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Hi Bees! When I was growing up, my sisters and I always dreamed of wearing my mom's wedding dress for our weddings. And I am wearing hers in June. Granted - I had to make some major alterations (like changing it from a high-neck, long sleeve to a strapless) but I am really excited to wear mom's dress....and obvioulsy she is tickeled pink.
Maybe my impressions are wrong, but it seems like most people, if they incorporate a family dress - it is just bits and pieces...sewing a bit of the dress into your dress...using fabric for the bouquet. I am really surprised that so many people who seem to have access to their mother's/grandma's dresses don't just wear those dresses. Especially if $$ is a concern.....but even if is not.....
Just curious - why not? size issues? style? not preserved properly?
My mom was 97 pounds when she got married. I haven't been that small in a long time, haha. That's my main issue with not wearing hers.
For me it's size and style. I'm bigger than my mum was when she got married and the style looks horrible on me. Mum laughed at me when I tried it on as it just was so unflattering! It's a shame as my grandmother made my mothers dress so it would have been special to wear it.
My mom never had her own dress. She used her older sister's because she couldn't aford one when she got married.
So she was very happy to buy me my own perfect dress!
my grandmother made my moms wedding dress (she was a wedding dress seamstress at the time) and although its a beautiful dress, it didnt fit our June wedding. Moms dress has long sleeves, high neckline, cathedral length train..... id die from a heat stroke lmao
My mom didn't have a special one it was her every day dress. She was also like 90 pounds I'd be half dead if I got to that weight.
My moms dress was given for charity 10+ years ago. And she is so small and tiny that my frame wouldn't fit it lol.
*So* 80s. Long sleeves with points on the hands, poofy sleeves, high lace neck...But really, it wasn't an option because when I was 11 or 12, she pulled it out of the closet and apparently, I looked at it and said I didn't like it or something, so she gave it away. Oops. Lol. But then she divorced my dad, so I wouldn't have worn it anyway.
The reason that I won't be wearing my mum's dress is that her wedding dress was made into a christening gown for me and my sister to wear for our christening (or is it baptised in the US?). Both my nephew and my niece has since also been christened in it and so will my children one day. All our names are embroided into the gown with the date in pink for the girls, and in blue for my nephew. I love it!
I would have worn my grandmothers but she had rented it. My moms dress was pretty horrible and I already had to wear a mini version as her flower girl.
My mom got rid of everything from her first marriage/wedding, which is the only one that had a "wedding" dress. She eloped with my dad and her 3rd husband (no dress), and wore a shiney fuschia skirt/suit at her last wedding. And there was no way I was about to wear that hot mess (though it fit her age/style).
I considered my grandmother's wedding dress. The dress is from her 2nd marriage so it wasn't white, but it is BEAUTIFUL. Very old/victorian looking and a muted teal. Too bad it was like, 10 sizes too small.
Hmmm....because my mom took the scissors to her dress when my dad and her divorced! lol
My mom never wore one. I would have loved to have worn my grandmothers because it's definitely my style but she was a tiny 90 lb 5'2" and I am a 5'5" not nearly 90 lbs. lol
She also can't find it...
Mum kept her wedding dress, but I won't be wearing it since my parents divorced 6 years ago. I don't want that bad juju.
My mom donated hers to the church after she was married. That, and she was probably a 0 or 2 at the time of her wedding.
My mom's dress was gorgeous--for her wedding. It's an unadorned straight-cut gown with a high neckline and long sleeves. It was perfect for a conservative Catholic wedding in the late 60's. I'm just having a totally different wedding. I've never asked her if she still has the dress, but I should--I'd love to see it in person!
I kind of figured since the advent of polyester dresses that this wasn't a tradition anymore.
I never thought about wearing my mother's dress. It has sleeves and is dated and she didn't have it preserved so it's been stuffed into a closet for almost 40 years. Plus she and I have totally different body types she is 5 inches taller than me and weighed probably 20 pounds less at the time.
My mum was smaller than I am so it wouldn't fit, it was made by my nan for mum's English wedding so it is very English, long sleeves and warm - I am getting married in winter so I guess that wouldn't be soooo bad. Also thou mum lent her dress to 3 other couples and all 3 are now divorced so it (to me) is bad luck, my parents were the only happily married couple to come out of that dress with 29 years before my dad passed.
1. because it's super-80s and not my style.
