Okay, I do my best not to follow the many antics of Britney Spears, but I couldn’t help myself when it came to a little news blurb on People.com – Apparently, Britney Spears went car shopping with her new buddy, Adnan Ghalib, over the weekend dressed in the white lace-trimmed dress she wore to wed ex-husband Kevin Federline. Since I am trying to live in a “greener world,” I applaud her for coming up with a way to “recycle” her gown – The Mercedes dealership would not have been my first choice for unveiling a recycled wedding dress, but that’s Britney’s world and I choose not to live in it.
The story did; however, remind me of my recycling efforts with my own wedding gown.
Let’s start out with a little background about my wedding gown. I was never a fan of it. In fact, its only appeal was that it pleased my mother immensely. Why? For starters, there was this big bow on the back that my mother loved. She demanded that I keep the bow, and I was too chicken not to comply (yes, my mother still scares me).
I fought my mom over my wedding gown selection for a while, but I realized that her dreams were tied to this wedding too. I needed to give her a little something since she had lost all hopes for that Catholic wedding (I got married under a big ol’ tree). So, I acquiesced, and wore the wedding gown (bow and all). I planned on selling that puppy as soon as I returned from my honeymoon.
Fast forward 4½ years. The gown was still in the back of my closet and a seamstress friend offered to make a quilt for me to welcome the birth of my little Langston. I live in a matriarch-laden family, so I asked her if she could include some of the clothing worn by the women in my family. She loved the idea. When it came to a piece of my own clothing, I decided to use a piece of my wedding gown.
Six months later, I was hunting for a christening gown for my little Langston. I decided to take my wedding gown back to that friend, and she cut out the back of my gown’s lower half and created the most precious christening gown. She also stitched Langston’s initials and birth date into the hem of the gown, so we would have an heirloom for future Howerton and Wooten babies.
Speaking of Howerton Babies. My siblings have blessed me with four beautiful nieces. I don’t have a daughter, so I fantasize about their weddings. So, I decided to take a little more of my wedding gown and created four unique handkerchiefs for each of them to use on their own wedding day. I would show you a picture of the hankies, but I want to keep the look of them a surprise, and I know that they read this Blog.
Little Langston participates in his first Holy Communion this Spring. So, I am on my way back to my seamstress friend with what’s left of my wedding dress in tow. She is going to create a white tie and a little white hankie to go with his navy suit. The dress continues . . .
Well, here we are. With the help of a seamstress friend, I was able to take a wedding gown that I wasn’t fond of and create treasured keepsakes for my entire family. I still have the bodice left, but I think that it going to become a very stylish clutch very soon!
Now that’s trashing a wedding gown! What are you planning to do with your wedding dress?
Love & Soul Always, Kay
