Wednesday, July 23, 2008

So this is the question -

~ Click the pics to make them bigger ~

I got married a million years ago. Okay, 1981. I got divorced in 1995. Officially. Two days after I got married my mother-in-law took my wedding dress to a dry cleaners and had it cleaned and preserved. I am not sure exactly what they do when they preserve a dress, but it came back sealed in a big white box, inside a heavy plastic bag having endured whatever hocus pocus we paid to have done to it. Never to be opened. To open it would break the seal and maybe the white would turn yellow and the lace would turn to dust. I don't know. But I have never opened it.


The dress has trav
eled with me and lived in attics and closets and garages. At some point it occurred to me that having never opened the box I can only assume it really is my dress. What if there was a mix-up and I got someone else's dress? Hell, what if it isn't even a wedding dress? Could be almost anything I guess. Well, no matter. I'm not opening it.


My daughter says she won't want to wear the dress, and I have no emotional attachment to it beyond that. What do
you do with an old wedding dress you don't have a use for anymore? I am thinking about selling it. But I'm thinking about selling it - in the box - unopened still. Probably on eBay. What do you think? Will anyone buy a teeny tiny wedding dress that's been preserved inside a box for over 25 years - on the basis of a few pictures and a description? With the caveat that I cannot guarantee what's in there?


I thought it would be fun that way, kind of like buying the mystery box - taking a chan
ce on size and condition and style. Because I really don't have any good pictures of the dress. It was my wedding dress and I have pictures from my wedding but looking through them I realize I don't have many that showcase the dress very well. It wasn't a very fancy dress, I didn't have a train and chose not to wear a veil. I wore my hair the way I wore it every day back then, in a nice 80's curly perm. Didn't wear a lot of makeup but goodness knows I had pantyhose on! Who WOULDN'T wear pantyhose when it was an 85 degree June day in 1981??? No pantyhose? I don't think so. Wouldn't have been right.


People buy grilled cheese sandwiches with religious icons toasted into the side, people sell (and someone buys) their wisdom teeth. My favorite - someone sold the naming rights to their as yet unborn baby for $15,000.00. Of course this little girl will have to go through life with the moniker of Golden Palace Benedetto, but hey - there are always nicknames!


It's a size 8 by the way. Not that that's accurate. At the time I usually wore a size 5 or maybe a 7 in a dress, you can see I was a tiny little thing. Back then. Sigh-h-h.


So should I try it? Anybody have any suggestions to liven up the description - to spice up the sale? I'm open to ideas!


**Edited to add - That's my father in the pictures by the way, in case there was any doubt about the age and or creepiness of the man I married.




13 Comments:

Anonymous said...

Your post made me smile honestly!!
Hey go for it !!!
What do you have to lose???
It was a very pretty dress !!
Mine is a size 8 as well, oh the good old days........sigh......I was married in winter and it was a velvet dress.I wont sell mine altho I dont know why I am hanging on to it,I have my mother's dress too, it was luxurious silk she was married in 1949.........oh the memories...
Good luck !!
Diane

Lavender said...

Ebay is exactly what Id do - and Id use the photos too (you could always blur ou the faces!) The descripton could be written much like your post too - see youre already nearly done listing it! LOL
It was a lovely dress - it should do well!

PypersTune said...

Absolutely sell it. If it doesn't go on ebay (which I think it will) then take it to a consignment shop. Put in your description the word "vintage", people love that.

I love the simplicity of it. Truly beautiful.

I still have mine in a box. I'll keep it to give my daughter the option of using it. If she doesn't want to wear it, which would be perfectly fine, I'll get rid of mine too.

BetteJo said...

Vintage, lol! Just like me!

AngelHawk said...

Hello, been lurking for a bit now, love your blog, and as far as I am concerned you should give it a try on e-bay, it may go for really good money some folks are way into the retro style and I think the dress is beautiful - the pics you put up are so sweet! Make sure you disclose that it was preserved and never has been opened, sealed and all, and then also say no returns or refunds and as is - no gurantees. Go for it - who knows you may get a bidding war and make some good money! I suggest you put in in vintage dresses.

Heather "Hev" said...

I agree with Lavendar - your sales pitch is exactly your blog entry!! You aint hiding anything and remember to write "as is". Such a pretty dress I am sure someone will love to own it :)

My sister in law was given her wedding dress back (1st marraige) and she was going to sell it - but over the years of it being in her bros house it turned yellow in one side so she was just going to throw it. I offered her $20 so I could have all the beads (pearls and diamontes)and sequins and the silky stuff I could use for whatever. She said I could have it. BARGAIN!!!

palette48 said...

I agree, sell it. I am thinking of doing the same thing with my wedding dress too. Nobody ,I know ,is going to want to wear my old dress and so I am going to sell it to someone who can appreciate it.

The Beading Gem said...

"Vintage 1981 Lace Wedding Dress still sealed in a time capsule for a size 8 bride to be to discover and wear. Check with Bette Jo for details" ?

BetteJo said...

The vintage thing just cracks me up. How did the years go by so quickly??

Dianne - oh a velvet wedding dress - I'll bet it was spectacular!

Lavender - I figured if I listed it - there would have to be a story with it. :)

Mollyfa - have you ever unsealed yours?

RedDA - welcome! Yes definitely - never been opened - and no refunds!

Hev - yep - as is - and a bargain it will be.

Palette - yeah, kind of hard to pass on the wedding dress when you only have boys!

Pearl - I like the time capsule - makes it sound so special!!

Stimey said...

I wrote about this exact same thing at my decluttering blog. I donated mine.

Beautiful dress. And you looked gorgeous!

BetteJo said...

Oh Stimey your wedding picture is just beautiful! I don't know which was more - you - or the dress!

MsCatMinder said...

Great pictures and you do look tiny ... put it on ebay why not ? I think you can make a lot for it ....use the pictures .
I cant take my eyes off your fathers frilly shirt though , did he really wear that ??? Thats quite amazing , the cuffs and all ... let us know how much it went for will you ? Id be really curious , or will that be a trade secret ?! Best of luck .

BetteJo said...

Shelagh - yes my Dad wore that frilly shirt - to be honest - I don't remember being too concerned with it. That was what guys were wearing then (with tuxes) and I just went with what they recommended at the tux shop. Looks pretty silly now though!
I have no idea what I will ask for the dress, I will probably pick an amount to start the bidding at so I will at least recoup my shipping - and see where it goes. I will announce it when I post it - I've never sold anything in eBay so it will be a learning experience!

LB - As sick as I am today - you still gave me a good laugh when I read that we served similar sentences! Too funny!