Aussie bride chops up her $1,800 wedding dress and the results are stunning

Australian high school teacher Katie Lolas has left her 136k Instagram followers stunned after she slashed almost a metre off the hem of her elegant - and expensive - wedding gown.

The 33-year-old chatted to Yahoo Lifestyle about why she decided to chop up the $1,800 dress by Aussie designer Karen Willis Holmes, which she wore on her big day back in 2017.

“It sat in my cupboard for an entire year after the wedding, but after our first anniversary I decided that that was really sad and that I needed to make use of it,” she said.

Before and after

Katie headed to her local tailor in Mosman, Sydney to transform the hand-sequinned, floor-length creation - “the most special piece of clothing I own” - into a cute and very wearable cocktail frock.

She admitted that she was nervous when she dropped her dress off, but was thrilled with the results which she told Yahoo Lifestyle cost about $260.

Katie debuted her “repurposed” dress at a New Year’s Eve party in 2018, and says that she got a huge positive reaction.

“I kept it a surprise but when everyone saw it they fell in love! Everyone who’d been at our wedding recognised it straight away.”

It got the tick of approval from Katie’s hubby, as well, who “thought it looked great.”

Seal of approval

Katie first shared the results of the dramatic dress makeover back in January in a post highlighting the eco-friendly “swaps and switches” she’s made in her life.

“This was by far my fave and I plan to wear it each year on our wedding anniversary! If you’ve got an old dress sitting in your wardrobe, maybe you can do the same for your next event instead of getting something new?” she wrote in the caption.

Katie’s many followers took to the comments section to gush over the remodelled gown.

“Gorgeous!! Such a great idea!” wrote one, while another was inspired to do the same with their own, writing, “I love the idea of repurposing my wedding dress! Where in Sydney did you do it?”

One bride said she loved the concept but admitted, “I just couldn’t do it to mine.”

Just do it!

Emily told Yahoo Lifestyle that she doesn’t regret her decision one bit, and even encourages other brides to do the same.

“I think it’s great if I can encourage others to do the same and make more sustainable choices,” she said.

In fact, she’s even heard that some women have taken her lead although she’s yet to see any pics.

Katie has kept the remaining metre or so of fabric from her dress for a very special reason: to make something beautiful for her future kids.

For now, she plans to wear the dress on her upcoming second wedding anniversary which her and her husband are celebrating with a weekend away at Hyams beach.

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