The wedding dress, the mother and the daughter

Usually, I don’t post my clients’ photos on these pages, but I got an OK here from both of them, had to think of the best time to post it, and decided on around Mother's Day. 

About a year ago, I was contacted by a bride-to-be, Brittany, who wanted her “second” (some call it reception or just “fun”) dress made out of her mother’s gown. The original gown sat professionally preserved for 30+ years. We opened the box in my studio and discussed the changes to be made: yards of length to be removed, along with about 10 bows, sleeves, and a pile of tule and mesh that held the crinoline. I also needed to adjust the sizing some — all bodies are shaped differently! I’ve done similar work before, so I knew where to start. To my amazement, I found numerous pins hidden between dress’ layers, some oxidized from age; however, it didn’t alter the plans. In some spots, I needed to move pieces of lace from one area to another. 

The dress was made, and Brittany and her mother, Dawn, were happy with the transformation, as you can see on the top photo. 

I feel that this is a great way to recycle a wedding gown. While creating something entirely new, we didn’t add to the landfill, all materials that were removed will be reused in the future. 

Here is to all mothers (or grandmothers) who held on to what symbolized the starting point of their own family to have it artfully woven into the future!