Whether you're planning a Christening, a Bris, an Aqiqah, or any other type of naming or blessing ceremony, finding the perfect outfit for your baby can be a challenge. If you want to make the day as special as possible, why not consider having your wedding dress turned into a gown for your little bundle of joy? It's a great way to finally get your dress out of storage and put it to good use, and reliving your wedding memory will make your child's ceremony and even happier occasion. If you like the idea of passing your dress onto your baby, here's how to do it.

Step 1: Decide What Design You Want

The first and most exciting step of turning your wedding dress into a baby gown is deciding what kind of design you want. Generally, you'll have three main options. The first is to turn your dress into a miniature version of the original. This is a great choice if you're looking for a baby girl's gown, and it makes for an adorable photo album opportunity. Another option is to browse existing baby gowns for a design you like and get your wedding dress tailored to look like that. If you go this route, you'll need to make sure you look for gowns that use similar fabric types to your dress. Finally, if you want something completely unique, you can have a new design drawn up by a tailor. This lets you see your dress in a completely different light, and it's one of the best options for turning a woman's gown into an outfit for a baby boy.

Step 2: Find the Right Tailor

Unless you have a lot of experience with making clothes, you'll want to use the services of tailor or seamstress to turn your wedding dress into a baby gown. Ideally, you should look for someone who has experience converting wedding dresses into 'keepsake clothing'. Let them know the type of design you want, then ask to see examples of the work they've done before to gauge whether they're the right choice for you. If you're having a design drawn up from scratch, you'll want to see sample sketches too. The best tailor or seamstress will be one who's willing to take your input and combine it with their own expertise to turn the dress into an adorable and comfortable gown, romper or suit.

Step 3: Have the Dress Cleaned

If your wedding dress went straight into storage the moment your special day was over, you'll want to have it professionally cleaned before you send it off to your tailor. Wedding dresses can be easily damaged by typical washing products and methods, so be sure to find a company who are experienced in cleaning bridal gowns without damaging them. A good wedding dress cleaning company will also check for wear, age spots and tears, repairing them as needed so your dress is ready to be transformed into something for your baby to wear.