How To Thrift-Flip Your Wedding Dress
Are you considering upcycling a used gown for your wedding? I have all the tips and tricks to help smooth that process. Before we start, here are a few things you need to know.
Upcycling a dress is not always cheaper. The cost will come down to your alterations and how good of a deal/fit you get on the dress. However, with upcycling, you are more likely to get a better quality dress for less and if you can do alterations yourself, this will definitely be cheaper.
If you are looking for a custom gown, I recommend upcycling over having a dress made from scratch. This method is a great way to re-use, and I love that it is an iterative process. You don’t have to know exactly what you want from the start. Building the dress as you go makes testing and noticing errors or improvements easier.
This is a lot of work and can be stressful. I find it very rewarding, but I’m not going to fool you into thinking this is easy or quick. You have to be willing to put in the effort and time to have a good result.
Upcycling is the ideal process for a creative eco-conscious bride looking for something unique and budget-friendly.
Focus your search
We're not looking for just any wedding dress–we want one you're going to LOVE. A dress that makes you feel like an absolute queen.
Just because you searched Pinterest and found a style you liked on someone else doesn't mean it’s the one you will love ON YOU! The best way to find the type of dress that works for you is by going and trying on gowns. Don’t limit yourself here, be adventurous! Try on multiple styles—no need to feel pressured to say yes to a dress. Remember, you are looking to find your style and see what’s out there.
Keep note of the different shapes and which is your favorite. Knowing when you start thrifting the style gown that flatters you the best is critical.
Mermaid/Trumpet: These hug the body down to your torso, trumpets flare out at your hip, and mermaid gowns flare out slightly lower, around mid-thigh.
Princess/Ball Gown: This is your standard princess dress, with lots of poof starting at the waist. Perfect for exaggerating a small waistline.
Sheath: body-hugging all the way down. More common in casual gowns, this style shows your natural shape. The fabric just flows over you.
A-Line: This shape begins to taper out at the waist in the form of an A, slightly more subtle than a ball gown.
Note your favorite sleeves and fabrics too. After trying on a handful of gowns, you will notice trends in the ones you like the best.
Ballgown | Large Flare at Waist
Mermaid | Flare at Thigh
Aline | Slight Flare at Waist
Sheath | Tight to body
Stay strong if you find a gown you love on this first step. The bridal industry has pushed the notion that you must find “The One,” but you can find many more just like it. Bridal fashion is the slowest to evolve; the same type of gowns have been coming out for years. There are, of course, a few exceptions; dresses with colors like mine and some more unique designer gowns will be rare. If you don’t have the budget for those, there is no need to lose hope; I will share some ideas with you in the next section that you can use to get a wedding dress just as unique.
Get Creative
If you are looking for a flawless dress, you limit your options. There is a lot that you can do to change a dress dramatically. @unveiledbybrittanie has some fantastic examples of this. I also have a collection on Pinterest of Ideas to get you thinking outside the box!
Here is my list of simple changes I frequently make. Some of these you can easily do yourself with hand stitching even with little to no experience.
Added the Sleeves | Added Beads | Changed the Neckline
Replaced Lace | Hand Painted Lace
Does the dress have a zipper back?
Add buttons over the zipper flap and down the back of the dress. (DIY)
Add a corset back instead to size up.
Got it Thrifted or Used?
Get it dry-cleaned or hand-wash the dress, instructions here. (DIY)
Holes in the Tulle/Netting?
Gently remove a bit of lace from another area and use that to patch the hole. (DIY)
No lace on the dress? Add some! (DIY)
Straight Unflattering Neckline?
Add a sweetheart neckline or deep V
Add a shall/off-the-shoulder sleeve wrap (DIY)
Not enough poof to the skirt?
Add a crinoline under the lining, they sell skirts for this, or you can easily sew your own directly into the dress. (DIY)
Hoping for sleeves?
Adding is easy; get whatever you want, HUGE improvement. Strapless was a 2000’s trend, so it’s common to find thrifting.
If it has sleeves, you can change them, but I would not recommend removing them completely.
On Etsy, you can find many sleeves pre-made to add to a strapless gown. (DIY)
Plain Satin or Tulle Dress?
Add lace of your choice; this is a tedious change but upgrades gowns a lot, and then you can pick your favorite lace! (DIY)
Want color? Let me be very clear here; I will not be sharing how I color my gowns because that requires more machinery than the average person has, even a creative one. The following ideas are ones you can do yourself for a touch of color.
Paint the lace – A thin acrylic with a fabric medium mixed in can work for adding color or details to lace on your dress. I suggest keeping it thin, using light colors only, and remember it will get stiffer with paint.
Add colored tulle or chiffon under the top layer. Works for Lace, Tulle, and Organza gowns.
Like pastels? Try a dye. Most gowns are synthetic, making it hard to dye dark tones but lighter works!
