sarah · dessen

I hate the class I'm in right now. I wish I had your new book to read.

I feel overwhelmed by clutter too. Actually, I'm not sure overwhelmed is the right word. Maybe..guilty? I shouldn't have so much stuff (most I don't need) while there are poor people close by pushing shopping carts with all their stuff in them. Do I really need another pair of basketball sneakers? I am, however, seriously overwhelmed by so much media in our house. We have like a zillion HBO's and other cable channels, sirius satellite radio (which I actually love). Too much!! One thing I did get in '05 is a good old fashioned charcol grill. We love the taste of meat cooked on charcol. Maybe next, I'll put the antenna back on the roof and watch free tv. Most of the stuff we like is free anyway..Gilmore, Smallville etc. Will I feel better then?

-Drew

Haha. I hate hate hate the class I am in right now! and am DYING to read your new book!!

I don't think throwing away your wedding dress is bad luck, per se, but maybe you would feel a little bit better about it if you brought it to a consignment store? It's not exactly throwing it away, its more of a rebirth for the dress itself. Then again, I've never been married, so what do I know about it? :)

I, too, am not overly fond of my non-heirloom wedding dress... but I'm keeping it on the off chance I ever have a girl... not so she can wear it for her wedding, but so she can use it for a dress-up dress as a child. It would, sadly, make the perfect "Glenda the Good Witch" costume.

De-cluttering is one of my top resolutions too. I don't think I could part with my wedding gown. I am quite attached to it, though.

My mother gave away her wedding dress a couple years ago. It wasn't a gown or anything spectacular and I don't think she has any regrets about it because no one was ever going to wear it again, so I say go for it. She and my dad are still together, by the way, and have been for 25+ years, so I don't think it's bad luck.

I don't think it's bad luck... but I would either take it to a consignment shop or e-bay it rather than throw it out... unless the dress is stained from champagne...

it's so funny that lots of women want to save their dress for their daughters, but really, how many people do you know who wore their mother's dress? I don't know any!

Go for it! Purge!

Keep the dress!!
As for cleaning, just take it slloowwllyy so you don't get overwhelmed. I love giving my stuff away. It gets out of my house and I'm helping someone else who needs it more than I do.

I've often had the same debate with myself about the wedding dress. All packed away in its post-wedding, post-dry-cleaning box, it takes up almost an entire closet all by itself! Also, I got married when I was pretty young - have now been married eight years - so my tastes have completely changed and when I look at the pictures now I wonder what in the heck I was thinking. If I could do it all again tomorrow, there's NO WAY I would pick that dress! But it's still my dress. And what if I have a daughter who wants to wear it? Or a niece? Or what if I'm 85 and find it in the closet and it's able to make me feel like a young girl again?

My dress is currently in a closet at my mother's house in Missouri, as I live in California and can't afford enough living space to give up an entire closet to a dress box. When I finally do have space, I'm going to really have to make the decision - to keep or not.

I'm on the fence myself, is what I'm saying here, so I'm not any help to you at all. :)

I'd keep the dress. It can always become a family heirloom... (No pressure though, heh.)

If you can't part with the dress, flat-box store it and maybe your mother can stick it under a bed at her house. That way it's not gone forever and ever.

My mother cut up her wedding dress from her first marriage and made it into more of a coctail dress...which she hasn't worn for years, but she still gets to look back on it and think about how she transformed a gown from a marriage that didn't end so well into something different and beautiful (I'm reading too much into it. She's just a total pack rat).

i feel horrible w/ all the clutter i have. it's like a have so much crap i don't use && other people could. in this i once read called "the gospel according to larry" the boy would only let himself own 75 things (not including food or that stuff) but it included like clothes && cds && books && stuff like that. i wish i could do that but i don't think i could get rid of that much stuff. *sigh* sadly materialistic i know. but i'm excited about the book there r like 50 books i want && none of themm come out till april or may!!! patience patience.

*~*Ryanne*~*

My suggestion would be to cut a little piece of material out of it before you let it go. My mother did this with her wedding dress and made a little handkerchief out of it. I pinned it inside my wedding dress when I got married and it was my something old!

I love organizing and getting rid of stuff. It's so much fun.

I need to de-clutter my closet too. I have piles of clothes I never wear and another pile sitting in the spare bedroom to go to goodwill. I don't really like throwing things away.

Good luck!

