Stitching Generations Together
I recently decided to repurpose my wedding gown. As was the custom of the day, shortly after the wedding, I had my gown professionally cleaned and preserved. Meticulously folded and nestled in acid free paper in a covered cardboard box, it sat in that box for over 40 years. The box was taped shut around all the corners, a brown paper package tied up with string (yes, it’s a favorite thing). I always wondered and hoped that when I opened it, if I ever did, that I would in fact find my own gown. Luckily, I did.
A wedding gown is certainly one of life’s precious treasures. More than the lace and beads stitched into the fabric, it holds the vows made, the hopes and dreams of the couple, their future family, and memories of a most joyous day. It’s a snapshot frozen in time and all too often, almost forgotten once the festivities have come to an end.
I see lots of wedding gowns in my work with clients, many hanging freeform in closets. Sometimes the gown is placed in the closet without the slightest protection of a dry-cleaner’s plastic covering or cocooned in a garment bag. Sometimes, it’s stuffed in a tote on the floor. Lots of times the dress belongs to the daughter of the clients. The daughter has moved out, but the gown has not. Whenever I come across one, no doubt the client typically murmurs something along the lines of “I don’t know what I’m going to do with that thing.” Great, another responsibility for Mom.
The ship had sailed long ago on whether anyone in my family would be interested in wearing my gown on their own special day. While the gown is beautiful, its style is from a time gone by. I have seen trends where daughters wore their mother’s reimagined gown at their own engagement party or rehearsal dinner. So why not turn a stunning wedding gown into a stunning Christening gown? It’s a beautiful way to pass down a treasure, especially during a time when the next generation is largely uninterested in just about anything that the previous generation collected and revered. It’s a lovely gesture and a nice story to carry through family history .
I don’t know exactly when the lightbulb in my mind went off while my wedding dress lay hidden in a box. What else was I doing with this dress? Nothing. I hired a very talented friend to turn a very special something old into a very special something new, and although I trusted her implicitly, I knew once the first rip of a seam was made, there was no turning back. But I made the decision without hesitation because what was there to turn back toward? What was the benefit of continuing to store an unseen garment in a wrapped package? Why allow that box to take up storage space better suited for something else, or nothing at all? What if I opened the box, took the gown out-just to be sure it was mine-took another close up look at it, or even tried it on? (I did and it fit, yay!) What would I do with it then, preserve it all over again?
As the saying goes, lose the stuff, keep the memories. My wedding day memories are preserved in numerous photos and a couple of them are part of my home’s decor, so I see the gown in all its glory every day. Even more than that, the memories of my best day ever are permanently written on my heart.
The thought of sharing something so incredibly personal with my granddaughter is more precious than I can describe, and I could not have been happier with the stunning results. A brand new dress for a brand new life. A dress that would wrap the baby in something uniquely new while steeped in family history, warmth and love. Generations stitched together, what is better than that?