Approximately 30 years ago, before HURR and By Rotation took the party-going world by storm, my mum got married in a rented wedding dress. Not a shopping-is-my-cardio type (preferring the cardio-is-my-cardio school of thought), the dress was not something she lingered over for long.
But back to the present day, more and more brides are veering from the traditional single-use approach to the ultimate sartorial choice and renting their wedding dress. Digital marketplaces HURR and By Rotation have democratised lending and show no signs of slowing down; bridal listings on By Rotation have increased by 130% ahead of 2024’s peak wedding season.
It has never been easier to opt for this ethical and cost-effective approach to your ‘something borrowed’. If you are interested in renting your wedding dress but unsure of how to go about taking the plunge, read forth.
Why rent?
Sustainability
When thinking about the environmental footprint of your wedding, ‘the dress’ is inevitably a hot topic. Wedding dresses are designed to be worn once (often only for a handful of hours) and tend to be composed of non-biodegradable synthetic materials such as chiffon. By going down the rental route, you mindfully extend the lifetime of a garment that would otherwise live a lifetime of loneliness, gathering dust.
It is for this reason that Arma Muksinovic, a “passionate advocate for the circular economy and a hater of waste,” wore a jacket from By Rotation on her wedding day. Arma later stepped over to the ‘lender’ side and decided to lend the main event, her Galvan Jumpsuit below. The jumpsuit that brought her such joy on her wedding day will “dazzle once more on the dance floor” for new brides and new love stories. In doing so, you may even make your money back on the original item. Eshita Kabra-Davies, founder of By Rotation and high priestess of sustainable style did exactly that.
Enhanced choice
Renting your wedding dress is the most prudent financial choice you can make when thinking about a wedding. It will free up more of your budget to put towards an extra-special honeymoon or shoes you may be more likely to wear again. It may also give you access to aspirational designers previously out of your budget. Perhaps this silver GANNI dress with puff sleeves, which retails for £525 but is available to rent from £16 on By Rotation. Or this Magda Butrym strapless gown, which can be yours for £60—a far cry from its £1376 retail price.
Renting your wedding dress does not mean compromising your aesthetic perspective. Make life easy and start with By Rotation’s ‘Something Borrowed’ edit or HURR’s ‘The Bride Edit’. From there, there is plenty to play with. Consider a romantic and lacy option like ‘The Lola Wedding Dress’ from Temperley London. Or for the effortlessly cool among us, something more paired back and 90s sleek, such as THE OWN STUDIO HALTER MIDI DRESS.
Maintaining sentimentality
For those who want to enjoy the sentimentality of a specific garment that can be kept forever, why not combine your rented dress with a bought accessory you can keep forever? My mum went down this route, accessorising her rented dress with a pearl-encrusted headband that still hangs on my dressing table today.
Or, vice versa, buy and keep the dress but build in a small piece of rented joy. Take this Simone Rocha Pearl Bag, for example, which received a “ridiculous amount of compliments” on By Rotation bride Emma Cripps’ wedding day.
Things To Consider
Who are you renting from?
By Rotation’s peer-to-peer communication gives you immediate access to your lender. So you can get up to speed on everything from sizing to styling via a direct messaging channel. By keeping in regular contact with her lender, Sofia Gamio quelled any anxieties she had about renting her veil. She says, “Ema [her lender] was brilliant; sent me lots of pictures and answered a million and one questions for me before I decided to go for it. It arrived plenty of time before the wedding, I loved it”.
Or at HURR, select a ‘top lender’, they are “the most trusted and best performing members of the HURR marketplace”. Or even better, choose a ‘managed account’, looked after in-house by the HURR team who oversee the ‘end-to-end rental process’. This includes everything from communication to dry cleaning.
And if you have a last-minute change of heart and decide to throw your feathers in the bin in favour of high minimalism, HURR can help. They offer last-minute rentals; all you need to do is drop them a message on their ‘Live Chat’ function.
Will the item arrive in time?
Never fear; most bridal rental services have built-in protections to help you avoid a logistical disaster with delivery. It is generally advisable to opt for an extended rental period to ensure peace of mind. For HURR this can be up to 30 days, and for By Rotation, the limit does not exist. You and the lender can agree the rental period.
If the possibility of lost post continues to make you feel nervous, choose HURR’s ‘managed accounts’ as they are guaranteed to be sent by ‘24-hour service with DPD, Packfleet, or FedEx’. Or utilise By Rotation’s new locations feature and arrange a mutually convenient day to pick up from a local lender.
Will the item look like the pictures?
It is always advisable to scout out the dress in person. It is worth paying a visit to your brand of choice’s dedicated store. Although being able to shop via HURR or By Rotation’s dedicated apps is a major pull for those who enjoy the convenience of avoiding the spiky elbows of Oxford Street crowds, nowhere else can you feel the dress, hold it up to the light, and maybe even twirl around in it. This way you can see how you feel before taking the plunge. You will leave inspired, but at the very least more informed.
Or utilise By Rotation’s new ‘locations’ feature to contact a local prospective lender. That way, you can ask to try the item on before taking the plunge to rent it.
An extended rental period will also allow for any hiccups to do with the condition of the item. If an item does unfortunately arrive in poor condition, By Rotation gives you the option to request a refund if you inform the lender and return the item within 24 hours. At HURR, the process is similarly a communication between you and the lender.
Will the item fit?
As with all online shopping, it is good practice to come equipped with your measurements. Then, if you are unsure about fit, you can ask the lender for the dimensions of the item and compare notes. Also, understand what brands fit you well; we know that sizing can vary greatly. If you are not yet sure, refer back to the last point and have an in-person inspection.
In the worst case scenario, you may need a refund due to fit. By Rotation leaves this down to the individual lender, so make sure to check their policy before proceeding. Elsewhere, HURR offers fit guarantees—a 100% refund (minus dry-cleaning and postage costs). And as a special treat, HURR deposits the dry cleaning fee into your account as credit.
An Overview
- Identifying what you want
- Perusing By Rotation and HURR, making full use of filter settings
- Renting your wedding dress in good time
- Saying “I do” and dance the night away
- Popping your item in the post
- Le fin
If you are interested in sharing the pre-loved joy with the rest of your party, By Rotation is offering a discount code that brides can offer to their guests (and, of course, use themselves). If you would like to set up the code, reach out [email protected].
Related article: The Best Summer Wedding Guest Dresses