I know someone mentioned giving your dress to a secondhand store, but instead of that, you might want to see if a local middle/high school needs one for their drama department.

http://www.vintagevantage.com/products_new.php?productcat_id=1&product_id=899&color_id=24

only $93 wow..
i forget which guy you like but when i saw this i thought of your 90210 obession lol

My mother's wedding dress has a neat story behind it.

She had ordered a dress from a dress shop in our town. It was going to be about $400. Mind you, this was in 1982. Her mother called her and told her she should go to this neighbor's yard sale. There she found the prettiest wedding dress for $30. She was able to try it on and it fit like a glove. She got the $30 dress instead. I'm 16 and no where near getting married, thank goodness. I'm really glad she's kept her dress though, because I love the bottom of it. I plan to use the bottom portion of the dress but then have someone redo the top to modernize it. If that never happens I want to at least cut a part of the dress and have it sewn in mine.

I think you should keep the dress. Someday your daughter may want to use a piece of it or something. Also, it could be the perfect dress up dress for a little girl.

Don't throw it out!
What if someday you have a daughter and she wants to wear her mother's wedding dress to her own wedding?
Or some other such scenario.

So I had to do a project for english and involved:

1.)picking an author
2.)researching them
3.)reading their books (2-3 of them)
4.)writing a report...obviously!

Well I picked you as my author (along with most of my class) and I'm so glad because I really enjoyed "Someone Like You" and "This Lullaby". Something about your stuff makes me want to keep reading. It's crazy. And, while researching, I noticed that you have a new book due in the spring! I'm seriuosly excited and CAN NOT (repeat) CAN NOT wait!!!!!!

I should probably go though, because that whole report thing I mentioned...yeah....it's due tomorrow. Hahahaha

I'll let you know my grade later....maybe.

Well, even though I'm all about getting rid of clutter.
(I had to organize my Father's entire house). Oh Lordy, that wasn't pleasant.
Anyways, I think a wedding dress is something nice to show your future daughter(s).
Maybe that's just me.

It might not be bad luck, but that necessarily means its good luck. I think you should keep the dress. My mom didn't,but if you choose not to, you should give it to a second hand store as someone else mentioned.

I'm a person who's big on keeping things to have them and remember them in the future. And I mean things like old diaries, notes being past in class (...some at least), yearbooks, and cards. So, I'd say keep your wedding dress...for the memories. Plus, wedding dresses are much more treasure-able than cards...so, yeah, definitely keep it!

-Natalie

[p.s. I can't wait for your new book to come out!]

Naw! Its not bad luck to throw away some fabric! You already got the man? so why hold onto something that a) you'll never wear again, and b) you'll never wear again? Pointless. I think a lot of us could should take heed of your initiative to do some new year cleaning. (Me primarily) well happy new year!

I've got three words for you: Reduce, reuse and recycle.

Technically thats 4 words because of 'and' but you get my point?

Keep the dress, but vacupac it (as seen on t.v.). You will be able to suck it down into an inch or two, perhaps more if your dress is extremely puffy, and then just stick it under your bed or slide it on the top shelf of your closet.

Hi, my name is Eliza, and just so you know, your my favorite writer. Because of this, I have a HUGE english report that im doing on you and your books, if its alright, can I ask you some questions about your writing skill and stuff?

- Eliza.

De-cluttering is so incredibly lovely. I feel like I'm breathing in new air after it's all done. :-)

Hmm, I don't think it's bad luck to throw away your wedding dress, but I would go with your instinct. If you're really uneasy about throwing it away, then don't. But if you have no problem, then go with it! Ohh, and the idea about giving it to a consignment shop is great too :)

Hope you had an awesome day!
♥ Gail

I think you should keep your dress. My sister, who got married this past July, wore my mother's wedding dress from her October 1974 wedding. She had a lot of work done seeing as my mom's dress was long sleeved and high necked but it came out to be a beautiful sleeveless, sort of boatnecked gown when it was finished. Her dress wasn't specially preserved or anything either; my sister wore it even though it was a little bit off-colored from being in my grandparents' attic. Whatever you choose, good luck!

KEEP IT FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LATER,
TERESA g.

Getting your closet thing done is so freeing and it is my project for the month too or I should say one of my project....but it is so HUGE. Congrats when you finish! On your mark, get set----are you finished yet??

save it. you'll regret it later if you do. i'm only 12, but trust me. its a good thing. unless it's ugly. my mom showed me hers and it was this ugly black thing she wore when she got married in the justice of the peaces house.

hmm (those are really my initials)