Less than five months to go till the wedding and I was yet another dress shop failing to find ‘the perfect dress’ that didn’t cost the earth. Thankfully I had my Granny with me which was great as I had visited a few shops on my own which I do not recommend if you are already feeling a little overwhelmed! We left the last shop having found nothing that was even remotely suitable.
In an attempt to lift my mood Granny started to tell me the story of how she found her wedding dress fifty years ago when she married my Granddad, how much it cost back then and what it looked like. We decided that it would be fun to try and find it when we got back to the house.
Crumpled up in a thick, discoloured plastic bag was this ball of dusty lace. With it having spent the last 50 years in the back of a dusty cupboard we were expecting it to totally fall apart. To our shock it was in great condition. Obviously I wanted to try it on. Girls are never too old to play dress up!
When I tried it on I was not thinking about wearing it as my wedding dress. it wasn’t until I looked in the mirror and saw how beautiful it was that I knew it was the one. Yes it needed cleaning and altering but I had a vision as to what could be done.
Granny started to get emotional as she watch me get all excited about her dress. It felt extra special as our family were going through a difficult time as my parents were in the process of a messy divorce but my Grandparents had just celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. The timing was perfect.
Granny had a friend who used to make and alter wedding dresses but had now retired. We phoned her up and asked her if she would be interested in helping make the alterations and after hearing the story she agreed. She came round the next day, measured me and planned how she would alter it to make it fit me perfectly. I sent her drawings of what I wanted it to look like and as if by magic she just made it happen.
This dress made our wedding day mean so much more to me. I am so glad that I waited and held out for the perfect dress!
Thank you Granny for letting me wear your special dress!