2. because she didn't even love it that much herself- she wanted to try a different one but the bridal shop wouldn't let her
3. She's about 6 inches taller than me. I'd drown in it.
doesn't fit right! My hips are a little wider than hers were, but my waist is narrower. plus, she didn't have a train and I'm taller than she is!
my mom dyed hers red and wore it to a big gala- said she even got some compliments from some actors!
I'm not sure where it is now? I would have loved to wear any hand-me-down as I can't justify spending that much on myself.
I'd never be able to! My mom was a size 0 in 1987 and 2 months pregnant lol I'm a 'today's size' 4-6 sooo ya haha
ETA: My mom's dress is actually one of the best 80s/90s dresses I've ever seen! I'm hoping its in good condition so I can add her skirt into my dress.
My mom's dress was gorgeous (despite getting married in 1981) and I would have worn it buuuut she was teeny tiny when she got married and it was ruined when our basement flooded when I was little. They did use some of the lace from it to make me a dress when I was 3 or 4.
Mom's dress was 1970's, high neck, long poofy sleeves. She made it herself. I just don't like it. And since I'm the 3rd, and neither sister wore it either, I'm in the clear!
@Zusie - I am not sure why polyester would stop the tradition? But you are right - it seems to be less of a tradition than I thought it was.
So - this has been very interesting - thank you for your comments! I added a poll trying to sum up the main reasons - but feel free to comment as well!
And MAN! I guess I should count my blessings! When my mom got married, she was 5'5" and 130 (ish) lbs. (I am 5'8" and definitely much more than 130) When I first tried on her dress (over a year ago), it was too tight around the hips.....but becuase of its shape, I knew it was doable for me to get into it. A year later and 25 lbs lighter, it (mostly) fits. I used to (jokingly) bitch that mom was too skinny when she got married...but thank god she was not a size 0!! There is no way I could squeeze my ample rear into a dress that small!
I never considered wearing hers.
I wanted my own dress. I had enough hand-me-downs growing up. :)
EDIT: ...so I didn't vote
My mom was 99 lbs when she got married. It's so 80s. Poofy sleeves. And I want my own dress for my wedding.
I never understood why people would wear their mother's dress.
My mom is a tiny lady who was even tinier when she got married, so even if her dress was wearable, it would probably get stuck around my armpits....
I'm glad I wasn't expected to have her dress be a serious contender. It's not an ugly dress by any means, it's just very dated. She was married in 1981.
1.) I could not fit in it if I wanted to. My mom is about 5" shorter than me and was quite thin when she got married. 2.) It's not a very fancy dress. She sewed it herself and it's a very plain white dress, not a typical wedding dress. 3.) It was not treated and preserved and is yellowed with age.
I couldn't vote because there is no "other" option, but I have only seen her once since I was 3, so I have no attachment to her dress.
My mom never had a wedding. I probably wouldn't have liked it though, since she married my dad in the 80s.
I actually did wear my mom's dress. But it was to a disco dance during High School. My mom got married in Vegas in the 70's. It was not an attractive dress either. People kept asking me why I wrapped a white blanket around me.
Both my mom and grandma loaned their beautiful dresses to someone else and never got it back. My sister wore my mom's veil, but I dont want to wear one (wouldn't go with the style of my dress). I am, however, wearing my grandma's wedding necklace and my mom's wedding earings instead.
My moms dress was beautiful, still by todays standards. It was never properly preserved so when we pulled it out of storage in my twenties to just look at it, it fell apart. There was nothing to salvage out of it. I am still crushed about it and I very much would have worn it.
@Rock Hugger: My mom wore this extremely 1980's-style pooooofy thing with a veil attached to a cowboy hat. I love my mom, but it's hideous. And the marriage was completely loveless, so I don't think I'd want to incorporate any of it anyway.
My mom mentioned me wearing her dress... and I had to make sure I corrected my O.o facial expression before I turned to face her. What I said was, "Oh mom, that's so sweet but you were super tiny! I'm way bigger now than you were when you got married! But thank you so much, it really is sweet of you to offer." What I was thinking was, "Ohhhh HELLLZ NO! I'm not wearing a PINK silk gown with a lace overlay and SLEEVES in August! No Fluffing THANKS!"
Mom got married by the justice of the peace and wore a red dress!
Both my mother and my FI's mother asked me if I wanted to wear their dress. Without hesitation I said NO. Both sets of parents have a very happy marriage, so it wasn't about that. It was purely about style. I am a little fashionista and want a dress of my own, in my style- not a style from the late 70s or early 80s.
The dress is a personal reflection on me- not our mothers.
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