Close X
Thursday, October 31, 2024
ADVT 
Interesting

Texas Bride's Wedding Dress Goes Down The Aisle Again In Thunder Bay, Ont.

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 09 Mar, 2017 12:17 PM
    NEW YORK — Dalia Rhodes' wedding dress went down the aisle twice: Once at her wedding in 2015, and again a year later after she sold her gown to a stranger online.
     
    "I just wanted someone else to enjoy a pretty dress," says Rhodes, who used the website Once Wed to sell it for $800, about half of what she originally paid.
     
    Instead of holding on to wedding dresses for decades, many new brides are willing to swap them online for cash. Several websites cater to them, including Still White and PreownedWeddingDresses.com. And other online marketplaces, such as eBay, Tradesy and Letgo, are filled with thousands of wedding dresses looking for a new bride.
     
    Just the idea of buying a used wedding dress was "shocking and horrifying" before 2008, says Tracy DiNunzio, the founder and CEO of online clothing and accessories marketplace Tradesy. That began to change about a decade ago during the recession, when cash-strapped brides were looking for a deal, she says. Now millennials, who seemingly are not as attached to material things as past generations, are putting up their dresses for sale, says DiNunzio.
     
    "The money is worth more to them once the wedding is over than keeping a dress," she says.
     
    But don't expect to make quick cash. Not everyone wants a used gown, so it can take weeks or months to find a buyer who also happens to love the style and can fit into the dress. Well-known designer names, such as Vera Wang and Monique Lhuillier, sell faster. Some brides list their dresses on multiple sites, hoping to reach as many brides-to-be as possible. And the sites typically let listings stay up for as long as needed, charging a one-time fee or taking a percentage when it is finally sold.
     
    Rhodes, who listed hers on Once Wed for free, says it took about four months to find a match. To make sure the dress didn't get damaged during shipping, Rhodes, who lives in Austin, Texas, wrapped the dress in "like, probably, six pounds of Bubble Wrap."
     
    The buyer, Heidi Cundari of Thunder Bay, Ont., says she opted for a used dress to keep costs down. She searched several preowned wedding dress websites before she fell for Rhodes' tulle and organza gown.
     
    "It seemed wasteful to spend thousands of dollars on a dress for one day," she says.
     
    Dresses listed on Once Wed take about six months to sell and go for an average of about $1,600, says Once Wed founder Emily Newman. She says more women are listing their dress for sale before they even get married, so they can ship the dress out once the ceremony is over.
     
    Some sites have seen their popularity soar recently. Still White, for example, says sellers earned $500,000 through the site in the past month, up 50 per cent from the same time last year.
     
    "Modern brides are less sentimental, more budget savvy, eco-friendly and are comfortable making large purchases online," says Still White's co-founder and CEO Bruno Szajer.
     
    Rhodes says she did hold on to two keepsakes: Her veil and belt, which she says her future children are more likely to wear than her dress.
     
    Cundari, meanwhile, says she plans to keep the dress and not try to sell it again. Last month she sent pictures of her wedding to Rhodes, so she could see the dress in its second trip down the aisle.
     
    "We kind of forged a long distance friendship," Cundari says.

    MORE Interesting ARTICLES

    Groom Refuses Wedlock After Anand Karaj, Pays Rs15 Lakh To Bride's Kin

    Groom Refuses Wedlock After Anand Karaj, Pays Rs15 Lakh To Bride's Kin
    Elders from both sides tried their best, but the groom refused to budge. Following this, the elders decided to end the marriage on the spot.

    Groom Refuses Wedlock After Anand Karaj, Pays Rs15 Lakh To Bride's Kin

    RCMP Officer Dies After Crash Between RCMP Vehicle And Tractor In Quebec

    RCMP Officer Dies After Crash Between RCMP Vehicle And Tractor In Quebec
    LACOLLE, Que. — The RCMP officer killed in the line of duty in southwestern Quebec was married and a father of four.

    RCMP Officer Dies After Crash Between RCMP Vehicle And Tractor In Quebec

    Ontario Teacher Charged With Sex Crimes Against Minors Pleads Guilty

    Ontario Teacher Charged With Sex Crimes Against Minors Pleads Guilty
    BELLEVILLE, Ont. — An eastern Ontario teacher accused of sex crimes has pleaded guilty to seven charges in the case.

    Ontario Teacher Charged With Sex Crimes Against Minors Pleads Guilty

    Eman Ahmed Sheds Over 100 Kgs, Now Able To Sit On Her Own

    Eman Ahmed Sheds Over 100 Kgs, Now Able To Sit On Her Own
    Eman's weight has reduced from 500 kgs to 380 kgs. She has a team of 16 specialists and over eight nurses looking after her.

    Eman Ahmed Sheds Over 100 Kgs, Now Able To Sit On Her Own

    97-Year-Old Twins Leave World As They Entered It: Together

    97-Year-Old Twins Leave World As They Entered It: Together
    BARRINGTON, R.I. — Ninety-seven-year-old twins Jean Young Haley and Martha Young Williams left the world as they entered it: together.

    97-Year-Old Twins Leave World As They Entered It: Together

    WATCH: In A Secretly Filmed Video At Ohio Park US Man Says 'Indian Crowd Has Ravished' Midwest

    WATCH: In A Secretly Filmed Video At Ohio Park US Man Says 'Indian Crowd Has Ravished' Midwest
    This Creepy Website In Ohio Stalks Indians Hanging Out At Parks, Accuses Them Of 'Stealing Jobs' From Americans, Says Its Mission Is To "Save American It Jobs For Future Generation."

    WATCH: In A Secretly Filmed Video At Ohio Park US Man Says 'Indian Crowd Has Ravished' Midwest