mrschuchrotobe
There is a great website called vistaprint in which you can get custom made postcards by loading your own wedding pictures and make great thank you cards. This would save you time and money since you would only need postcards stamps for these.

mrschuchrotobe
Go to missnowmrs.com you only pay $29.99 and get to fill out your information only once. Then print it out and either mail it in or bring it in in person dependending on what the website tells you to do all based on your state. It will save you TONS of hours on researching the correct paperwork, location, addresses, fees and even generic letters to send into credit cards, loans, etc.

biztuffles
BluDrag0n, most places will let you exchange them without the receipt when you tell them you just got married. They can sometimes look the receipt up in the system. Even if you don't get cash back, you should at least get a gift card to that store. If you don't know what store it was bought at, just try looking up online what stores sell that product and return it there.

BluDrag0n
Help! Several guests did not buy the specific glasses on our registry and bought something similar. Now we have 48 glasses (actual number) and no receipts. How can we return some of these and get something else with the money?

margaretdan
These are such helpful tips. Thank you.

crystalk128
I found this web site when I was looking for my dress. I wanted to buy from them but they didn't have a show in my area. All the money from the dresses sold goes to breast cancer research. I thought it was something meaningful for my dress since I really don't have the space to keep something I am never going to wear again. http://bridesagainstbreastcancer.org/

stephantebride
like reinabiltanza... my dress didn't cost as much as it would to preserve it! i'm not incredibly sentimental. i may get it altered, but i may just take it to good will or salvation army. not in the town i got married in-- my friends are super thrifty people, and the idea of them seeing my dress for sell seems kinda weird!

reinabiltanza
I got my dress (the JCrew Sophia dress) on ebay for $60, and I have no desire to preserve it and have it sit in a closet for 30 years. Instead, I am having it hemmed to tea-length and dyed so I can wear it for special occasions (like my anniversary!). Another "to-do" that I might add is to keep up with a healthy lifestyle and work-out routine, don't stop just because you don't have a dress to fit into anymore! I set a goal of running a 10K race a month after my wedding, and it feels great to be happy and in love and also the healthiest I've ever been!

momo1966
I used a local cleaners near my parents home. It cost $129.00 and my dress came back looking great and preserved. Don't know why I preserved it, don't know who would want to wear it, I have 2 sons. Was thinking about selling it to a consignment shop.....

shayc1225
For cleaning and preserving my dress I paid $290. I didnt think that was bad. I have to wait between 6 -10 weeks for my dress to be shipped back to me. I used the cleaning company that the store uses.

dindozo
IF YOU CHOOSE TO DO SO! C'mon KNOT, it's 2009. Not every bride is interested in following this patriarchal tradition. Why not make this an optional to do for those who choose to, rather than implying that it's a must-do (the way thank you notes are!)

Bpolson
Yeah it is very expensive, but I think it will be very worth it for your daughter to see someday.

alli1428
I just hate how expensive it is...I haven't had mine cleaned yet..

afrazee
You cannot be too careful about the cleaner you choose to handle your wedding gown. I took mine to a cleaner that had been in business for over a hundred years, specializing in wedding gowns. My dress came back with a crucial button, which seals the back of the dress, cracked into pieces. Make sure it is a location recommended by the store where you purchased the gown, or somewhere highly recommended by a friend. It is not worth it to go to a bargain cleaner.