There are so many different reasons that you may want to dye your wedding dress. Maybe you are not into the traditional white and want your creative side to take over. Perhaps a slight off-pink is what you’ve been dreaming about as a little girl as it does make you feel like a princess.
But can a wedding dress be dyed? Of course! You can absolutely dye your wedding dress for any reason you’d like. While it is possible to ruin the dress if you don’t do it right, it’s not nearly as scary as it sounds. Chances are you will want a professional to dye your wedding dress, but the process isn’t as hard as you think.
There are a few ways to go about it so let’s explore your options for dying your wedding dress!
Can You Dye Your Wedding Dress?
It is entirely possible to dye your wedding dress; either you can do this yourself using a bucket soak or dip method, or you can take it to a professional to do it on your behalf. The latter is the recommended approach!
Besides, dresses are expensive, and unless you have experience in dying and knowledge of fabrics, it’s generally not a good idea to it yourself.
But why would you want to dye a dress, to begin with?
Well, you may have found the most perfect cut and style when it has come to your dream dress.
But white may not work for you.
Maybe it washes you out, or perhaps it’s just too bright to look at.
Thankfully, you can dye your wedding dress an off-shade that is still pastel-like but pops the dress a little more.
You could even be going for a super dark color or maybe very bright.
It’s your day so of course, whatever color you want to wear is up to you.
All you need to do is get a trusted dye and choose how you want to dye it.
Here are two ways your wedding dress can be dyed.
Bucket Soak
Having a bucket soak approach to the dress will completely color the entire dress.
You will have to leave the dress in the dye mix and water for the instructed amount of time.
When you dye the dress this way, it is important to move the dress around some to avoid having splotchy areas where the color build-up is stronger in some places than others.
This is why some people may find it better to use a professional than do it yourself.
Dip Dye
If you want to get an ombre effect, you will dip dye the wedding dress.
This will offer a beautiful dimension to the bottom of your dress, starting with the darkest, boldest saturation of the color at the bottom of the dress.
It will fade lighter and lighter until the color doesn’t appear at all.
If you are using multiple colors, it may be in your best interest to have a professional help you, as it can be challenging at times.
Where Can I Get My Wedding Dress Dyed?
The two best places to get your wedding dress dyed are certain bridal shops and high-end costume shops. Of course, you will want to ensure they are reputable outlets first and foremost.
There is no shame in calling in for help to get your wedding dress dyed! In fact, it’s encouraged.
You don’t want to ruin the pretty dress by doing it wrong so sending it out is totally fine.
But where do you send it?
You can send it to a number of bridal shops that offer this service as it’s becoming more and more popular.
There are some other options as well.
Bridal Shop
While not all bridal shops will do this, some will.
There is usually a catch with this as they may require you to have bought their dress in order for them to dye it.
This may be for liability reasons. That way, they don’t ruin someone else’s dress.
High-End Costume Shops
We aren’t talking about Halloween stores here.
Costume shops meaning costume jewelry and wear.
You may find this store supplying actresses and actors costumes for theater.
The reason this can be a good option is that normally they have designers on hand that know how to stitch jewels, dye clothes, and make alterations.
In some cases, this may be a better option than some bridal shops because they may be more accustomed to doing this more often.
How Much Does It Cost To Get A Wedding Dress Dyed?
Getting a wedding dress dyed can cost as little as $30 if you do it yourself, or up to and over $300 if you get a professional to do the work for you.
It depends on the complicity of your situation. If you do it yourself the costs come down immensely which is why some brides prefer trying it out.
You may find that higher-end stores charge more for their services. So, trying to find a local shop may be your best bet when searching for a good price.
Nevertheless, let us now take a look at the options and those factors which could influence the price:
Doing It Yourself
Doing the job yourself is ultimately going to save you a lot of money.
If the dress is already expensive, it will add to the price to have it dyed differently.
You will only have to pay for the costs of the dye, the bucket you will need to use to dye the dress, and possibly color remover if you happen to have a dress that already has dye in it.
This will probably cost you no more than $30 at most.
It can cost as minimal as $5, depending on the dye you get.
Hiring It Out
Hiring it out may shock you for price.
Dying your wedding dress can cost you a couple of hundred bucks.
It’s common to pay somewhere around $300 to get your wedding dress dyed for a basic bucket dye.
If you have to strip the dress of any previous colors, then you may pay more.
Something else that drives the price up is the dip dyes and any other kinds of special requests.
If you have certain fabrics of the piece that you don’t want to be dyed, it is more complicated and, therefore, more expensive.
Can A Bride Wear A Colored Wedding Dress?
What a bride wears to her wedding is completely up to the bride. So absolutely a bride can wear a colored wedding dress. It’s actually become more common to break traditions and stand out even more than you already do as a bride.
To feel authentic, women have been doing several things to their wedding dresses to give them a pop of color.
Here are some of the examples where a bride has changed up the traditional white.
Subtle Changes
One of the common themes that we have seen brides adhering to is pastels.
This is because they can be considered to almost look like off-whites when they are dyed so subtly.
This could be pastel pink, blue, green, purple, or any color really the bride wants to wear.
This sometimes is paired with a darker sash or belt of the same color to work with two tonings.
If the bride is really matchy-matchy, the sash may be the same color as the bridesmaid’s dresses or the groom’s color.
Ombre Dip Dyed
As mentioned, another style that has been really loved recently is the dip-dyed ombre look.
This can be beautiful having the chosen color faded into white. While this can also be matched with any of the wedding colors, it can also be an entirely different display using multiple colors.
The colors may mean something significant to the bride or just be an aesthetically pleasing look.
Jewels
Something that adds color to a dress without dying is adding colored jewels.
This is not a cheap thing to do as it can be quite extensive work for the seamstress.
Colored jewels can be applied in so many different ways and styles for the dress.
You may see it in a belt style across the midsection with an array of colored jewels in different styles or two-toned colors.
It may be organized in an ombre fashion like the dip-dye but instead just using jewels. It could be lined all over the top of the dress.
The options for this type of work are unlimited. You could even pair it with dying the dress.
It’s Your Day
While the white dress is a tradition that has been followed for so many years, things are changing.
Not everyone wants to wear a white wedding dress.
This is precisely why dying your dress has become more popular in the last few years.
You may feel like you want to go full-on vibrant and really try something different, or you may like the idea of having an off-white pastel-like color that has a hint of color to match your wedding party.
Either way, no one can tell you what you to wear.
The cost may make you feel a certain way, though.
It can certainly tack on a few hundred dollars to the total cost of the wedding.
While you can definitely do it yourself, you’ll want to make sure you know what you are doing.
The process itself isn’t complicated, but there is always room for error.
And since this is your wedding dress, it sorts of a one-and-done attempt.
You have options for sending it to bridal stores and costume shops.
It may cost you money, but you will be sure to get the job done right.
At the end of the day, you should have your dress in the color you want as it is one of the most memorable moments of your life!

Hey, I’m Allison – a recent bride, an expectant mother and the chief editor here at Everlasting Occasion. Here I document all the knowledge and experience I accumulated while researching and planning my dream wedding and ahead of our new baby. Here, I try to answer those many questions couples have when planning their dream wedding, while equally, helping expectant parents ahead of their new arrival!