Photo by Kanayo Adibe Photography from Eric + Laura's Glam Baltimore Ballroom Wedding

I have never thought about a dress as much as I have thought about my wedding dress. This is, I suppose, to be expected. It is, after all, “The Dress” but when I consider how many hours and how many dollars I and my family have put into my very gorgeous, very loved wedding dress, I cringe.

Perhaps this investment of both time and money is why I feel so strongly about what happens to my wedding dress after my wedding. I want to avoid what seems to be the inevitable fate of all wedding dresses: a long confinement at the back of a closet that ends with a pile of dress-shaped dust.

After doing a bit of research, four options became clear:

1. Donate It

While I may have spent my formative years being told that I only really love my wedding dress if my children have to pry it from my cold, dead hands, this isn’t actually true. Many dresses go on to have varied, interesting lives. Who knew?! One of the better known places to donate a dress is Brides for a Cause (where, full disclosure, I originally got my dress). With stores in Seattle, Tacoma, and Portland, Oregon, Brides for a Cause will accept wedding dress donations from anywhere. The only odd caveat is the dress has to be five years or younger (such a shame for vintage fans). Donations are tax-deductible and Brides for a Cause says 90 percent of their net income goes to charities and nonprofits that support women.

Another option is to get on the waitlist for the NICU Helping Hands’ Angel Gown Program, which uses wedding gowns to create burial gowns for families who’ve lost a baby. This program is so popular (they got 15,000 gowns in 2014 alone) that they now only offer a waitlist. Submit your information and then Angel Gown will contact you when a local seamstress is available. The process can take “several months,” per the program, and no, you can't get your dress back if you change your mind.

2. Sell It

I know I wouldn’t mind making a little money back on my dress. Brick and mortar wedding boutiques exist that are also consignment stores (see, Brides for a Cause) and, of course, there are 1 billion options for selling wedding attire online. A couple popular sites include Nearly Newlywed (Pay them $25 to handle the actual selling and get 60 percent of the listed sale price) and Still White (Pay a one-time fee of between $20 and $30, handle all of the actual selling and shipping, and get all of the sale price). You could also try your luck in resale Facebook groups like Bridechilla Buy & Sell ⁠— where I’ve already bought a pair of gold glitter Keds that I plan to be buried in.

3. Make Something Out of It

Despite how sacred a wedding dress may feel it is, after all, fabric and I suppose that means I can make things out of it. The obvious choice is, of course, another dress but why stop there? People make everything from quilts to Christmas tree skirts out of these things! The only limit is your imagination (and tolerance for hot glue burns).

4. “Preserve” It

Finally, I could just keep the darn thing! Nobody says you have to do anything with your dress but there are plenty of preservation options to help you spend your money because, well, the wedding industry. A personal favorite is BridalKare Gown Preservation. I like it for a few reasons: the unnecessary misspelling of “care,” the Barbie doll box/dress coffin for the preserved gown, and the ability to pay by gift card (thanks for the wedding gift, Grandma!).

Whatever I decide to do with my dress, I know one thing: Before whatever comes next, I’ll be thanking my dress. I know it sounds silly — and Kondo haters, skip this part — but all I want is a few seconds to hold my dress and think back on my wedding. This, after all, is the most expensive, most glamorous, most white dress I will ever wear in my entire life. I might as well say thanks.