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A 1980s wedding dress gets a new life — as a Christmas tree skirt!

This woman turned her 1980s wedding dress into a fluffy Christmas tree skirt. Here's how to do it yourself!
/ Source: TODAY

You spend a lot of money on a wedding dress only to wear it once, but one woman figured out a way to break out her gown every year.

Tess Heidelberger turned her 1980s dress into a holiday decor staple: a fluffy Christmas tree skirt.

A 1980s wedding dress gets new life as a Christmas tree skirt
The dress — worn during Heidelberger's 1990 wedding — and the tree skirt it becameCourtesy of Tess Heidelberger

“I was putting away my Christmas decorations last year and I saw my old wedding dress in a dusty, old box with a cellophane window,” she explained to TODAY Home. “On top of the box was my Christmas tree skirt.” That’s when the idea clicked.

Heidelberger, who lives in South Carolina, says it was so easy to make. Here’s how:

  1. Buy a large plain tree skirt. It will be your pattern.
  2. Brace yourself for the first cut of the dress. Heidelberger said it was the hardest part.
  3. Cut the skirt off and set it to the side, then cut all the extra details off the dress (bows, appliques, etc.)
  4. Pin the wedding dress skirt on the tree skirt until you like the way it looks, then hot glue it into place.
  5. Add all the extra details to the top, wherever you’d like.
  6. Trim the skirt in pretty ribbon for a polished look.

A self-proclaimed crafting addict, this isn’t Heidelberger’s first project taking a sentimental piece and using it to DIY something new. In fact, her tree is topped with her old megaphone from her cheerleading days.

Megaphone tree topper
Megaphone tree topperCourtesy of Tess Heidelberger

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“My Christmas tree angel broke and I didn’t like the ones in the stores. I dug up my old megaphone and jeweled it from top to bottom and put it on top of the tree,” she said, adding that it fits perfectly. The megaphone is extra special since Heidelberger, her kids and other family members were cheerleaders.

As for the wedding dress tree skirt, she says her family loves that, too. And she’s obviously a big fan of the idea. “I love the fact that I can see my wedding dress every year under the tree and remember what an amazing day that was.”