I dyed my wedding dress!

This past week I decided I wanted to try to dye my wedding dress.  We were invited to go to a wedding on our wedding anniversary and I have always wanted to wear it again so I figured it was perfect timing.  However, I didn't want to be "that girl" wearing ivory and lace at a wedding.  I started wishing I had planned better and had the dress dyed.  After thinking long and hard about whether I will ever actually wear it again if it stayed ivory, I decided to go for it and dye my wedding dress.  I have dyed quite a few things so I am very familiar with the process but I was still super nervous that I might end up ruining the dress.  

Here are a few before photos from my wedding:  

So, as you can see, my dress wasn't a traditional dress.  It's a great cocktail party dress style.  The only thing in the way was the color.  So, I decided to GO FOR IT!  The dress is satin underneath with a lace overlay.  I knew the fabrics would take the color differently based on the internet research I did.  Lace takes color fast.  Satin, not so much.  This worked to my advantage!  I got the entire dress soaking wet in hot water and boiled some water on the stove.  I used an old plastic tub for the dying and sat it inside our bathtub.  I poured the boiling water into the tub and filled the rest with water as hot as possible.  I mixed the dye using a full bottle of RIT liquid purple and I added a dash of RIT liquid black.  I really just guessed on the amounts.  I put the dress in sopping wet and stirred non-stop.  The directions said to do it for 30 minutes but at 20 it started getting darker than I preferred.  I pulled it out early rinsing it with water starting with hot and gradually getting colder.  After that I stuck it in the washer on cold delicate and worried non-stop that it would work out.  After the short wash I hung it to dry.  As it dried it lightened up a bit and became the PERFECT color.  The satin took the dye as a pinkish-blush color and the lace is a deep plum.  I didn't do anything special to it at all, it just turned out that way.  I actually think it looks better dyed.

I was so excited to try it on!  I was really worried it might shrink in the process but I don't think it did.  So glad that it still fits perfectly after 6 years!  Many of the guests at the reception were family and my dress was recognized right away.  Lots of compliments and "how did you do that?"  I'm so glad I dyed it and I can't wait to wear it again.