Rethink, Restore, and Restyle, the Wedding Dress Tradition

 When Chelsea Clinton marries Marc Mezvinsky she  won't be wearing her mother's wedding dress, (circa 1975) for her nuptials, however that's of no surprise. Women rarely wear their mother's wedding dress anymore. However the bygone tradition of saving a wedding dress and handing it down to the next generation is still a wonderful idea. That's where restyling comes into play.
In this era of reduce and reuse perhaps it's time to rethink this lost tradition. Below I have included a photo timeline of wedding dresses dating back to 1900.

(Wedding dresses from '60's, 70's and '80's )

With so many wedding dresses boxed, preserved and in limbo, what happens as styles change, daughters are two or three sizes larger than their mother, or the children turn out to be boys not girls? There is also a negative aspect to wearing the same dress mom did if she is divorced from dad. Restyling a dress can be a wonderful way of preserving the sentimental aspect of mom's dress and also rescuing the dress from a lifetime of deep storage. Diamond rings are restyled all the time, why not the wedding dress?

(30's, 40's, 50's )

The current style for wedding dresses is the strapless gown. Some dresses can easily be cut to create this look. For other gowns, removing the sleeves or changing the neckline can dramatically update the look. In the case of a less formal wedding, the dress can be shortened to the knee. The remaining fabric should be enough to create a flower girl's dress. For those who want a complete change in the look, removing the lace and using it on a newly designed dress is another way to retain the heirloom sentiment.

(1900-'20's )

I have used all the above techniques at one time or another and even dyed wedding dresses from thrift shops to create completely new looks. Fun, creative and smart.

Weddings Yesterday and Today

June has arrived, and thousands of brides are preparing for their big day. Weddings are often associated with tension and stress. With today's blog, I want to look at the way our ancestors celebrated matrimony. In those bygone eras, marriages, good or bad did last till "death do you part". Now five years of marriage is considered a milestone.

At a relative's home recently, I was looking at the photo of my great, great, grandmother's wedding day, which reminded me how much the social event has changed. In times past, there was a more practical view of the wedding, unless of course you were from royalty or a very wealthy family. Queen Victoria made a statement by wearing a white wedding dress for her nuptials to Albert in 1840. (Far left photo above) This was at a time when many woman wore their best dress in the closet and the whole ceremony was a solemn event. Victoria's dress began a fashion of the white dress symbolizing purity and virginity. Today very few brides make it the alter in that condition. Before the 20th century, the idea of wearing a dress just once was a ridicules notion. Perhaps our ancestors were on to something. During WWII many weddings were rushed, as thousand soldiers were shipped off to war. Brides often wore a simple suit. (Middle photo above)

My great, great grandmother was six feet tall and she made her wedding dress . The sepia tone photo only reveals the dress was not white. From what I have been told the color was blue, assuming our family folklore is correct. I don't have the exact date of the wedding but, the style of her bustle wedding dress suggests, it was post Civil War, early 1870. Clearly Queen Victoria's white wedding dress trend had yet to take hold here in the U.S. some thirty years later. In the 1920's young women celebrated their freedom by wearing short dresses. (Far right photo above) The 1950's was a turning point in the direction of wedding dresses. During this era, a dress dedicated solely to the occasion became the norm .

For the modern wedding now, spending $15,000 or more on a wedding dress is not uncommon. But for those who would rather invest their money toward a home or perhaps a lavish honeymoon, on the other end of the spectrum, there are stores such as JCrew which offer beautiful and sophisticated silk wedding dresses starting at around $ 300 . (See two left photos above)

Wedding veils for those who want one, are another costly addition to the wedding ensemble. E-how ( www.ehow.com/video_4755041_make-own-wedding-veil.html ) has a video on making your own. But if I were a bride now I would consider finding a beautiful necklace that could be worn as a head piece and nix the veil. Later the necklace can be worn for other occasions.

Necklaces for the hair - www.tigerlillyjewelry.com

Wedding customs 1850-1950- www.squidoo.com/weddingtraditions

History of the white wedding dress- www.fromtimespast.com/wedding.htm

Native American Algonquin wedding www.manataka.org/page348.html