Weddingbee Blog

Saturday dawned, and it was time to get our shop on. Our first stop, however, was not any bridal-gown store—it was BFF Lefty’s house, where I would be trying on my mom’s wedding dress and giving all the ladies time to meet each other and get acquainted before the madness of the day really started. We uncorked a bottle of champagne and ate cake and girly snacks:

Personal photo

And then I pulled a little surprise out of my own hat—I asked BFF Lefty to be maid of honor. Mr. Wizard and I had decided on a small bridal party—just maid of honor and best man—and since Lefty is my “sister from another mister” (seriously, her dad and my mom were friends, and her family was the first non-relatives to visit my parents in the hospital after I was born—we’ve been friends practically since birth), there was no one else I would dream of asking to be my MOH. She, of course, accepted.

Then it was time for the main event: putting on my mom’s wedding dress. My mom was an amazing seamstress. She sewed everything for everyone—made costumes, pajamas, stuffed toys, you name it. Of course, she made her wedding dress herself, from scratch, so the sentimental value of this dress is huge. Wizard Aunt recently moved and found the dress hanging in the very back of her closet, and was shocked when she saw it was in nearly perfect condition—no yellowing or brittle fabric or anything. I thought maybe, just maybe, I’d be able to alter it to fit me and be a more modern style—this is something my mom would have loved, and what better family heirloom to incorporate into the wedding than my mom’s wedding dress?

Wizard Grandma and mom on her wedding day / Personal photo

Wizard Aunt got the dress out of its garment bag and hung it on the full-length mirror. Everyone stared at it for a few seconds in complete silence, not quite sure what to say or do, and then simultaneously we all—even those who had never known my mom—burst into tears. Wizard Grandma, especially, had a hard time seeing the dress—she helped my mom pick out fabrics and patterns and helped her with fittings as the dress took shape, so I’m sure it brought back a flood of memories for her.

There was a lot of group hugging and sobbing and patting me on the back. Then, just as suddenly as it had started, everyone stopped crying at once, wiped their tears, laughed shakily at just how ’80s the dress was, and my aunt and I headed into the nearest bedroom to get dressed. And that’s when the laughs really started.

LOL / Personal photo

The dress was huge on me. My mom was a tall, big-boned person—I’m of a short, waifish build. And oh god, the polyester. The hilarity was indescribable. There was no way we’d be able to alter this dress to be more modern, but I felt surprisingly OK with that. So I donned the hat (because yes, of course there was a hat) and people were crying again—this time from laughing so hard.

No, seriously, L-O-L / Personal photo

I am sure my mom was there in spirit rolling in laughter right along with us. After a few more laughs it was time to put my own, non-polyester clothes back on and head to our first real dress-shopping stop of the day. It was really sinking in by then—in half an hour, I would be wearing a real wedding dress!

Did you try on your mom’s wedding dress? Did you love it, or was it hilariously bad?