Your guide to buying a pre-loved wedding dress

The pros of a pre-loved dress

Sustainability

“Obviously, sustainability is a huge benefit,” explained Isabel. “I feel like we can’t be living the way we used to where we’re only wearing something once anymore. It just does not make sense, especially with the kind of fabrications that go into wedding dresses that can be damaging to the environment with different washes, the sheer amount of fabric used, etc. I’m not saying you have to shop everything sustainable, but when you get the wear out of something I feel it’s so worthwhile.”

Isabel applies this sustainable approach to both ReBride and her wedding styling gig, which often overlap with customers wanting to avail of both services. “I used to work in buying and I definitely saw a huge amount of wastage. So it’s been amazing to have that fashion perspective and do what I do today, where I’m encouraging people to make really clever wardrobe choices. I do a lot of like bridal styling. So if it’s for someone’s wedding week, I’ll know their dress size and I can suggest a pre-loved option. So it’s been wonderful to be able to marry up the two of my passions. They go really well, hand-to-hand.” 

Savings

Another benefit, Isabel said, is being able to save money in comparison to buying a brand new dress. “Everyone knows weddings are so expensive. No matter how you try to do them, you’re never going to get money back on bigger things like the flowers or the band, so it’s nice to make a bit back on the dress.”

“When you see the price tag for a lot of wedding dresses, it’s a bit heartbreaking and one of the main questions you get asked when you first get engaged is ‘what kind of dress do you go for?’ So, you can use our services to start your search. A few of my friends have gotten engaged in the last year or so, and they’ve just started by looking on ReBride to get an idea of what designers and styles are out there.”

ReBride’s selection features an array of stunning designers, making them the perfect stop for inspiration. “I spend a lot of time looking at wedding dresses, so when I’m really wowed by one it means a lot, I feel, because I spend all day uploading them. I use my Instagram and TikTok as an inspirational hub so brides can see what styles and shapes they like. You don’t obviously have to shop pre-loved but I think when you see the dress you might like is available in your size it’s very tempting.”

Storage

“Another benefit would be storing your dress. You have to have a large amount of storage to to hold such a big piece in your house, so I feel that’s quite a selling point. A lot of people message me saying ‘I don’t really want to part with my dress but I have nowhere to put it’.”

(As someone with a princess-style wedding dress with two skirt attachments and a million layers of tulle, I can personally attest to this one!)

Last-minute option

“The beauty of ReBride is you don’t have to be quite as organised as when you’re getting a dress made or ordering one in. The lead time to get fabric or something for new dresses can be up to a year. A lot of people who are having more last minute or casual weddings have been able to get a dress from the occasionwear section or a wedding dress that’s suitable because they’re doing something a bit quicker and they don’t have time to be going around trying on loads of dresses.”

So in terms of timelines, Isabel recommends getting a pre-loved dress six months before the big day. This is about half the time you’d normally need for a new dress and still allows time for alterations just to make sure it’s perfect for your body.

“We’ve also had situations where people have had something happen to their bridesmaid dresses,” Isabel added, “and they need to get a whole new set of dresses a few nights before and had success on ReBride. So it’s a great emergency option too.”

Sharing the joy

Finally, there’s nothing better than getting to pass your dream wedding dress onto someone else, and seeing how happy it makes them. “It’s giving that joy to someone – when most customers ask me to take their dress down when it’s sold they say ‘I’m so happy that it’s made someone else this happy’. That dress might have been out of someone’s price range, and to be able to give them their dream dress, I just think it’s such an amazing feeling.

“It’s like when you sell something on Depop and you get such a rush. I just get so excited over clothing. I’m so happy that I genuinely am doing what I love. I’m constantly looking at pieces; I’m obsessed with trends and seeing what’s new in fashion. Being able to work with clothing every day is like a dream.”

Buying a pre-loved dress online

Convinced yet? If you want to start your wedding dress search on ReBride, here are some handy tips from Isabel.

• Have a few designers in mind that you really like the style of. Even if you want to start on our Instagram page (all of the designers are listed in the captions) or look on Pinterest. Then you can get a feel for what kind of styles you like and could see yourself in.
• Search by size: See what we have by the designers you like in your size. We have a size filter too so it’s super easy to use. 
• Try some on at a bridal shop: Go to a bridal shop and try on dresses to get an idea for necklines, different waists, etc. that you like. Then you can say ‘Okay, I felt good in that’ and know at the end of the day, it’s not about trends – it’s that you feel like yourself, a dress you’re confident and comfortable in.
• Don’t limit the search to Ireland: ReBride customers have had great experiences buying/selling dresses internationally. One of our brides, Kate, sold her dress to an Irish bride getting married in South Africa, and another one, Aideen, bought a dress from a seller in Australia – and both had great experiences.

“Believe it or not, my Rue De Seine, Caine dress has made it all the way from Ireland to South Africa to the loveliest girl! So delighted I get to pass on my lovely dress for somebody else to love.” – Kate

Peter Carvill Photography

“I bought my wedding dress from ReBride last Summer. It was in Australia but luckily a family member was visiting the original owner and brought it all the way back to Ireland for me. Our wedding was last weekend and it was fabulous. I received many compliments on my dress and “ReBride” was mentioned numerous times. Thank you for allowing us brides to find the dream dress without the daunting price tag.” – Aideen

ReBride works directly with buyer-to-seller, so there’s a lovely community aspect to the platform as well. Simply reach out and you can ask any questions to the buyer themselves.

“One girl sold her dress from ReBride and her mom set up their house like a little boutique with candles lit and all,” said Isabel. “Just hearing stories like that is so lovely. There’s just been so many nice connections that seem to be made between people by sharing their dresses.”