I had been dreaming of the day I could go help my girls choose a wedding dress for their special day. But they had different plans. Kelley wanted something that didn't exist, so we turned to our good friend Linda Chaston who has made wedding dresses/prom dresses etc for just about every special occasion for the girls in the Somersworth Ward (and beyond, I am sure!) Linda was waiting in the wings and as soon as the wedding was announced she was happy to meet with Kelley and come up with a plan. Of course not only did this dress not exist, but no pattern existed. With sketches from Kelley and a couple of fittings, Linda made the dress of Kelley's dreams. It was perfect and fit Kelley's personality to a T.
Kelley and Brian were married in the Manti Temple and she wanted a tea length dress with a fitted bodice, an overlay of tulle and a split neckline. She was very specific of how it should look, and the end result was exactly what she wanted. I think this dress is as beautiful as the bride !
Katie also wanted a very specific dress, made of very specific fabric (shantung?) in a very specific style. Of course this dress didn't exist either, but Katie was in Utah, Linda was in New Hampshire, and I was pulling my hair out because the wedding was weeks away and still...no dress. Anthony's mom Brooke came to the rescue! She offered to make Katie's dress! I was nervous at first, I hadn't even met Brooke and asked Katie if she had seen anything Brooke had sewn. She hadn't because Brooke hadn't sewn in years! All my worries were for not - because Katie's dress was gorgeous too. Brooke spend many hours on this beauty, and she should be very proud. I was blown away when I finally got to see Katie in the dress of her dreams.
Don't you think this dress just screams Katie? She looked stunning. Again, it fits her personality to a T. Katie made her momma very happy when she and Anthony were married in the Boston Temple!
Finally, with Heather I got my wedding dress shopping trip. Heather also had a very specific wedding dress in mind, and I was not really thrilled with the choice she proposed. I encouraged her to try on an array of dresses to find the one that was perfect for her. There was one in particular that I spied that she adamantly refused to try on because of, well, because it was downright ugly. I insisted she try it anyway. It had an atrocious sash with a gaudy costumey bejeweled thing where the sash gathered in an awkward way. She put it on and stood glumly looking in the mirror. It was not a dream dress. But all was not lost. We grabbed a yellow sash, covered the ugly sash with the jewels and VOILA! A whole new dress appeared. Heather tried on about 50 more dresses and put this dress on between each one! By the time we were down to making a final decision Heather had quite an audience. Me, Dad, Katie, Cheylena, Mama and Papa Winterton. We knew we had a winner. A little sash modification and Heather had her dream dress.
I just wish I had remembered to iron the sash on her wedding day at the Manti Temple. Oh well.
We got it ironed for the reception in Utah, and for the reception in NH as shown here. Even after a wedding and two receptions - the dress stilled looked great and you can tell Heather still loves the dress. It has a beautiful lace overlay (look at that beautiful hemline) and a fuller skirt. Look at her twirl. She was beautiful, and again, don't you think the dress fits her to a T? (Sorry Heather that there are no face shots of you and Denver!!)
Well, in another 20+ years, we can start this wedding dress shopping thing all over again, with the granddaughters!
2 comments:
Yes they are beautiful. I like Kelley's best, but they are all great. Linda has made every important dress of my life since high school. I did the same thing and showed up with sketches, and like magic she made it happen. Now that I live far away, I think I would have to get a plane ticket for any future important dresses. I don't trust anyone else.
Your daughters are beautiful in any dress, but their wedding dresses are all gorgeous.
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