It's a dress you've spent a large amount of money on, but you'll only wear once. Unless you'd like to save your wedding dress for sentimental reasons, it's silly to let it sit in your closet collecting dust. , visited TODAY to answer any question you might have about selling your wedding gown. Why should I sell my wedding dress? Just as picking out your wedding gown is a personal choice, selling it afterward is up to the individual bride. Many modern brides, however, find that they want to recoup some money and put it toward a honeymoon, new home, baby preparations or debt acquired from the wedding day itself. In other cases, a divorce, a broken engagement or even a simple change of heart about the gown might cause a woman to sell her original dress. At what price should I list my gown? As a general rule of thumb, a used gown that's in great condition and less than 2 1/2 years old can sell for 50 percent of the retail price. Gowns from recognizable names like Vera Wang and Monique Lhullier can sell for 60-70 percent of the retail value.

But don't be discouraged if your dress isn't designer, Dinunzio said, brides across the spectrum are looking to buy used gowns. Dresses that retailed for $1,000 have as good a chance of re-selling as those originally priced at $5,000. Courtesy of Debbie Kosofsky Where are the best places to sell the dress? The short answer: online! , , specialize in re-selling wedding dresses. There's also eBay, Craigslist and consignment shops (that take 50-60 percent commission), but Dinunzio still recommends selling online since the selection is often better curated and enticing to potential buyers. Be aware that some sites may charge a one-time listing fee of about $25. How can I maximize my chance of selling? Dinunzio shares her tricks of the trade: Try to sell the dress within 2 1/2 years of buying it. You'll increase your chances of selling while the style is still popular and current.Maximize its value by having it professionally cleaned.Provide several photos and a detailed description — so a buyer can fall in love the way you did!

Price it fairly for its market value.Don't be afraid to sell a dress from the '80s or '90s — they're now considered vintage! This story originally appeared on Feb. 20, 2015. has released a Wedding Dress Value Calculator for former brides who want to figure out how much their used dress is worth.The calculator estimates a gown's worth based on the label, date purchased, price paid and other characteristics like whether or not the dress was cleaned.'The calculator is a starting price that we consider to be "fair value" for a seller's gown given all of the factors that we know influence a sale price, site creator Josie DagaThe steep figure is a relative bargain - the original price tag was $85,000 She typically recommends that a used gown be priced at 50per cent of its retail value - if it is less than two years old, has been cleaned and is in great condition. Designers like Vera Wang and Monique Lhuillier can fetch slightly more than 50per cent, while custom work can be harder to recoup in a sell.

Styles worn by celebrities are especially coveted though. 'Chelsea Clinton's, Vera Wang Diana, Khloe Kardashian's Vera Wang Ethel and Hilary Duffs Vera Wang Gemma are still quite popular,' Ms Daga says.And some stars even use the site to buy and sell their gowns. paid $58,000 for her Baracci gown on the site, and currently for sale is Beyonce's Baracchi crystal-encrusted gown from the 'Best Thing I Never Had' video (original price, $85,000; selling for $30,000)Ready Made Curtains 3m Drop The average selling time is 70 days, though some dresses sell within 24 hours.Puppies For Sale In New Bremen OhioAnd while some brides still sell because of cancelled weddings, Daga says there is a growing trend to pass the dress on partly because the bride wants someone else to experience the same joy. Lab Puppies Tucson Az

But does it work? I tried the calculator on myself - and a few other brides - to find out. Blowing the budget: Catherine Townsend re-sold her $17,900 Vera Wang Eliza Deluxe gown for $7,500 'Any future daughter of mine will think my Vera Wang is a yellowing meringue monstrosity!' September 21, 2012 at the Hotel Bel Air in Los Angeles, CaliforniaPeople have commented that it's ridiculous to put something on my body that costs more than a used car, and I agree. I wanted a bottle of tequila and City Hall, but my husband was dead-set on a larger wedding for friends and family and generously offered to foot the bill. My Vera Wang Eliza Deluxe was customized with sweetheart neckline, a seven-foot cathedral train and beadwork. The retail price was $25,000, but I paid $15,900 and cut a deal with the seamstress to do the customization separately for a total of $17,900. I loved wearing my dress, but was equally happy to box it up afterwards. I know that in rare cases women can pass their dresses down, but I thought it far more likely that any future daughter of mine would think it looked like a yellowing meringue monstrosity - and I wanted to get some of the money back!

I didn't have the calculator, but with the price point and custom work I knew that I was catering to a very specific buyer. Luckily I found her - the woman who bought the dress has now become a friend, and I'm actually going to her wedding in Italy. So the cathedral train will actually get to see the inside of a cathedral! Buyer's remorse: Nahrein Emerson couldn't return her Jenny Packham dress (as seen on the catwalk) October 20, 2012 at Holy Apostolic Assyrian Catholic Church of the East in the Sunset in San Francisco, California 'It was a mistake dress. 'I was under pressure to pick one and I went to a number of bridal shops and this was the first dress that didn’t look like a meringue. 'I had my doubts from the moment I went home and I called them the next day to say I wanted to change it from white to cream and they said I should wear white – they didn’t let me change. Then I found my dream dress. 'When I found out I couldn’t cancel I

started looking for ways to sell it. 'I didn't know about the price calculator, I just figured that I would knock $1,000 off and someone would be thrilled.'Mrs Emerson sold the dress to a 'sweet' bride planning a Great Gatsby/flapper theme and says that she will attend her wedding next year. Something old: Julie Buratti Buthman sold her Elizabeth Fillmore dress for an impressive $1,400 (posed by model) 'I was never going to wear the dress again' THE BRIDE: Julie Buratti Buthman June 12, 2012 at the Devon Boathouse in Oklahoma City The Elizabeth Filmore Evie dress decided to sell my wedding dress because I knew that I was never going to wear it again and it would just sit in a closet somewhere. selling the dress, someone else could enjoy the dress as much as I did. don't know any details about the [buyer's] wedding, but I do know that she is a fairly young bride just graduating college this year.' 'It was expensive, so getting some of the money back makes sense'