Remove the top layer and dye the base of the gown nude, then re-sew. It’s very modern to have white lace over a nude/tan lining. It adds more depth to the dress and can be done with other colors as well.
If you don’t sew, you need to take your time to find a good alterations shop. If a friend or family member sews, ask them for their input. They don’t have to be the one that does the alterations, but they can help you get a better idea of a simple change vs. a hard one.
The HUNT is ON
Now that you know what style of dress flatters your body and what you can do to change a dress, it’s time to find your dress! The following list is in order, starting with the best deals but most challenging hunts, then working into some higher costs but more accessible finds.
Thrift Locally
Stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army are best to check out in & around the bridal season or Halloween since some will hold their wedding gowns in the back until that time of year.
Typically you can find more vintage styles when thrifting.
New to thrifting? Check all your local thrift shops to see if any have wedding gowns. Those that do continue revisit it periodically. If there are no gowns at all, that shop might never sell them, so focus on those with a few.
They often don’t know what they have, so you have a higher chance of getting a fantastic deal, but also a higher chance of getting ripped off. I have notes at the bottom of this blog on how to help you avoid the bad ones.
Online Thrifts
Look through apps like “Offer Up” and “Facebook Marketplace.” Which app is popular depends on your area. When I was in San Diego, “Offer Up” was huge, but in KCMO now, it’s all about FB Marketplace.
You will get a mix of boutiques clearing inventory and individuals just clearing out the closet. You should try and negotiate the price.
I always ask these three questions to see if it’s a gown I would want.
Where did they get the dress?
Is there a designer tag and style number? (Google It!)
Did they do any alterations to the dress?
Are you not having much luck there? “StillWhite” is also a good option, but these are the more serious sellers. Prices won’t be as low as you can find on local thrift apps.
If you like a specific dress designer, use their name in your search.
Off-The-Rack Gowns
The most expensive option, but the gowns' quality will be higher overall.
The easiest way is to google a local off-the-rack or consignment bridal boutique. You will get to try on the gowns like a typical boutique.
These are often mostly discontinued samples from other boutiques. They come as-is, are not made to order, and may have some damage, but they are typically cleaner and have no alterations.
To try and get a better deal, you can also ask local boutiques if they have any discontinued sample wedding dresses they are trying to clear out. Just be upfront with your price range; some shops may surprise you with many options!
Tips Regarding Sizes
Discontinued samples are all typically a size 10 or 12. So finding a sample dress will be easier for you if you fit a bridal size 6 through 12. If you are a smaller size, thrifting will have more dresses that fit you than any bridal shop. I have found larger gowns in every method, but it is a bit harder. With online thrifts like “StillWhite,” you can filter by size. If you want to ask any bridal shop about their samples, ask shops that advertise having about stocking larger gowns.
The Lisa Gown | Found on Offer-Up | Sleeves and Color Added
Tide | Sample Gown | It took days to repair all the beadwork
Avoid These Warning Signs!
If the gown doesn’t have a designer tag, you might just want to skip it. Typically if there is no tag, the dress was probably originally purchased from an online store that rips off designers and shipped straight from China.
Found on “Offer up” | Vintage Wedding Gown | Dyed black
These gowns sell for dirt cheap new and aren’t worth your money, even at dirt cheap prices. Often they have bizarre proportions and are low quality, making them extremely difficult to even alter into something decent. I would only recommend them for Halloween Costumes.
— if you were looking for a dress online or for cheap, you probably ran into these sites a few times. The key is to look at the pictures. If they are all very different, with no similar style or format, it’s probably not a trustworthy website. I don’t trust the reviews either; guess what...those are typically fake too! They steal photos and designs from me all the time. 😡
There are a few cheaper online bridal shops that are okay. These will have similar photos, their own designer label, and are low-cost. Still, as someone that knows quality construction and fabric, I would not recommend them. I’m going to avoid names, but any more prominent online bridal retailer that sells gowns for $50 - $800. Don’t look at it like it is an incredible deal; it’s not. It’s a low-quality item priced that way.
If you are not sure about a dress you find thrifting, google the designer's name and the style number; that should let you know if it’s a good deal or not.
Okay, deep breath; I know that’s a lot to take in.
Trying to hunt for an already made gown and make it into something you love will not be easy. As much as I wish I had the ability to make everyone their dream dress this way, I am very aware that I am just one person with no superpowers. So the baton has been passed; you now possess the insider tips to find and create your own completely unique gown. Even if you are on a budget, there is no need to be stuck only shopping at the wedding dress supermarket. Let’s Get Creative!
I know the reward is worth it. It will leave you feeling incredible. You get to be the designer. You get to give an old gown a new life and wear something you not only love when walking down the aisle but something you are proud of as well.
Thanks for Reading,
~ Taylor Ann Art
Share This Post
