Wedding dresses can be super expensive. Even if you chose not to buy a designer dress, most wedding dresses cost well over a thousand dollars. That's a lot of money to spend on a dress that you're only going to wear once.
It's a lot more cost-effective, sentimental, and environmentally friendly to repurpose a dress that you already have— like your mother's wedding dress for instance. That's exactly what all of the brides on this list decided to do.
Goodbye Sleeves!
This dress was stunning back in its day, but full lace sleeves and puffy shoulders are a bit outdated.
This bride removed the sleeves from her mom's wedding dress to create her perfect wedding look.
No Alterations Needed
Sometimes mom's dress is perfect just the way it is.
You don't need to make any major alterations and you can just walk down the aisle in a dress that was passed down through the generations.
Getting Married On The Beach
This dress looked a lot different back in the day when this bride's bother wore it. Mom chose to pair it with a brimmed hat and a yellow bouquet.
These two definitely look related, though.
An Off-The-Shoulder Look
The puffy lace sleeves on this dress were a little too '80s for this bride's liking.
She decided to remove the sleeves and go for an off-the-shoulder look.
Then And Now
We couldn't even tell that we were looking at the same dress in both of these photos. So much about it has changed.
We think that it looks like a completely new gown.
A Few Minor Alterations
Not much changed about this dress. This bride decided to lower the waistline and make the sleeves sit more squarely on her shoulders.
Other than that, the dress looks pretty similar to how it looked when her mom wore it. Be inspired by Wholesome, Thoughtful Proposals To Restore Your Faith In Love on The Couple Thing.
Bare Shoulders
This bride looks just as gorgeous as her mom did when she wore this dress back in the day.
There aren't any sleeves on the dress anymore, so now it looks a lot more modern.
Change Up The Accessories
The actual structure of this dress hasn't changed very much over the years.
Somehow this bride still managed to bring her mom's dress into the modern day by just changing up a few accessories.
The Difference A Neckline Can Make
A lot has changed about this dress. There aren't any sleeves on it anymore and the neckline has changed dramatically.
It looks like a whole new dress! They both look stunning in it.
Add Some Cowboy Boots
This bride managed to change the whole vibe of her mom's dress by raising the hemline of the dress.
Her alterations included getting rid of the train, shortening the sleeves, and adding a pair of cowboy boots.
A Similar Look
This bride made her mom's dress a little bit tighter around the hips and took away the long, cathedral veil. Now the dress doesn't look as dated.
It looks like something she could have picked up from a boutique today.
A Shorter Dress
This bride took her mom's giant, poofy ballgown and turned it into a tea length dress for her small garden wedding.
We think both of these looks are absolutely stunning.
A Drastic Change
Okay, so I have to say that I am an absolute sucker for bell sleeves so I'm a little bit peeved that this bride changed up this quintessentially '70s dress so much.
Since it's her big day, I guess we can forgive her.
Fluted Sleeves
This bride took some poofy '80s shoulder sleeves and turned them into something that you might find at a Victorian garden party.
This upcycled dress is so chic! We absolutely love it.
Grandma's Dress
We've seen a lot of brides transform their moms' dresses on this list so far already, but this is the first bride we've seen who transformed her grandmother's dress.
It looks so nice on her!
Those Shoulder Details
Sometimes all it takes is a simple adjustment. This bride took some very strange shoulder appliqués off of her mom's dress.
Now it looks a lot more modern and sleek.
A Tighter Fit
All that this bride had to do was have her mom's dress taken in.
She took out some of the crinolines and made the bottom of the dress a bit sleeker.
Changing It Up
Could you tell that the dress on the right once looked like the dress on the left? It's hard to believe that this is the same dress.
It looks so different without the sleeves.
The Before
This '80s wedding dress looks like something you might wear in a play if you were acting as a Shakespearean heroine gone mad.
It's not ugly, it's just not very bridal.
The After
Okay, this dress is everything. Can you even believe that it's the same dress from the previous slide? We love the deep slit and the romantic neckline.
I kind of want this dress now.
A Handmade Wedding Dress
What you're looking at now is the before picture of a dress that was handmade by this bride's sister in the '80s.
It looked nice at the time, but it needed to be updated if anybody was going to wear it in the 2020s.
What It Looks Like Now
The satin fabric that this dress is made out of looks so much shiner now that it's not hiding under all of that mesh.
What a stunning dress! We absolutely love the low back.
Good As New
The dress that this bride is wearing is over seventy years old. Somehow, it still looks as good as new.
It looks a lot different than it used to, but it's still as beautiful as ever.
Fun And Flirty
This dress looked rather cumbersome back in the '80s.
But after a few significant alterations, it now looks like it stepped right out of a high fashion bridal magazine. It's stunning!
Get Rid Of The Excess Fabrib
All this bride had to do was strip away a few layers of fabric to discover this gorgeous shorter dress lurking underneath.
The thick lace straps on this dress are amazing.
Wearing The Past
The sleeves on this old wedding dress used to be long and poofy, but this bride took off the long sleeves and opted for a cap sleeve look.
We think it looks gorgeous on her.
Long Sleeves Are Out
Long sleeves on a dress can be pretty, but they definitely aren't for everyone.
This bride wanted to wear her mom's dress on her special day, but she had to make some alterations first.
The Most Beautiful Neckline
Okay, we are so glad that this bride didn't change anything about the neckline on her mom's wedding dress.
She got rid of the puffy sleeves, but she kept the most beautiful part of the dress intact.
A Two-Piece Look
Here's a transformation we haven't seen before. This bride took her mom's wedding dress and made it into a top and skirt combo look.
This is so creative! We love this dress even more now.
An Unconventional Bride
This mom walked down the aisle in a pink bohemian style dress, and now her daughter is going to wear the same dress at her wedding.
This dress is so unique!
