What to do with your mum’s old wedding dress: 4 ways to restyle an heirloom
Heirloom wedding dress remodelled. Image by Poppy Carter
Newly engaged and wondering whether your mum’s old wedding dress might have potential? If so, you may be in for an absolute treat, and I don’t just mean saving thousands of £££!
After nearly 25 years of restyling heirloom wedding dresses, I've noticed heirloom wedding dresses all seem to have a soothing effect on frazzled brides-to-be. Faced with deciding between a million choices and bombarded by social media advice, you might welcome being offered an heirloom from your family.
The perfect antidote to the sometimes-stressful wedding-planning mindset, heirlooms just sit there, quietly waiting. No clamouring for attention. No jostling for the limelight. No expectation of perfection.
Why Choose an Heirloom?
The sole reason to choose to restyle an heirloom is because you like the dress. You'll know immediately if you like it or not. If you don't, move along. No amount of sentiment will compensate for wearing something you don't like on your wedding day.
But if there's a dress in your family attic you like the look of, here are several reasons it's worth taking a closer look:
1. It's right there – no shopping, and more money for the champagne.
2. It's one of a kind. It removes decision fatigue brought on by too much choice.
3. You can see exactly what you're getting without having to order something and wait.
There are Four Approaches I recommend to Heirloom Revival
1. Update Your Simple Heirloom Gown My real bride Sarah's mother gifted her a fifty-three-year-old 1960s wedding dress. Sarah decided to have both a regal gown for the day and a cool, minimalist short style for the evening. "It was worth it alone just to see the look on my mum's face! She walked around the entire reception with a photo of her on her wedding day showing everyone how her youngest was wearing her dress!"
2. Combine Several Family Heirlooms Belle brought her grandmother's 1930s corseted dress, her mother's white embroidered 1980s satin gown with pearls, and a breathtaking 1950s beaded bridal headband from her grandmother. We reduced the sleeve and train length, used offcuts to make an off-the-shoulder cuff lined with satin from her mother's dress, took pearls to add to a plain veil, and created a bespoke tulle over-skirt with appliqué stars.
3. Restore a Classic Heirloom Tash’s grandmother's 1950s dress mostly just needed TLC to repair holes and broken boning, and slight amendments to create a more 'Duchess of Cambridge' neckline. We added lace trim to lengthen the hem that complimented the dress perfectly.
4. Incorporate Elements from an Heirloom Natalie wanted to either incorporate her mother's dress or wear it with modifications. Like many 1980s gowns, the ruffles and lace were wonderful, but the structured look she wanted couldn't be created from the original. So I made a new bespoke silk dress and lifted the lace from her mother's dress, scattering it across the bodice. "I found it very moving that the dress I wore has a beautiful story behind it," Natalie said.
Beyond Bridal There are many ways to incorporate a wedding dress heirloom into special transitions. Celebrant Kate Mitchell has seen baby naming gowns made from family gown fabric, flower girl dresses, and in some cultures, veils used as crib hangings. Some couples use pieces of ancestors' wedding dresses in handfasting ceremonies.
When you spread the word within your family that you either have an old wedding dress to offer or are looking for one, you may be surprised what emerges from the family vaults!
CONTACT ME if you’d like to find out more about reviving the heirloom wedding dress in your life and let’s get it out of the loft!
If you’re a bride-to-be, then download my FREE "Peaceful Dress Journey" guide HERE to discover answers to the most commonly asked questions from all my brides. After your wedding, I’ll then send you some ideas for what to do with your old dress.
You’ll find more about the bridal world in my book, Relovable which you can buy HERE. It was sustainably produced in a small print run and there aren’t many copies left, but makes a perfect gift for a bride-to-be, or for anyone who loves sewing, upcycling and wedding dresses.
