I would donate it here:

https://www.angelwingsmemorygowns.org

Spanish, that's a very poignant website. Unfortunately, most of the gown is brittle and stained and probably wouldn't survive a cleaning so I wouldn't be able to donate it to that organization. I hope to make something with the lace from the bodice.

This was many years ago, but my always resourceful Mom shortened her wedding dress, dyed it black and wore it for a seriously gorgeous cocktail dress. She wasn’t the least superstitious, and had no qualms about dyeing it black (although my aunts did/LOL!). BTW, my parents were happily married until they passed in their nineties.

But . . . other than dyeing it (LOL), I’ve heard of:

- Cutting a wedding dress apart and using it to cover a baby’s bassinet.

- Using parts to fashion a small drawstring purse for a family bride(s) to carry at her wedding.

-Oh, and on a sad note, they’ve been donated to be made into gowns for babies who’ve passed to be burried in.

A ring pillow for their wedding?

Christmas tree ornaments, if they celebrate it. (Maybe Valentine's day decor, if they are into holiday decorating....)

I found these jewelry pouches, something like this might work. The grandgirls will probably not marry or have babies any time soon.

Theses two ring bearer pillows I made from my wedding dress and have been used in two weddings

My mother's wedding dress was also crumbling after 65+ years. Before our last moved, cut the lace tiers from the satin skirt and framed pieces for me and DD2. DD1 took her piece of lace. I already had a lot of my grandmothers' handkerchiefs framed between two pieces of glass. So I removed one and replaced it with lace. (top right, last house).

DD2 sent me a photo of what she wanted. Smaller piece on top of crumpled brown paper in a frame she already owned.

I tossed the skirt but kept the bodice. Once we moved, I removed its pieces of lace with beading on top, and also kept the satin covered buttons (up each arm and back) that were not coming apart.

Allison, the framed lace with the wide mat seems like something the girls would like! Thanks for the pic.

Following with interest. My mother (married in 1958) had a floor length veil trimmed with hand made lace from a friend in Switzerland. Unfortunately, it was not stored properly and the tulle is full of moth holes. I have it stashed away, hoping to find something to do with the lace. I thought if nothing else, perhaps one of my daughters may incorporate it into their bouquet or wedding undergarments. My sister had her dress cut down into a christening dress for her daughter. We had handed down christening gowns for our two daughters, so wasn't an option for us, but I thought it was a lovely idea.

nekotish, I've seen some blog posts about using parts of an old dress as a wedding bouquet handle/wrap. They look really lovely.

When my friend's son married, she repurposed her dress for the bride. She gave it to me to disassemble the skirt, and we used the lace to attach to a kimono type of satiny robe. She gave it to her new DIL to wear in the morning while all of the ladies were having hair done and getting ready ( destination wedding, just family.) The pictures were quite pretty.

Even if the granddaughters tend toward modern decor, I cannot imagine that a small lace pillow for a bed or bedroom chair would not be treasured and could look really quite perfect in such a space. I love the look of something just a bit incongruous in a room-sets the whole place off perfectly and the connection to their grandmother makes it even better.

I really like the frame idea. If the granddaughters are modern, this could be a nice balance, like when people pair antique art with modern furniture. (I only decorate with modern stuff and I'd happily hang something like that with my family photos.)

Be sure to use UV glass and keep it out of direct sun beams.

She has some lovely things: https://www.etsy.com/shop/CeciLeibovitz?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=1055938962

- a tray (almost exactly like Allison’s photo but with handles)

- cover a bottle stop (with a pretty bottle)

- magnets using those magnet sheets ( cut out shape, spray paint top, and cover top with lace)

- sachets

In the 1900s, the mother's wedding dress was used to make baby's Christening gown and then it was handed down to the next generations