Kevin Cotter was crushed when his high school sweetheart walked out after 12 years of marriage. When she moved out of their home in Tuscon, Arizona, she took all of her possessions except for her lace- and pearl-embellished white wedding dress. She told her soon-to-be ex-husband that he could do with it what he liked.
Mr Cotter decided to write a blog chronicling the 101 uses for the rejected dress.
So far, he has listed 23 uses, from a yoga mat to a pasta strainer, on "My Ex-Wife's Wedding Dress".
He has used the dress as an ice pack, a skipping rope and even a sports banner.
Mr Cotter aims to reach 101 uses and possibly publish a book about his experience in trying to find uses for a garment that usually only gets one outing.
He admitted he was distraught when his wife announced that she was leaving him last July.
"She had all of her stuff loaded and I couldn't help but notice because this bridal keepsake box was dead centre on the main shelf in the walk-in closet," he said.
"She said 'I'm not taking it,' and when I asked what I should do with it her reply was do whatever I wanted."
With the help of friends, he set up the blog. He confessed that his wife, who he has not named, was not happy to find out about what he was doing and asked him to stop.
But Mr Cotter has refused and has attracted hundreds of thousands of hits - and suggestions for new uses for the dress from his fans. One suggested that the dress be used to plug the hole in the leaking well in the Gulf of Mexico. Mr Cotter said he was "not sure how we will shoot this one" - each suggestion features a video showing the dress in action - but said he "really liked the idea".
The ex-wife told ABC news that, while she initially left the dress behind, she later requested that it be kept for her 9-year-old daughter.
She told ABC in an email: "I wish all the best to Kevin and hope he seeks counselling to deal with his anger and resentment.
"His determination, along with his family's support, to continue with this endeavor after his children and I have asked him to stop is incomprehensible."
The couple share custody of their two young children.
Mr Cotter said devising ways of using the wedding dress has helped him cope with the trauma of the break-up.
"This project is a therapy of sorts for me," he explains.
"Nothing about divorce is pleasant or easy and I will share some of my experiences and at the same time lighten them up with some creative uses for this dress I was stuck with."
Best uses for my ex-wife's wedding dress
Yoga mat
Painter's cover sheet
Ice pack
Skipping rope
Camera lens cleaner
Fire escape rope
Gym towel
Barbecue cover
Dog bed
Christmas tree skirt
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