Wedding Dress Repurposing | Pinterest

I have recently discovered Pinterest and have been marveling at the unique, amazing, and clever ideas that I've found.  Then I realized that *I* did something unique and clever...with my wedding dress!  What do you really do with it?  Your dress, I mean.  After the wedding, you either keep it hanging in a closet, pay a few hundred dollars to have it preserved (to keep it in a closet) or sell it.  Well, I didn't want to do those things with mine.  I am not sentimental and didn't figure my future daughter (if I had one) would want to wear my dress.  I would rather she get to pick out her own perfect dress someday.  But I love the idea of heirlooms dresses.  So, when I did have a baby girl and was looking at christening gowns, I realized that my wedding dress could be recycled and made into a gorgeous, heirloom gown for her to wear to church that baptism day.

My amazing aunt Ilo, who is one of the best seamstresses I've ever known, took the challenge and ran with it.  I knew the dress would be pretty, but I didn't realize the detail and painstaking work she would put into this project.  She used my beaded train on many parts of the gown.  She used my veil and the ribbon edging for the collar and ruffled sleeves...it was gorgeous and special and will always be treasured.  The final piece was the bonnet.  It was over-the-top!  But the dress will always be a treasure and hopefully, someday, my daughter's daughter will wear it at her baptism, too.  How awesome is that?  I've included a couple wedding pictures (remember it was 1999, so don't judge).  ;)  And it was pre-digital, so I had to take a photo of the picture in my album to share them here!)

*Photos by Jessica Riehl (thanks, Jess!)

The original wedding dress:*Photos by Andrews Photography, Decatur IN

Ava in her gown and bonnet: