It’s interesting that the item of clothing that women spend (by far) the most on in their entire lives is also one of the only pieces that they’ll only wear once. This makes it even more expensive, relative to other clothes (and reflects the common view on weddings and the related showmanship).
The cost of wedding dresses is often perfectly reasonable; they involve a lot more skill to make, they are often one-of-a-kind, use more expensive fabrics, include opulent detailing and are tailored to fit perfectly. Something of such high quality should cost more (photo from Shelley Panzarella on Flickr):
What doesn’t make sense is that the garment is only worn once. If your wedding dress costs $5000, that’s actually $5000 per wear, an outrageous sum. Obviously, people attach a lot of sentimental value to the wedding dress, but I think it’s often irrational.
In the vast majority of cases, the wedding dress is shoddily preserved (by which I mean it’s placed in a box in the attic, folded, where it will develop creases and discoloration), often leading to a sad day twenty years later when the dress is pulled out, only to find that it’s become a home for moths.
The only logical reason I can see for holding on to a wedding dress is to pass it down to a daughter, and this is filled with risk (will she like it, will she fit in it?), but reasonable for heirloom type pieces.
In general, however, it doesn’t make sense. Men rent their tuxedos for the wedding (often equally expensive and beautifully made), making the cost significantly less, in accordance with the number of times it will be worn.
Does anyone have further explanation as to why there isn’t a growing bridal rental service, especially in today’s economy? Has anyone out there reworn their wedding dress, or found a good reason to hold on to it? Let me know in the comments!
-Barry
