donate your used wedding dressAfter the wonder of your own wedding day, you are probably feeling blessed and happy in your new life. You may even want to share the wealth and “pay it forward”. If you were wondering if there is a way to “pay it forward” with your used wedding dress, the answer is absolutely.

There are several charities that currently will accept a used wedding dress as a donation. We’ve collected just a few of the many worthy charities.

Option #1: Angel Gowns

Having a baby should be a blessed time, but for many families, a pregnancy doesn’t always end in a beautiful baby heading home. Each year, thousands of children are born premature or with serious medical conditions. Many of those children never leave the hospital with their loving families. Angel Gown, a department of NICU Helping Hands, takes wedding gowns and turns them into much needed formal gowns for newborns that fought hard in the NICU but, sadly passed away.

Currently, Angel Gowns is not accepting wedding gowns, but they’ll be reopening their donations at the end of 2014. For more information on how you can help, check out the FAQ.

Option #2: St. Anthony’s Bridal

St. Anthony’s Bridal understands that every bride deserves to feel special on their wedding day. The bridal charity takes used wedding dresses, prepares them to be reused, and lends them to needy brides in the Washington D.C. area, all free of charge. St. Anthony’s Bridal also sells wedding gowns at a flat fee of just $150 for brides who want to keep their gown after their special event.

They also accept prom dresses, and pair them with seniors in need in the Washington D.C. area. Dresses can be dropped off at Dogtopia of White Flint on Saturdays from 10am to noon, or they can be mailed to:

St. Anthony’s Bridal
c/o Graziella Bianchi
10387 Main Street #204
Fairfax, Va 22030

Option #3: Brides Across America

Brides Across America lends a helping hand to military brides who wouldn’t be able to otherwise afford the gown of their dreams. The charity, located in North Andover, Massachusetts, matches gowns with brides in the military, or marrying military personnel free of charge.

Brides Across America also accepts accessories, including tiaras and veils. They do not accept petticoats or undergarments. To send in your dress, you must visit the website and download the accompanying form. Dresses must be less than five years old.

Option #4: Wish Upon A Wedding

Founded in 2010, this charity with chapters across the nation helps to give couples facing serious challenges have the wedding they’ve been dreaming of. Wish Upon a Wedding focuses on couples facing terminal illness or other medical and life challenges. Over the years the charity has granted dream weddings for dozens of couples. They provide everything from engagement photos, to wedding attire, to food and locations to brides and grooms who are simply in need of a special day where they can share their love, free of the trials and tribulations of illness.

Wish Upon a Wedding is partnered with Brides for a Cause. Wedding gowns are taken in by Brides for a Cause, sold to the public, and the proceeds go to Wish Upon a Wedding. The donation is tax deductible.

Dresses can be mailed to:

Brides for a Cause
4942 NE 20th Avenue
Portland, OR 97211

Option #5: St. Marys Brides For Haiti

They gratefully accept gowns 7 years of age or less and resell to raise money for Haiti. http://Www.brides4haiti.com

Regardless of which you choose, clean it first.

These are just a few options for donating your used wedding dress. However, no matter how dazzling your dress may be, if it smells like perspiration, has spills or grass stains on it, no charity will accept it in that condition. And you wouldn’t want a bride to wear it that way, either. Since most dry cleaners aren’t designed to clean wedding dresses, you’ll want a company with experience dealing in wedding dresses to tackle the job so the dress retains all of its fabulosity when the next lucky bride walks down the aisle.

Choose a preservation company with a good reputation and years of experience in wedding dress preservation to ensure the best results possible when cleaning your dress. No matter who winds up with it, they will definitely appreciate the loving care that was taken to restore it.

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