Heirloom Wedding Dresses Recreated!

From time to time I am asked to create a new wedding dress out of a vintage dress, usually one which has belonged to the mother or grandmother of the bride. This has involved anything from saving what we could to make a veil, to a bit of reshaping of a dress to update it. Most often though, it involves removing lace from an heirloom dress and teaming it up with fresh new silk.

Today I have photos from two brides who's dresses I worked on recently to share with you.

Natalie came to see me with a dress which was worn by her mother in the 1980's, it was gorgeous and the time had come for new life to be breathed into it.

I separated the vintage lace from the base dress and recut this into a contemporary low backed bodice with cap sleeves and a V neckline.

The lace had originally been cut and shaped into a curve to follow the hemline, which created a challenge, but I was able to remould it onto a heavy satin to stabilise it.

The new bodice was combined with a soft silk chiffon skirt and little silk covered buttons, to create a simple but stunning dress.

Natalie loved her wedding dress, not only was it a style that she felt good in but also a special memory of her Mum.

Sinead Jenkins from Dunedin captured the beautiful photos.

Robyn's Dress was made from a piece of lace which was once on her mother's dress and had been lovingly stored in acid free paper for years. The vintage lace was made of rows of daisies and had a fun 1960's look to it.

Robyn fell in love with the soft tulle on our Swan Lake Dress and the shape of one of our little lace tops. We decided to combine these ideas to create a dress that was unique to Robyn and just right for her special day.

As usual there initially appeared to be more lace than was actually possible to work with, but thankfully the style of the daisies lent themselves to easily being able to be cut and replaced where we needed them to be.

Robyn's Mum was thrilled to see her lace in her daughter's wedding dress and it bought back memories of her own gown from 1966.

Robyn's Wedding was at Brackenridge, in Martinborough, hairdresser Karen McKay from Miss Fox did her hair and the lovely flowers are from Woodstock Florist. Photos by Brady Dyer.