Something Borrowed

Strike a Pose

“The most cherished heirlooms are the sweet memories of our family that we pass down to our children” -Anonymous

When Ruth decided to marry that crazy kid with the permed hair (also known as Rodney), she resorted back to her old ways of repurposing other people’s clothes. Ok, fine— I guess she chose to be sentimental and wear her mother’s gown.

My grandmother on her wedding day, September 1, 1955.    

 Mom on her wedding day, February 16, 1985.

Many years later, my mom decided she wanted a way to preserve the wedding gown for me. Since I am my mother’s only daughter, she wanted a chance for me to get to wear the gown, even if it wasn’t for my wedding day.

Go ahead Ohhh and Aww. I was cute, but this is still debatably a total American Horror Story future promo pic…

In all seriousness, my mom and I have always found great inspiration and beauty in vintage pieces. There is something about the history and beauty of a vintage garment that cannot be replicated (side note: My family heirloom is a gown from the 50’s, which is totally cool again — Thanks Mad Men. However, if your family arsenal is loaded with puffy sleeves and headbands, no worries! We can beautify even the most disastrous 80’s garments.)

Lifelong Friendship

“To enjoy the journey is to leap into people’s lives. To enjoy the journey is to give until the stretch is a sacrifice. The question always is: what is it in life that will pull you out of your seat to be brave, risk and serve?” -Janie Jasin

Kathleen and I have been friends since before everyone was chanting “hit me baby one more time”… yeah no need to calculate, it’s been a while. So when Kathleen called asking for help with her wedding gown, of course we were more than thrilled for the opportunity to help!

Excuse the rough state of my face. We grew up in a generation that was not yet concerned about selfies. Kathleen is on the end, and I’m next to her.

It’s always fun when you get to that point in life when all of your friends start getting married. Altered for the Altar has given us the opportunity to take part in so many of our friends and neighbors big days! This time as we were playing dress up it wasn’t just for our school talent show or to “play” bride. This was real and it was way MORE EXCITING than our five year old selves ever dreamed it would be.

A Piece of History

“Being family means you are part of something very wonderful. It means you will love and be loved for the rest of your life. No matter what.”

When Kathleen came to us wanting to wear her moms wedding gown, we were ‘over the moon’ excited! This is the kind of project that really gets us pumped up. Kathleen was fortunate that her mom’s gown was from 1977, so it was not in need of a puffy sleeve overhaul — Thank God.

This is Kathleen’s mom, Mrs. Mindy Busch, October 29,1977, on her wedding day!

Down the aisle

“Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Blue and a penny in her shoe” — old tale

Now armed with a fabulous vintage piece and a story to lean on, we rolled up our sleeves and started planning. There were basic alterations that needed to be done, but we also wanted to make it Kathleen’s own – a perfect combination of old and new.

Photo Credit: Diana Busch Photography     

http://dbsuchphoto.com

The bodice of Kathleen’s gown was completely remade. We gave her a little more skin to help modernize the gown while still maintaining the integrity of the original design. The results were breathtaking.

A little something extra added to honor the two brides that adorned this gown.

We were lucky enough to be able to attend the wedding. And on that day, Kathleen was absolutely breathtaking. The warm February afternoon was a perfect stage for her (and her gown) to shine. The gown was completely unique and 100% original, which is the main goal for every client. We could not be happier for our beautiful bride, and I know it truly meant the world to Kathleen’s mom to see her daughter wear her dress on such a special day.

Kathleen and her mom on the BIG DAY!

Vintage pieces are rare, but if you are lucky enough to have a garment preserved from a family member, I strongly encourage you to find place for it within your wedding. If you have something but have NO idea how it could ever work for you, don’t fret. Just pick up your phone and give us a call! There is nothing we LOVE more than a borrowed piece.

Adios,

Niña Esclava

Aka Rylee Calvert

#confessionsofNiñaEsclava