One wedding dress, three generations of women
It’s not a common sight these days to see a young woman wanting to wear the same dress not only as her mother, but as her grandmother! Julia Cain of St. Louis, Missouri opted to recycle the family wedding dress for a second time, with a few alterations of course.
Speaking to the Huffington Post, Julia said, ‘“This gown was everything I wanted in a wedding dress: V-neck, full skirt, vintage charm and one-of-a-kind. My grandmother had fantastic taste, and it’s no surprise her gown is still as spot-on as it was in the 1950s.”
One lucky man, Harold Traver, has had the privilege of walking three generations of women down the aisle in the same wedding dress – the first time with his wife 63 years ago, then 33 years ago when his daughter tied the knot.
So, how did each bride put their own personal flair into the dress? Phyllis Jo, the dress’ original wearer, purchased the lace and tulle gown in the 1950s, sporting a sweetheart neckline, long sleeves and a hoop skirt. Her daughter Susan, kept most of the original design but removed the hoop skirt to make the dress longer. Julia, the modern bride, turned the sleeves into straps, lowered the neckline and added satin detail onto the waist.
As for the future of the heirloom dress, Julia says as much as she would love a future daughter to wear it, she wouldn’t expect her to. “My mother never pressured me into using her gown, and I wouldn’t want to do that to any bride-to-be. If nothing else, the leftover lace can always be turned into something like a ring pillow.”
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