Spanx founder Sara Blakely: ‘I’ve lent my wedding dress to 11 other brides’

Sara Blakely (pictured on her wedding day), says of renting out her dress: ‘It’s great for the planet and creates a community. I can’t recommend it enough’

Thanks to a rhyme said to have originated in Lancashire during the Victorian era, many brides incorporate “something borrowed” (alongside something old, new and blue) into their wedding outfit. But increasingly, women are choosing to lend and borrow the wedding dress itself.

Sara Blakely, founder of shapewear brand Spanx and hybrid “stiletto-sneaker” brand Sneex, has gone viral on social media for sharing the story of how she has lent her wedding dress to 11 other women over the last decade – with a 12th in the pipeline. The “sisterhood of the travelling wedding dress” has gained traction on TikTok and Instagram, with a video featuring a montage of images of different brides wearing the same dress, by New York-based designer Edgardo Bonilla.

“The first time I decided to lend my dress it was to a stranger. I don’t know why but I felt called to ask her if she wanted to borrow it. She probably thought I was crazy,” says Blakely. “But at the very last minute, she wore it and then it took on a life of its own. One of my best friends also borrowed it for her wedding. When the pandemic happened, I saw all the brides impacted and wanted to help in a small, meaningful way. Since then, other amazing women from all over the country have worn it.”

Clearly, it’s a popular idea. Blakely now posts regular call-outs on Instagram to find more brides-to-be, and her team manages dates, shipping and dry cleaning logistics. She doesn’t worry about it getting damaged, and instead thinks of it “as a dress that has a whole lot of love and good juju”.

“Why keep something so special hanging in your closet to collect dust?” she says. “It gives new life and new meaning to a dress we (sometimes) spend years dreaming about. It’s also great for the planet and creates a community. I can’t recommend it enough.”

Musician Nataly Dawn, pictured with husband Jack Conte, has been among the recipients of Blakely’s wedding dress

The most recent member of the “sisterhood”, business founder and professional speaker Jessica Maren, wore Blakely’s dress for her wedding despite the fact that the “fit was slightly off” when she initially tried it on. “I’m blessed with some wonderful friends who immediately knew how to help me out,” says Maren. “A few safety pins and a creatively tied ribbon were all the dress needed to fit even better than I could have imagined.”

To meet growing appetite for this more eco-friendly, economical route, dedicated wedding dress rental companies have grown in recent years. One is Something Borrowed, which was founded in 2021 after its founder Christie Doyle-John witnessed just how wasteful the wedding industry can be when she got married. She says interest in her company’s postal rentals has increased of late, particularly for cult pieces like Vivienne Westwood’s popular Cocotte style.

“More brides are becoming conscious not just of cost, but of how much use and longevity they can get from the pieces they choose for their wedding,” she says. “It’s exciting to see the growing momentum around bridal rental heading into 2026.”

For a Covid-era wedding ceremony, Blakely lent her dress to LeJeanne Thomas - Michelle McDowell

Meanwhile, Rixo has added bridal pieces to its popular rental site to meet customer demand. Then there’s peer-to-peer platform By Rotation, which has more than 1,000 wedding gowns, as well as suits, sarees and lehengas, and bridal accessories, available to rent from its own “Something Borrowed” edit.

Sarah Allard, Conde Nast Traveller’s digital director, recently rented her Vivienne Westwood Nova Cora wedding dress via By Rotation. “Renting is a brilliant way to wear a designer dress for a fraction of the price,” she says. “I always knew I wasn’t the type of bride to spend thousands on an expensive, custom gown, but I also felt quite uninspired by some of the high street options when I began looking around. I ended up renting my dream dress and had so many compliments.”

There are also those who, like Blakely, choose to lend and loan their dresses directly, relishing the chance to extend their investment and see their dress being reinvented. Two years after wearing it herself, PR director Rosie Lillis lent her Halfpenny dress to her friend Pip Durell, the founder of British clothing brand With Nothing Underneath.

“Wedding dresses are ridiculously expensive so it was a total joy to be able to loan it to Pip on her big day,” says Lillis. “I knew that she would style it in a completely different way to me. She did hair down with a huge statement necklace and I did hair up with some big chandelier earrings.”

A wedding dress also carries deep sentimental value, of course, as my sister Olivia found out when she lent her Clinton Lotter gown to our sister-in-law, Daisy. “I was due to give birth on the day of the wedding so couldn’t make it, but it felt like a small piece of me was there through the dress,” says Olivia. “Nothing made me happier than seeing the pictures of Daisy wearing my dress – or our dress, I should say.”

Daisy, sister-in-law to Olivia and The Telegraph’s Jessica Burrell, wore Olivia’s Clinton Lotter gown for her wedding

It’s always a moving experience to see a bride walk down the aisle. But when the dress they’re wearing has a history, it can be even more meaningful. The fact that sharing can help the planet and save money at the same time are welcome bonuses.

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