Why I Chose Pre-Loved For My Wedding Day

Under the blazing July sun in a Grecian olive grove, Kate Grainger (née Brewer), founder of Little Black Look, walked down the aisle in an ensemble that told a story as personal as her vows. Her look was not dictated by bridal boutiques or seasonal trends but by a commitment to slow fashion and a discerning eye for timeless style. Pieced together from preloved finds and reworked treasures, her wedding outfit became a love letter to sustainability and sentimentality – proving that thoughtful dressing can be just as luminous as new.

What inspired you to choose pre-loved pieces for such an important day?

I haven’t bought anything new for nearly four years now, so choosing preloved felt like the most natural decision. For me, it was important that even on such a significant day, you don’t need to default to buying something new to feel special. In fact, I think there’s something even more meaningful about wearing pieces with history and character. Slow and conscious consumption is at the heart of what I do through my business, Little Black Look, but it’s also a deeply personal value. Choosing preloved for my wedding was a way of staying true to myself while showing that sustainable choices can still feel beautiful and personal.

How did you go about sourcing your wedding outfit?

Sourcing is part of what I do for my business, so it felt natural to approach my wedding outfit in the same way. It’s always the fun bit for me, discovering unique pieces and knowing where to look. I already had an idea of the kind of look I wanted, and because I know my personal style well, I was able to recognise the right piece relatively quickly. I keep a close eye on trusted sellers and resale platforms, so when I found the top, I knew it was the first piece of the puzzle. From there, it was about building the outfit in a way that felt personal, considered, and true to me.

Tell us about the moment you realised the slip dress was ‘the one’.

The top came first and then I had a vision of what would work with it. Having no luck matching the colour of the top with a skirt I found online, something I knew would be a tricky exercise, it wasn’t until a fitting with my mum and best friend at her house that she brought out the custom made silk slip dress she had worn underneath her wedding dress years before, just to check the colour matched the top. She said I could use that as reference as it had never been cleaned since her big day and unwearable, or so we thought. I said, shall I just quickly try it on…and it fitted perfectly, the colour was a match and wearing the top with it, there was a moment where we all looked at each other and said, this is the one!

What challenges did you face when re-working the slip dress, and how did you overcome them?

The dress was not in a good way, being silk, the stains from wine spills, the train being grubby and the remanence of fake tan to contend with were not going to be easy to remove, if at all, but the fact that it was perfect in every other way made me determined to try and clean it.

First stop was the dry cleaners, this did not shift anything, so I took the plunge and decided to hand-wash it myself. Some of the marks did shift but there was one mark right in the middle on the front that wasn’t going anywhere, even after two hand-washes. Annoyingly this was also positioned slightly below the top so it would be visible regardless. I’d considered using the dress as a pattern to get it remade, until another friend suggested that I take the dress to my seamstress who I use for regular fixes for my business, to see if she could unstitch the front panel, reverse it and re-stitch is as the mark wasn’t noticeable on the inside of the dress. So, this is exactly what she did! It was such a transformation, and I was able to wear the ‘dress’ I had envisaged for my dream wedding.

What did wearing pre-loved mean to you on the day itself?

It was an incredibly special moment. The thing I love about preloved and vintage is that you are wearing pieces that have a history, that have their own stories. I wonder about the top and how the previous owner had worn it. But I knew that I had created something unique, that was completely me and true to the way I view and value clothes. Ultimately, every bride wants to feel her most confident, and wearing these pieces did that in every way.

What advice would you give to other brides considering pre-loved for their wedding?

Don’t jump for the latest trends, it’s easy to go there, but understanding your personal style and what makes you feel confident and ultimately ‘you’ should be your starting point.
Give yourself plenty of time, not only to source, but also to consider any potential alterations that might be needed.
There’s no need to default to bridal searches. The top I sourced was not a bridal piece; it was just a statement top that I saw the potential in and also intend to wear as a top for years to come.
Embrace it in the knowledge that you are finding something that is truly unique to you.