How to wear Bridesmaid dresses

It's the end of May, which means we are officially at the start of Summer Wedding season.? If you happen to be in a wedding this summer, or have been in wedding sin the past, that may mean you have an expensive bridesmaid dress in your possession.
Whether you think this dress is cute or ugly, it may end up hanging in your closet for years to come because you feel that you cannot wear it again.
Two weeks ago, I made it my mission to find a way to re-purpose a bridesmaid dress that I actually loved.? After spending close to $250 on this gown, I knew I had to wear it again. That was too much money to waste on a dress that I only wore for one day.
In order to wear this dress again, I had to make a few alterations. The original dress has a flower attached at the waistline on the front-left side of the dress. Though I thought it was cute, it had to go. Also, I wanted to wear this dress with flat, gold sandals to make the dress feel a bit more casual, so I took the hemline up a few inches myself.?I added long necklaces to take the attention away from the fanciness of the top half of the dress and I wore a cream jacket/bolero since it was a bit chilly in the air.
Overall, I think this was a successful attempt of turning a formal, bridesmaid in to a more casual, yet still fancy, dress. When thinking about re-purposing a bridesmaid dress, ask yourself if you can make alteration so the gown: Can you take up the hemline? Add sleeves? Cut the neckline in a different shape? ?Also ask yourself if you can add accessories, like jewelry and belts to make the dress appear less semi-formal.
If you have a bridesmaid dress (or a few) that you don't think you can alter, you can donate them to charities, such as Project Prom, or you can mail them to NewlyMaid.com, a website that allows you to send in a bridesmaid dress or prom dress, and receive a discount on a new little black dress.
I hope this give you some inspiration to re-work a bridesmaid dress that you have sitting in your closet. Be sure to check back on Friday for another Clutch post!