Women once married in their finest—then wore the dress as their Sunday best for several years afterward. But styles have changed so drastically in the last 20 years that most brides won’t even wear their mom’s wedding gown. Plus, they cost a fortune. Consequently, it appears America may be ready to embrace the rented dress. Praise Juno!
The New York Post reports on the trend. Rent the Runway offers several options, there’s One Night Affair in L.A., and Borrowing Magnolia just opened in D.C. (It’s a start!) A Practical Wedding EIC Meg Keene corroborates, vouching she’s seen more brides giving rentals a go. The cofounder of Borrowing Magnolia explains her reasoning behind opening the store:
“It is no longer an heirloom industry,” says [Ashley] Steele. “You used to get one photo that you put in a gold frame, you’d dry your flowers or you’d have a wedding dress with hopes that your hypothetical granddaughter would later wear it. Now it’s more about the experience, and brides expressing their style and making sure their relationship is showcased. And with Pinterest, doing a wedding on a budget is chic now.”
But it’s hard to see this going truly mainstream any time soon. Not while Say Yes to the Dress continues raking in those ratings. Wedding dresses are treated as the straight woman’s holy grail. And plenty of brides do still want that heirloom. Hell, the whole gazillion-dollar wedding business runs on the desire for heirlooms. If you’ve got the cash, well, it’s your money!
That said, there are plenty of ladies who can’t see cutting the open bar for a Vera Wang, but don’t love the selection at David’s Bridal. And for them, this trend is a godsend.
Photo via Getty.