Bride cuts her $5,000 wedding gown into a honeymoon cocktail dress: “I decided to repurpose it”
Taylor Popik got married in August 2021 in a dress she found at Kleinfeld. After her big day, she decided to chop the dress short so she could re-wear it on her upcoming honeymoon in Italy. The lifestyle influencer went viral for transforming her $5,000 gown into a honeymoon cocktail dress. The wedding dress went from long and elegant to mini and sexy! To her, it just made logical sense. She explained to Insider, "My mom has had special event gowns cut down in the past to re-wear." She said her mom motivated her to repurpose the attire. Popik continued, "It's the best-fitting dress I've ever owned, so why not wear it again?"
The blogger picked a lace Tony Ward Bridal gown that she saw online before her appointment at Kleinfeld Bridal. "When I went into Kleinfeld, another girl was trying on the dress, and my mom, who didn't even know that I liked the dress, told me that I needed to try it on," she said. "It was one of those destiny things. I tried on three dresses, but I knew the Tony Ward was the one, and we said 'yes' on my first fitting." Popik later took followers on her wedding dress journey through a series of TikToks that have since garnered over three million views. In one TikTok video posted on May 11, she shared how she had cut her wedding gown to create a minidress after it sat in her closet for almost a year. She explained why she made the unconventional fashion move. "I was debating preserving it but I have a feeling my daughter if I have one day, will not want to wear my 35-year-old wedding dress," she said of her original plan. "I decided to repurpose it [and] chop it short so I can re-wear it."
"I shared the process with my audience because I always encourage them to do what feels right for them, and this was an example of that for me," Popik told Good Morning America. "It's been really special to connect with women around the world, to hear their stories and to discuss other sustainable ways I can re-purpose the rest of the fabric I have left from the dress," said Popik. "I've received hundreds of suggestions, including donating to a company that re-purposes wedding gowns to make dresses for [stillborn infants], and other charitable causes. It's been really inspiring. I hope that I can inspire other women to always do what feels right for them, even if it goes against the grain of societal expectations," she added. "If even one bride re-purposes her wedding gown so that she can wear her sentimental dress while creating new special memories, I'll be happy."