A woman’s quest to find the perfect way to upcycle her mom’s vintage wedding dress has inspired the internet.
In a TikTok video, she called on users for help with ideas about how to alter the dress to wear at her bridal shower and rehearsal dinner. In response, the internet rallied to offer a crowd-sourced plan for the perfect dress alterations.
The bride-to-be’s special project has touched the hearts of over one million viewers as it aims to strike a balance between honoring family history and embracing modern bridal fashion.
The bride, Emily Messner, 25, spoke to Newsweek about the response online and where her head is at now.
She said that she tried on her mom’s beautiful gown from 1990 and was “in awe” that it fit.
“It was such a special moment,” she said. “To think my mom was just like me at my age.”
She had planned to shorten the dress, but she wanted the internet’s opinion first. What she received was a resounding and unified response.
The Commenters’ Opinions
The comment section immediately filled with creative suggestions. While some offered ideas for modernizing the dress, the one piece of advice that was given loud and clear was to not touch the “stunning” train.
One user, who identified themselves as a bridal designer, commented on the beauty of the dress’s original features.
“Hey, bridal designer here, this is stunning, actually the puffy sleeves are so beautiful…Maybe I would just shorten and leave the train,” they wrote.
Another commenter echoed the sentiment about the train: “Ultimately, it’s your dress. That being said, I agree with a lot of the comments here about keeping the train. It’s absolutely stunning and ties the dress together.”
They also offered a creative idea for altering the sleeves: “Maybe add them to the bow for more volume if you’re set on keeping the bow.”
A different commenter had a sentimental idea for the train, suggesting it be used for future family heirlooms.
“The train is absolutely breathtaking,” they wrote. “What I would do is use that fabric and turn it into some keep sakes for yourself your mom, daughters, nieces, etc. I saw someone turned her wedding dress into little cushions and handkerchiefs and they kept them aside for future brides in their family.”
A Compromise, a Keepsake
After an outpouring of suggestions, Messner listened to the advice. She had to shift her original mindset and vision for the dress to include the train into her plans.
She admitted to encountering “some bullying” in the online discussion but stood by her decision to ask for opinions and modified her plans in response.
With a new plan in mind, she found a seamstress from the same store where she bought her own wedding dress. The final design is a beautiful compromise between her original vision and the public’s opinion.
“The dress as of now is dropped of with the seamstress,” she said. “Next time I see it, it will have the sleeves removed and the train separated from the front panel. The front section will wrap around to a form fitting silk dress and the train with be detachable.”
This clever design allows her to wear a piece of her mom’s wedding dress while keeping the iconic train in its original form. Ultimately, the project is a heartfelt tribute to Messner’s mother.
“It’s really meaningful to surprise my mom with a photoshoot and to have pieces of her wedding dress into my day to honor her,” Messner said.
“My mom had made nothing but sacrifices for me and my brother her whole life—and I want her to know I recognize them.”
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