The modern bride has her own priorities, and her budget emphasizes experience over unnecessary expense. With a new era of bridal ushering back the original intent behind nuptials, the legal and covenanted merging of two into one, in front of those loved most, comes a generation of brides who place crafting of a true romance and a celebration with heart over extra-zeros. Nostalgia has become paramount, and, in a time with so little tradition, bride’s want what’s real.

Resultantly, both the selling and buying of pre-owned gowns has stepped to the forefront of the bridal fashion marketplace, and why not?

In practicality, a pre-owned gown makes perfect sense.

A couture garment only worn once is already in near-pristine condition, can be easily returned to it, and holds a plethora of advantages. The newfound concept of buying and selling bridal also emphasizes the choice to preserve one’s gown, a service offered by brands like Dress Preservation and Affordable Preservation, where bridal experts carefully restore any damages wrought by the wedding weekend, returning a gown to its untouched state. Doing so allows brides to cherish their dresses, stashing them to be pulled and spilled over with memories for years forth, or even to be worn by future generations.

In the same vein, while many brides opt not to part with their treasured garments, preserving them allows doing so to always remain a possibility, even decades down the road. The classic shapes and timeless styles emphasized throughout the bridal design space of late make room for this, too, as their lasting elegance transcends trends, and could be worn twenty, even fifty years form now.

For brides looking to buy preloved gowns, doing so enables the purchase of a higher-end, more quality couture or designer which would have been previously priced far out of reach. This opens up the wedding budget for allocating funds to places that mirror a couple’s priorities, which are increasingly becoming more guest and experience-facing. Nearly Newlywed, Rowely, and Klienfield Again are sites specifically curated to a collection of previously worn, but perfectly restored, gowns, even offering a range of the industry’s best - Vera Wang, Danielle Frankel, Caroline Herrera, and more.

Often, a bride’s biggest objection to purchasing a preowned gown issuing forced to forgoe the dress-shopping experience, one dreamed about and fawned over since girlhood. Fear not, as carefully styled boutiques stocked with swaying racks of vintage silks and pre-loved lace exist, such as those found in the California showroom Transplant Vintage.

If we were trying-on, we’d pull these.

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