listing fee per wedding dress and $5 per accessory or bridal party dress. They also keep a nominal 20% commission to cover shipping, logistics, payment processing fees, and sale support, but the fact that they do literally everything for you makes it kind of worth it. Who needs extra stress after all that wedding planning, anyway?
Poshmark
Poshmark is great because you can list your wedding dress and buy and sell other pieces of designer clothing and accessories. This is ideal if you’re hoping to sell your wedding shoes and accessories, too.
The site is easy to use and charges 20% commission. Plus points for the fact they have no listing fees.
eBay
eBay might be a bit of a minefield with new items being added every minute, but it’s always worth mentioning.
It’s a great place to buy and sell wedding dresses, accessories and bridesmaid dresses, because it is so well known. That could mean higher visibility for your item. Plus, as of April 2024, eBay has removed fees for private sellers selling preloved clothes, though you might still have to pay a listing fee if you chose a listing upgrade, such as adding a reserve price on your item.
The online marketplace said preloved clothing included items worn once, many times and even brand new items with tags. Seller fees will remain for categories such as handbags and jewellery.
Depop
Depop is great because it’s solely dedicated to the buying and selling of clothes, which likely means more second-hand-wedding-dress-hunter-eyes on your item.
If you’re already an avid Depop user, listing your wedding dress on this site could be really beneficial.
Vinted
Vinted has fast become one of the most popular marketplace sites, favoured as a fee-free platform that's easy to use.
If you're fortunate enough to find a seller, why not keep your wedding dress funds in your Vinted account so you can use them to pay for future clothing purchases without having to dip into your personal bank account?
Bride2Bride
A popular online platform for both buying and selling second hand wedding dresses in the UK, Bride2Bride is certainly an option worth exploring.
There's a low, one-off payment starting at £14 to list your dress, then nothing else to pay - no commission and no ongoing fees.
Second Hand Bridal Boutiques
If you want your wedding dress to be sold in person rather than online, you'll want to look for shops that sell pre-loved bridalwear. If they already routinely stock second-hand wedding dresses, there's a chance they’ll want to buy yours!
If this is your chosen method, you’ll need to remember that every boutique operates in a different way. Some shops will buy and take the dress from you on the day you bring it in. Others will offer to sell your dress on your behalf and take a percentage of the profit, and others operate on a dress-by-dress basis.
They will also likely have stipulations on the type of preloved wedding dresses they sell, such as gowns that are less than two or three years old, that have been professionally dry-cleaned and with minimal alterations/signs of wear.
Our advice is to find shops that buy second hand wedding dresses in your part of the UK and look over their preloved dress-selling conditions before making direct contact with them.
Second Hand Bridal Shops London
Wondering where you can sell your wedding dress locally? If you live in the capital, these are some of our favourite second-hand bridal boutiques in London:
- Bridal Reloved – Wanstead
- Le Dressing Club - Earl's Court
- The Loop - Southwark
- Dream Second Hand Wedding Dress - Ealing
Preloved Bridal Shops in Rest of the UK
If you're located elsewhere, here are some lovely shops that buy second hand wedding dresses across the rest of the UK:
- Your Little Secret – Hampshire
- The Little Bridal Boutique – Oxfordshire
- Bridal Reloved - various UK locations
- Bride Dress Revisited - Kent
- The Little Pearl - North Yorkshire
- Adella Bridal - Norwich
- Bliss Studio - Edinburgh
- The Suffolk Wedding Dress Exchange - Suffolk
- Loft Bridal - Northern Ireland
Remember, deciding what to do with your wedding dress is only one of the things you need to do after the big day. Take a look at our post-wedding to-do list to remind yourself of the others.
