Our Mission

Here at Something Borrowed we know that brides are becoming more conscientious about having the wedding of their dreams but not at the expense of the planet, or a bank balance in the red. As we all consider how to protect our planet for the future generations, the idea of buying a brand-new wedding dress that is only worn for one day, starts to become questionable. We know mindful brides are looking to buy a wedding dress second hand and believe you should be considering what bridal rental can offer you. We feel that the environmental and monetary cost of your dress should not taint the love story you have with this extra special garment. Instead, we encourage you to consider a wedding dress as a lifelong piece, to be worn at many, many happy occasions, passed on from one starry-eyed bride to another. Here at Something Borrowed our commitment is to provide you with that stunning dress, the one that makes you feel incredible, without any guilt of the cost or the environmental impact weighing on your mind.

Why Borrow

Now hiring clothing is not a new concept, it started out as something that celebrities did to ensure they had that to-die for dress without the big investment for one-occasion wear. In fact, clothing rental, and wedding dress rental, is now embraced as an answer to our increasingly concerning fast-fashion crisis. More and more we are educating ourselves on being responsible in terms of the waste we produce, so it is no surprise that keepbritiantidy.org reinforces the need for consideration, when informing us that 10,000 items of clothing are sent to landfill every five minutes.

By borrowing your wedding dress, your bridesmaid dresses, or the mother of the bride’s outfit, you can avoid adding to these saddening statistics. Further to that, hiring your wedding dress, or bridal party dresses, means you can reduce the cost of your wedding wardrobe and instead dedicate some of your budget to other aspects. Perhaps to your wedding rings? An item you will wear everyday for the rest of your lives, a much savvier way to invest the money saved on your wear-once clothing.

We are also big believers in tradition and wearing something borrowed has long been considered good luck. Usually, the item is lent to the bride from a family member or friend who is happily married, with the intention of passing on that happiness to the newlyweds. This sentiment of sharing and passing on happiness through clothing, is one we embrace. Our renewed dresses come from brides who wish to give ongoing life to their dress, so they can feel happy knowing that it isn’t stored away in the attic, but instead, is undertaking an extremely important role in another story of happily ever after. Something Borrowed focuses on providing the opportunity for like-minded women to come together and support each other through one of life’s biggest milestones. If you have a dress stored away and are now thinking ‘selling my wedding dress feels right to me’, then please get in touch to discuss this with us.

How It Works

So, you can see that it makes sense to borrow your dress and now you want to understand how wedding dress hire works. Well, we are committed to a transparent process that offers the flexibility you need whilst laying out all the finer details.

The first step is to browse our range of pre-owned, ex-sample and some new dresses that have been carefully selected for rental such as the sophisticated OUI THE LABEL. When you find the one and are ready to confirm your booking you just decide on the dates you will need to borrow it for. We offer rental periods of 4, 7 or 14 days to give you the flexibility of your dress arriving well in advance of your wedding and giving you time afterwards to return it. If you would like a longer rental period, please get in touch to discuss. The price increase reduces as the length of rental increases, so having your dress for longer doesn’t mean twice as expensive. Please consider the time you will need, as it is imperative for the next bride-to-be that we receive the garments back within the timeframe agreed, a charge will be incurred for any late returns.

If there are few dresses that are calling you, never fear, we have a solution. We believe that hiring your wedding dress isn’t about compromising on finding the right dress for you and understand the importance of feeling your very best on your special day, which is why we offer an at home try-on service. You can select up to three dresses to try for style and fit, in the comfort of your own home. There is a small fee for this service which is credited towards your final hire costs if you do proceed. Or if you need a helping hand from one of our friendly team, we can arrange a one-to-one session to share our professional advice in choosing the one.

If you require some alterations to perhaps shorten the length of the dress, let out or bring in the dress, this can be discussed at the point of rental agreement. Any alterations must be reversible so we can ensure that the dress is wearable for future brides. Once you have your requirements, please get in touch so we can work with you to find the best approach.

Once you have placed your order, relax knowing your beautiful dress will arrive to your chosen address ahead of your day. Your wedding dress will arrive wrapped in beautiful, sustainable packaging with every bride receiving a surprise gift and note from the team to show our gratitude for allowing Something Borrowed to be a part of this lifelong memory.

We do require you to take responsibility for the garments when in your possession, please refer to our guidance on costs of repair or replacement in the case of an accident or loss. We will take care of the dry cleaning of the dress, so you do not need to consider that within your timeframe or budget. We are proud to have partnered with Oxwash who clean all our items using their net-zero carbon emission cleaning processes – they even collect the dresses from us on their electric cargo bikes, how cool?

When you are due to return your items, do not worry, it couldn’t be simpler. We provide you with a returns label and packaging. You simply enclose the items within the bag or box provided and carefully seal, returning them via your local post office or if based in London or Wales, you can speak to us about our handy drop off service.

Get in Touch

Our team would love to hear from you with any questions you might have about the dresses, the services we offer, the process or even just to talk all things preloved bridal. We provide you with the best service that doesn’t fall short of what a bride-to-be deserves, nothing but a listening ear, a caring and understanding approach and of course, genuine excitement for supporting you in finding that perfect dress for your wedding day.

In the meantime, you can also take a look at our frequently asked questions here.

Finally, we understand that the pandemic has caused, and has the potential to cause, real disruption to weddings and this can be an added stress for our brides. Please rest assured knowing that we offer cancellations, and flexibility around dates, to support you if you are required to adjust your wedding plans around restrictions.

Please do join our community of like-minded women by following us on Instagram and Facebook. You can also stay up to date with the latest news and advice via our monthly newsletter here.