If you have already purchased your wedding dress, you need to decide whether to keep the dress or sell it. You may opt to keep the dress for a future wedding or have it altered to be worn for another special occasion. If your gown is still on order, it may be possible for you to cancel the order and pay a cancellation fee. Some shops require full payment, regardless of the circumstances. If a large deposit has been put down and the shop will not refund your money, there are several options to recoup some of your losses:

• Ask the bridal shop owner if they ever hold ‘sample sales’ where in-store samples are sold. If they do have these kinds of sales, ask if your gown can he included in their sale.
• Consider selling your dress in a local consignment shop or at an online auction site.
• Donate it to a local charity and claim it as a tax deduction.

The etiquette guidelines (and in many states, legal guidelines), dictate that if an engagement is broken, the bride should immediately return the ring to her former fiancé. Even though you may feel like keeping the ring or throwing it into the ocean to spite your former fiancé, you will need to take the high road and return the ring. The only exception is if the ring is an heirloom from the brides family.

Any wedding gifts should be returned to the person who gave the gift. Make sure to include a note explaining why their gift is being returned. If the gift is engraved or personalized, you are not required to return it.