How to Dye a Wedding Dress

There are many reasons why you might want to consider dyeing your wedding dress. Perhaps you're aiming for a specific color you’ve not yet seen on the market. Or, maybe you’ve already celebrated your wedding and are looking for a unique way to update your gown. Need to save some cash? Dyeing your ensemble is one way to help you stretch your bridal fashion budget.

According to professional tailor Shae Haning, individuals often opt to dye their wedding dresses for a myriad of reasons, including "a bride wanting to wear the dress on anniversaries, vacations, or even date nights instead of just stowing [it] away in a guest room closet." She further adds that dyeing a wedding dress is a common choice for those who want to hide any stubborn wine stains that couldn't be removed post-nuptials, or for someone who'd like to wear their gown in a new shade for a future vow renewal ceremony.

Regardless of your motivations, dyeing your wedding gown isn’t nearly as intimidating as it might sound. As long as you arm yourself with the right materials, are methodical during the process, and don’t cut any corners, it’s well within your reach to create a stunning, one-of-a-kind look that will leave you swimming in compliments. 

With that in mind, and to help you with this process, we put together a guide on how to dye a wedding dress in nine easy steps. Here's everything you need to know.

A Guide to Dyeing Your Wedding Dress

To complete this DIY project without completely destroying your workspace and garment, read on for our step-by-step guide on how to dye your wedding dress.

Establish Your Creative Vision

Determining the direction of your project early on is crucial, as not all dyes are created equal. For example, if you’re aiming for a deep, dark color like an inky black or royal blue, that’s a different process than adding a wash of color to a white dress or doing a dip-dye. Thus, establish the exact vision you have for your dress, as that will play a major role in the supplies you need to buy for this undertaking.

Check Your Fabric Type

Check your garment’s care label to confirm what type of fabric it is, as that will determine what type of dye you need to buy. More specifically, if your fabric has cellulose fibers, like those found in cotton, linen, or rayon, you’ll have the best luck with a fiber-reactive dye. On the other hand, materials like silk, wool, angora, and cashmere (protein fibers) typically respond best to an acid dye. And for synthetic fibers and blends like polyester, nylon, acrylic, and acetate, those materials will react best with a dispersed dye—though it will vary from synthetic to synthetic, so be sure to do your research beforehand. Be sure to also weigh your dress during this step since you'll need that piece of information later.

Set Up Your Workspace

Next, assemble your materials (listed below) and lay down a plastic cover to protect your surfaces. Additionally, look for a stainless steel sink or plastic container, like a bucket or a storage bin, that's large enough to contain your dress. Lastly, ensure you are in a well-ventilated area before starting this DIY project.

Materials Needed:

• Fixative
• Fabric dye 
• Dishwashing liquid
• Salt or white vinegar, depending on your fabric type
• Measuring cup and teaspoon
• Non-porous spoon or stirring stick
• Plastic cover to protect surfaces
• Rubber gloves and protective eyewear

Pre-Wash Your Dress

Using warm, soapy water, give your dress a good wash to remove any stains or finishes on the garment. Once it’s clean and well-rinsed, drain the soapy water and refill your receptacle with enough hot water for your dress to swirl around freely in—but leave your gown out of the bath for now. 

Mix Your Dye

Once your dress has been prepped, put on your rubber gloves and mix your dye according to the instructions on the label (using the dry weight of the garment to determine proportions). Pro tip: If you want a wash of color, stick to the suggested ratio; however, if you’re looking for an ultra-saturated shad—like deep magenta or emerald green—consider doubling the measurements.

Test a Swatch

Look for a piece of fabric to test out your dye before committing to the whole dress. Haning explains, "The best way to go about testing an idea is to use any scrap or sample fabric that you may have left over from alterations done to the dress. Often tailors will throw the extra material that may have been removed from the dress, such as during hemming, in the bottom of your dress bag. If you are lucky enough to have some of these scraps, this is the perfect way to try out a few ideas that will help you understand how well your wedding dress fabric will take the dye." You can also check near any seams on the inside to see if there’s an out-of-sight area that could be snipped out to serve as a swatch. 

Dye Your Dress

Now it's time to dye your dress! Add your wet garment to the dye bath and stir slowly and continuously for ten minutes to avoid splotching. The exact amount of time your dress should remain in the liquid beyond that point depends on the fabric, but an hour is just about the maximum. Once your dress hits the desired color, remove it from the bath and drain the container. 

Add a Fixative

To help extend the life of your garment's color, and to prevent any bleeding, you'll want to use a fixative once your dress has been dyed, notes Haning. To complete this step, refill your sink or bucket with hot water and add your fixative in the indicated ratios noted on the instruction label.

Rinse and Dry

Once you've added your fixative, rinse your dress in cool water until it runs clean. Finally, wash with mild detergent and warm water, then rinse your dress again and hang to dry.

Less than ten steps later, you’re now the proud owner of a unique, beautifully dyed wedding dress that you could never find in stores, for just the cost of the dye and fixatives.