Real Bride Sarah: Repurposing with Natural Dyeing & Post Wedding Alterations

30/07/2024

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Your wedding dress is one of the most special pieces of clothing you'll ever own. Yet, after the big day, it often ends up safely boxed away, never to be worn again. At AH we believe in encouraging our brides to extend the life of their dress by repurposing. Using our wonderful natural dyeing service, you can create a versatile, wearable staple that fits seamlessly into your wardrobe.

This is exactly what our Real Bride, Sarah chose to do! When Sarah’s wedding plans had to change, she decided to naturally dye her dress to wear to her wedding party which would take place later in the year.

“I never wanted a big wedding day but I was still keen to mark the occasion with my nearest and dearest. We settled on a small ceremony at York House, Twickenham, followed by a big celebration at Brunswick House in Vauxhall a month later. Unfortunately, my (now) husband slipped a disc the week before the ceremony. We had a lovely day nonetheless but there was less dancing than we'd envisaged (!) and we took the difficult decision to delay the party at Brunswick House for 11 months.

I decided to embrace the fact that things wouldn't happen quite how we'd planned them and to repurpose my dress (and let's face it, I wanted an excuse to spend more time at the AH studio)! I settled on dyeing it green and removing the train, creating a gorgeous, festive evening dress.

I'm now confident our wedding party in December 2024 will be even better than the one we'd originally planned, and I can't wait to wear my dress for a second time. I know I will find plenty more excuses to wear it after that as well!” - Sarah

Why is repurposing a sustainable choice?

Repurposing your wedding dress not only extends its wearability but also creates a new meaning and purpose. By altering your dress, you can transform it into a summer midi dress, a playful mini or create versatile separates! This creative process allows you to hold onto the sentimental value of your dress whilst ensuring it’s comfortable and wearable for everyday occasions.

By repurposing your wedding dress, you are actively reducing textile waste. Every year, millions of tons of clothing end up in landfills. Repurposing your dress helps towards this growing problem.

Circular fashion focuses on extending the life cycle of garments, promoting reuse, recycling, and upcycling. By transforming your wedding dress, you contribute to a more sustainable fashion industry.

Your repurposed wedding dress is altered and dyed to your personal style, allowing you to express your individuality and continue to cherish the memories from your wedding day.

Natural Dyeing: What are the benefits?

Natural dyeing is a sustainable method of colouring fabrics using plant-based dyes. This technique not only offers a wide range of beautiful shades but also ensures that your dress is free from harmful chemicals. Our natural silks are ideal for this process, allowing for vibrant solid colours or abstract floral prints that instantly transform the look and style of your wedding dress.

Natural dyes are biodegradable and non-toxic, making them a sustainable alternative to synthetic dyes, it is a gentle process which ensures the silk of your dress is cared for. The colours that can be achieved are bold, muted or patterned – we have samples in store for you to choose from during your consultation. There is a colour and design for every bride!

What we love most is that the natural dyeing process creates a unique look each time, meaning your repurposed wedding dress is truly a one-off piece.

How does it work? And when can I book in!

Start your journey by purchasing a post-wedding consultation via our website here

Our team will be in touch to schedule in an appointment with our fitter. During this appointment you will have a colour consultation and discuss any adjustments you would like to make to your dress. Sarah spent time with our seamstress and fitter to look through our colour book and her train was pinned so we could remove this before the dyeing process took place!

Your dress will be altered first (if required) and then sent to our dyeing partner who will carefully and skilfully bring colour to your design.

Once your dress is ready, we will be back in touch to arrange a try on of your design and collection.

Our post-wedding alterations service and natural dyeing is available from September-February. Now is the perfect time to get in touch to book your appointment!

Purchase an Appointment

Read more and find out pricing:

Post-Wedding Alterations

Natural Dyeing