After over fourteen years as an Army spouse, I did something new and rented my ball gown for the very first time. I loved the whole experience and would definitely do it again. Here are seven reasons why you should rent your next ball gown.

1. It saves money. We’ve had a walk-in closet for only three out the 14 years we’ve been married, and only one of those was large enough to hold all of our clothes. As a coping mechanism, I’ve moved to a quality over quantity philosophy when it comes to clothes. But, purchasing a quality ball gown can be really expensive, and that’s before the cost of accessories, beauty treatments, babysitters, and the tickets. Using Rent the Runway, I was able to rent a $920 Rebecca Taylor gown for only $70, so I was able to wear something out of my price range for an evening, and I felt reasonably certain I would not be dressed the same as anyone else at the ball. Rent the Runway actually has a bricks and mortar store near me so I was able to try on my gown and then arrange to have it shipped to me two days before the event, allowing time to have them overnight me something else if something was wrong with the dress or it didn’t fit. If you don’t have the luxury of having a store near you so you can determine the right size, the rental price includes the shipment of dresses in two sizes so you can choose which one fits the best. Then after the event, all you have to do is put everything back in a prepaid envelope and send it on its way. Super easy. My only issue with Rent the Runway is that they don’t yet ship to APO addresses, which alienates a bunch of military spouses. Hopefully that will be coming soon!
2. Styles change. Two years ago when I was shopping for a ball dress, I fell in love with a gorgeous ombré dress that graduated from turquoise to navy. I just couldn’t spend the money on it though because I know that it would get dated very quickly. Levels of formality change too. While I felt perfectly fine in a knee length dress in Germany, here in Washington D.C. the majority of the ladies seemed to be in tea or floor length gowns. And, while I chose a tasteful strapless style, I think next year I’ll go with a little more coverage on the top as well.
3. Your size changes. Special occasion dresses tend to have a precise fit. If anything has changed since the last time you wore the dress you might not have the fit you’re looking for. And, if babies are involved, you might find that even when you get down to your old size, your clothes fit a little bit differently.
4. You won’t need it again. My sister got married over 10 years ago and I still have my floor length bridesmaid dress in my closet. It is red and came in two pieces and I’ve been hanging onto it all of this time because I keep thinking that the skirt at least will come in handy for a holiday event. I haven’t worn it since the wedding.
5. You don’t want to repeat. If you happen to stay at the same duty station for a little while you don’t necessarily want to repeat the same dress to the same function year after year. And, perhaps you want to see some variety in your photos.
6. You don’t have room in your closet. Back to the closet again. Why take up precious space with dresses that you might wear once a year, if that?
7. You don’t want to move it. We all have special items that we don’t want the movers to touch. And, if you paid a lot of money for a ball gown, you’re probably going to worry about it making its way to your new duty station unharmed. I felt tremendous relief when I dropped my gown off at the UPS Store. I had fun playing dress-up for an evening and I know that next time I need a full-length gown, I can choose something new, exciting, and extravagant.

Would you ever consider renting a ball gown?