When repurposing a mother’s vintage bridal headpiece or wedding crown, my value goes beyond the scope of fashion design. I am a problem solver who provides beautiful and elegant creative solutions. My bride, Ashleigh, needed just that!
Ashleigh came to me trying to envision how her mother’s headpiece would work with her wedding day style. Her mother always wanted her to wear her 1987 headpiece. This 36-year-old crown had several challenges to overcome before a trip down the aisle.
“This headpiece was a gift from my great-grandmother to her granddaughters. My mom and all of my aunts wore the crown on their wedding day.”
“I have always LOVED pearls, but I was very disappointed once I saw my mother’s headpiece in person. Her headpiece was yellow and looked dull. It was large and felt heavy. I knew I didn’t want to wear the headpiece as a crown or use it as a headband because I wanted my hair up.”
“I had no idea Marie was an expert in restoring vintage headpieces. I only knew her as Aubrey’s mom and that she made headpieces for my friends in the past. My mom and I decided to walk in one day, wondering, “Well, maybe she can do something with it.” We never considered looking elsewhere, but we are blessed to have Headpiece.com in our hometown!”
Ashleigh was torn about modifying the original piece because of its long family history. I never try to persuade a bride to go in a specific direction. I listen to them and get a sense of what they would like to do: restore it fully to its original state or change it into a style of their own. This decision can be pretty emotional and isn’t always an easy one.
“Ashleigh’s mother’s crown was one of the largest and heaviest I have worked on to restyle. Repurposing a vintage headpiece is a slow and tedious process from start to finish when done correctly. Taking the piece apart and prepping it for redesign often takes as long (or longer) as creating the new design from scratch.”
“When trying to convince me to use the headpiece, my mom mentioned that it was made with Swarovski crystals. She told how my great grandma and aunt flew from Puerto Rico to New York City to pick out this distinctly beautiful piece. However, when I picked up the crown from my aunt’s house, I could barely tell they were crystals; they didn’t sparkle at all. We were both blown away to see the results after they were cleaned.”
One of the most common problems I see in vintage headpieces is hairspray damage. Over the years, the grimy, sticky coating of hairspray gathers dust and turns a dingy golden orange. I am often surprised that even today, you will see top hairstylists applying several coats of hairspray over beautiful, shining bridal accessories, not realizing the extensive damage it will do over time. However, seeing my brides’ reactions when they see the before and after images is very satisfying!
The left shows the aged and dirty crystals. The right are the results of an extensive hand cleaning.
“It was important to Ashley to keep the integrity of the original design. During her consultation, I immediately envisioned a bridal back style using all of the elements of the original headpiece but designed with a bit more openness. The clustered round pearls with upshoots of the vintage teardrops kept the essence of the family crown, while the cleaned and brilliant crystals brought this old family piece back to life like the first time it was worn.”
Making Mom’s Headpiece Mine
Photos by DK Photography
GOWN / Justin Alexander VENUE / Maritime Parc HEADPIECE / Headpiece.com HAIR / Kristine Demaj MUA / Smashbrush FLORIST / WMF Events
“The final design was beautiful! It meant so much for Ashleigh to wear the headpiece my grandmother gave me 35 years ago. My sister and three cousins wore it after my wedding, which became a tradition.”
Ashleigh gifted her mom with a set of five hairpins designed from the extra vintage crystals.
“My mom didn’t want to wear a corsage, so I thought the pins in her hair would make her stand out as the mother of the bride, and it did! My mom was speechless once she saw me take out the purple box and immediately started crying. She went from tears of excitement and couldn’t wait to show my aunts the pieces. I overheard her telling many of our guests she was sharing a piece of her crown with me.”
“The hairpins were an amazing gift! Thankfully, Ashleigh gave it to me before we had our makeup done because it made me cry, knowing that we both were wearing something so special that was given with love by my grandmother, who is no longer alive.”
“Once I was ready, emotions surged. I remember seeing my bridesmaids circled together singing and dancing with my mom and aunt. They were so excited for me. I felt this overwhelming love towards them, my husband, and all the friends and family coming together that evening to celebrate with us.”
“I looked at myself and felt a surge of confidence in the culmination of choices made over the past year to perfect my wedding day look.”
I suggested Ashleigh allow me to make some alterations to her veil so it worked perfectly in tandem with her restyled headpiece. The existing big and bulky comb would appear prominent when worn under her beautiful headpiece. I took her veil apart, reshaped it, and put it on my signature handmade frame to flow more beautifully from her piece.
“I absolutely loved the final restyle. It was the perfect size and felt snug and secure the whole night despite never leaving the dance floor!”
I have never ended my blog with a photo of a bride and her mother. In the end, the marriage promise and the union of two are what is most important. But how can I overlook the love of a mother for her daughter and the love of a daughter for her mom? This blog never would have occurred without the love of a grandmother for her granddaughters. And, as I await the birth of my first granddaughter at any moment, I hope one day I have the opportunity for the same.
See you next month on the Fourteenth
