Katie Lolas did the unthinkable to her wedding dress, with stunning results

A Sydney woman has revealed why she did the unthinkable and decided to chop away at her wedding gown — despite its expensive price tag.

It’s a dilemma most brides face after their big day — “what do I do with my wedding dress?”

The dry cleaning fee alone can cost hundreds of dollars only for it to spend its time collecting dust in the cupboard.

Sure you can opt for a preservation kit, but before you know it, it’s been two years and your dream dress is still exactly where you left it; boxed under your bed or hanging in the wardrobe.

That’s exactly what happened to Sydney teacher Katie Scarlet Lolas.

The 33-year-old had every intention of wanting to do something with her dress, but instead it sat unloved in her wardrobe for a year.

Sydney teacher and lifestyle blogger Katie Scarlet Lolas bought her wedding dress for $1800 from Karen Willis Holmes. Picture: Supplied

She bought it off the rack. It was the first dress she tried and immediately fell in love with it. Picture: Supplied

“It’s by far the most significant piece of clothing I had worn and I said to myself, ‘I am not having it sit in my cupboard for another year’,” Ms Lolas told news.com.au

That’s when she decided to find a creative way to wear it again.

She gave it the “chop” and transformed it into a multifunctional cocktail dress.

“I felt sad having to box it up and sit there doing nothing,” she said.

“So a couple months after my first wedding anniversary (August 26, 2018), I decided to take it to my local tailor to ask if he could do anything with it.”

It stayed in her cupboard for a year before she decided to give it the ‘chop’ and transform it into a cocktail dress. Picture: Supplied

It cost her $250 to get it tailored and she plans on wearing it every year on her wedding anniversary. Picture: Supplied

Ms Lolas had bought her elegant, hand-sequenced wedding dress from Australian designer Karen Willis Holmes for $1800.

It was the first dress she tried on and the only dress she wanted.

“I walked into the shop, saw it on the rack, grabbed the size 10, tried it on and it fit like a glove. It was so perfect. I didn’t need to get it tailored, altered or taken up.

“It fit so well and I felt so special in it. I actually didn’t have any idea of the style of dress I wanted, but as soon as I tried this on, I knew it was going to be it.”

Her local tailor was able to transform it into an equally as elegant dress that Ms Lolas wore to a New Year’s Eve event.

“He dry cleaned it and tailored it all for $250 which I thought was reasonable given there was lining underneath, delicate fabric and hand-beaded sequence,” she said.

“To pay another $250 and have a multipurpose cocktail dress is a win.”

She wore it for the first time for this year’s NYE event in Sydney. Here she is with her hubby of (nearly) two years Scott Grant. Picture: Supplied

Despite giving the dress a trim, Ms Lolas said it hadn’t lost its sentimental value, and if anything, she loved it even more now that she could wear it again.

With her wedding anniversary coming up in just a few weeks, Ms Lolas, who also runs a lifestyle and fitness blog, plans on whipping out her all-new dress.

“This might sound cheesy, but I am going to wear it ever year on my wedding anniversary,” she said.

“I also kept the remaining fabric because, universe willing, if I have children one day, I can make something out of it for them as it’s such lovely fabric.”