I wanted to share a picture and story about my own wedding dress for the first GET WED WEDNESDAY post, but I don't have any of my wedding pictures on the computer! (The fact that I got married when most people still used film in their cameras is making me feel old) So rather than a picture of my wedding gown, I'm decorating this installment with the lovely Gwen Stefani and her wildly beautiful gown. Ombre pink. Not alot of people could pull this off, but doesn't it look amazing on her?Almost every bride has a story to go along with her dress. Alot of my friends have fallen in love with the very first dress they tried on. I've know a few who've worn heirloom dresses. My story is a bit different. I had planned on wearing my Mom's wedding dress. Well, sort of. My mom got married in the 70's and her dress was really lovely - in the 70's. It has teirs and teirs of lace with a square neck and lace sleeves. The innumerable teirs gave us alot of fabric to work with, so the plan was for us to redesign the dress and update it to be more modern. My mom can sew well and undertook this extremely ambitious job (because she is a little bit insane). But things (predictably) did not go so well. A coworker of my mom's asked how our little fashion design project was coming along, and when my mom admitted the poor progress her coworker quickly came to the rescue with an amazing designer wedding gown that she just happened to have in her closet at home. Yeah, you read that right. Turns out her husband was an insurance adjuster, and although I don't know all the details, it involved a bridal shop that had made a claim on a dress and he ended up with the gown. It sounds shifty, but I'm fairly certain it wasn't stolen. It was a silk, ivory and champagne Amsale gown. I don't know a whole lot about bridal fashion, but it was my impression that it was a very expensive dress. And it fit. The only alteration I needed was length. I still can't believe we fell into such a lucky situation!
My mother's dress is still cut into lacey bits, stored in a tote bag in the eaves of our house. I think at one point we discussed making a baby bassinet cover from the fabric, but that never happened. I think we learned our lesson.
What is your wedding dress story? Share it in the comments and make me smile! I love hearing from my readers!
Stay tuned for the next GET WED WEDNESDAY - I'll be sharing a very fun, kind of crazy DIY idea for your reception...
5 comments:
I always thought my mom's dress was just enough for me. And my financial logic-ridden brain couldn't fathom the idea of spending money on a dress I would only wear once. So I didn't.
I wore my mom's wedding dress. We didn't even have to have it altered. It was unique. And lovely. :)
Hi Jess...I have digi photos of your wedding..Ill send them to you!..
On to my wedding dress story (
I still can't believe that I'm getting married)
The day after I got engaged I spent literally hours on the computer looking at Wedding Dresses...as you know...they look very different on a model than "regualar" people..so...The ones that I had picked out online, were not nearly as flattering on myself!...I went to the bridal store with my mom, and 2 sisters...tried on about a dozen dresses...and ended up picking the very first one that I tried on. Just to make sure, I put it on again but this time with the poofy slip thing that they make you wear, a headpiece and a veil. When I decided that I, for sure, wanted this dress...the wedding assistant said...I think you need a smaller size...I love her!..and My beautiful dress.
Wow. My dress was definitely NOT the first dress I tried on. (My mother's dress was not an option - not only was it nothing at all like what I wanted, but it also had the divorce karma surrounding it. I'll be using lace from it though to wrap my bouquet.)
Anywho, dress shopping became a mom and me endeavor and we spent a few weekends hitting every bridal store we found. And then one fateful day, I put one on, and that was just it.
If any Mom's are considering a remake of their wedding gowns for use at a daughter's wedding, I recommend the following.
Be sure it is what your daughter's dream is & not just yours.
Don't try to do it yourself unless you are very good @ sewing and love spending hours & hours & hours doing it. (Just pressing 20 tiers of lace can take a VERY long time)
If you hire a seamstress, know that it will probably cost more than a new gown will.
You can get the same feeling of your gown going down the aisle again by just taking a piece of it & repurposing how it is used..
It is WAY easier to make a hankie & just tuck it into the Brides flowers.
Or incorporate a piece of material from your dress into the new gown (adding it to the underskirt or hem is simple)
BTW Jess....
That lace WAS added to your gown.
An entire tier of it was added to the hem of the underskirt and it made me very happy to know my gown was going down the aisle with you.
I was also very glad to give up on the do-it-myself remake. It was way too much pressure.... ;-)
Mom
I had forgotten about the lace you added until I looked through our wedding album the other day! I saw it in the pic of Dad helping me out of the limo.
By the way, it makes me happy that you read the blog!
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