But Loreal Hemenway and Stephanie Osmundson, two elementary school arts teachers in Henderson, Nevada, found a creative means to employ their wedding clothes again.
In January, their school officials sent an email to their students asking them to find the “hidden stone” in their closets in order to prepare for a professional development day with the theme “Back of the Wardrobe.”
While some of their coworkers wore vintage Letterman sports jerseys and jackets, Hemenway said, “we really dig certainly into the backends of our closets and use our marriage gowns to school.”
They decided to get their employees’ reactions and discuss the videos on their Instagram webpage,, which has over 270, 000 fans. Their clip, which they uploaded in January, has since had 11, 000 wants.
“There’s always a little bit of a shock value to everything, but at the end of the day, I don’t think anyone we worked with was even remotely surprised that we’d do that,” said Osmundson.
Having fun with the design
Hemenway has been teaching for ten centuries, and Osmundson has eight. Both women, who’ve shared an artwork- teacher place for three years, actually started in school, a grade they say allows more silliness and fun.
“If the teachers aren’t matching the energy of kids and bringing the energy, then what’s the point? So we’re often the ones that test and bring more fun aspect and proposal through costumes”, said Osmundson.
But Hemenway, who got married 10 years before, and Osmundson, who has been married for seven decades, just agreed to appear in their wedding clothes if the other one promised to as well.
The pals exchanged pictures of their clothes, which still fit after Hemenway dug out her dress from her old home in her parents’ home.
They also had the help of their men. The Hemenways and the Osmundsons celebrated by dancing in the house while the Hemenways took a photo up to commemorate their 10th celebration a little earlier.
“It was really romantic and meaningful”, Osmundson said. “I believe that was a benefit of embarrassing ourselves that day,” she said.
Then it was time to to display their associates.
Hemenway said, “We were very nervous and anxious about what it would look like when we walked into our staff.” So we waited until the place was fairly whole before entering, and we were just met with laughter and joy, which was fantastic.
In, the two women walk into the class in their bright, floor- size gowns, accessorized with their backpacks and waters bottles. Their colleagues can be heard laughing and cheering, and one yells out, “Oh yes”!
Osmundson believes that the situation teaches a valuable lesson.
Your students will enjoy what you do a lot, but just don’t be afraid to do it, she said. “A lot of the time, what you build up in your head is a fleeting thought in other people’s minds.”
Additionally, it turned out to be a surprising bonding moment with two additional employees who were wearing bridesmaid dresses.
“So, even though it can be intimidating, I still believe it’s worthwhile to try things that can occasionally irritate or embarrass us,” she continued.
Reusing and keeping a priceless item in mind
According to, which surveyed nearly 10, 000 US couples who got married last year, the average wedding dress cost in 2023 was about $2, 000.
Hemenway and Osmundson’s story is one example of how brides are finding creative, head- turning ways to get more wear out of their dresses. Some brides chose to do it, while others did it off.
Some brides choose to professionally preserve their dresses, which can cost between $250 and $1, 000, the Knot reported. Before wrapping and putting the dress inside a box, the procedure includes cleaning and restoring it.
For rehearsal dinners or receptions, it can assist a bride in passing their dress down to a younger generation or to convert it into a different piece. A bride might also be able to sell their dress with preservation.
Hemenway’s dress from Bowties Bridal cost around $1, 800, while Osmundson’s cost around $1, 000 from Brilliant Bridal. Before this experience, they hadn’t meticulously stored their dresses, but now they want to be more intentional about preserving them.
“I think moving forward when we put ours away, we showed them a little bit more love and affection”, said Hemenway.
After all, there could be another dress- up day.