Recreating A 1960 Vintage Wedding Crown
A beloved 1960 wedding crown divided a family when, unknowingly, a granddaughter took it apart and repurposed it. The challenge was to replicate it from an old black-and-white wedding photo. Robyn found Marie at Headpiece.com, hoping to recreate her mom’s crown in time to celebrate their 65th Wedding Anniversary.
A Vintage Wedding Romance
Sharon Kaveny and Roy Jolly’s courtship began during a high school dance in Downey, California. She was a sophomore, and he was a junior.
“One night, we both went to a Sock Hop dance with our own groups of friends. A mutual friend suggested that Roy ask me to dance, and he did. While we were dancing, he asked me out on a date. I laughed because I thought he was kidding, but he wasn’t. Roy handed me his student boy card and driver’s license and said, “Here take these. I’ll take them back when I pick you up tomorrow night.””
Sharon, at age sixteen, and Roy, at seventeen.
This was only the beginning of their romance fairy tale. They continued to date throughout high school. At Roy’s senior prom, he popped the question and surprised Sharon with an engagement ring. In June of the following year, Sharon graduated from high school, and they married weeks later, on June 25th, 1961.
They were married in a small, beautiful wedding chapel at Rose Hills in California with 150 guests in attendance.
Sharon found her bridal gown in a wedding book. It was an original Alfred Angelo, and she immediately called the bridal store in South Gate, California, to see it. Her mom couldn't go with her because she was home caring for two small babies.
“When I saw the dress, it was so beautiful! It looked like a Cinderella dress, and then I saw the crown. It was so beautiful with crystals and pearls, and it matched the dress beautifully. I loved it! It was me. I asked if I could put both on layaway and was told I could. The dress was about $150 and the crown $25. I was happy they would let me make payments, and paid with my babysitting money.”
“We held our wedding reception in the backyard of Roy’s family home, where we celebrated with punch and a beautiful cake. It was simple and filled with the people we loved.”
“Later that day, we left for our honeymoon in San Francisco. When we returned to our little apartment, we found all of our wedding gifts waiting for us on our bed.”
A Beautiful 60s Vintage Wedding Crown
Restoring vintage bridal headpieces and crowns to their original beauty is my passion. My blog often highlights my love and admiration for crowns and wedding accessories from the incredible 60s. Sharon’s crown was unique among the many 60s styles I have worked on. It was designed as though the crown sat on delicate pearl stilts, so the world could notice its elegance and beauteous splendor.
“Only two people have worn my crown other than me on my wedding day. My husband, Roy’s cousin, wore my crown, and my daughter wore it in 1990. After her wedding, she stored it with her dress for safe keeping to be worn by furture girls in the family.”
After celebrating her granddaughter’s bridal shower, Sharon received a call from her daughter saying that her beautiful 1960 wedding crown had been sent off to be taken apart and repurposed for her granddaughter's wedding day. This came as a shock to Sharon, as she was never asked for permission.
“My mom was shocked. She didn’t know how to respond and simply said, “I have to go,” and hung up the phone. What my sister may have viewed as a beautiful idea for her daughter carried an entirely different meaning for my mom. This was her crown— a significant part of her own wedding history and a connection to a very important chapter in her life. Mom was so hurt that she kept the information to herself for several days. She didn’t share with anyone about the conversation with my sister, until my dad found her crying in the bathroom.”
Photo of the crown repurposed into a modern-style headpiece. Photo credit: Robyn Craig
At the end of the wedding reception, Robyn’s sister handed her a box with her niece’s headpiece in it and walked away.
“This was a painful moment. The headpiece was not just an object. It had been made from my mom’s crown and carried memories and meaning that went far beyond the piece itself. Sadly, this became a turing point for our family. At this moment, I felt it was my responsibility to figure out how to make things right. I knew that some way I had to recreate the crown back to its original state. Knowing how hurt and saddened my mom weighed heavily on me.”
Recreating A 60s Wedding Crown From A Photo
Robyn searched for someone to recreate the crown her mom so adored, but had no luck. She decided to take the restyled headpiece apart and save every pearl and crystal in a bowl. She bought supplies to DIY and remake the crown with her mom’s help.
“I know attempting to recreate the crown myself may sound absurd, but I am crafty and hoped I could come up with something. We cut up the headpiece, saved the original beads, and threaded a few of them together. It quickly became clear that I was being unrealistic to think that I could create anything that resembled a crown. Sadly, the box of beads went back in the closet for another year.”
Robyn made a second attempt to find someone to remake her mom’s wedding crown, but this time she had a purpose in mind. Her mom and dad were set to celebrate 65 years of marriage on June 25th, 2026, and she wanted to surprise her mom with the wedding crown she once wore on her wedding day.
“One night, while I was in bed, I began searching the web again. This is when I found Headpiece.com. I believe I came across your site because it was the right time. I could hardly believe what I was reading and seeing. The pictures were gorgeous and the stories were heartfelt and beautiful. For the first time in two years, I felt a sense of hope that the crown might be recreated after all. ”
I told Robyn this would be the second time in my career that I'd remade an old wedding crown from a vintage wedding photo. I reassured her that if anyone could do it, it was me.
“After our first virtual consultation, I remember feeling an enormous sense of relief. For the first time since the crown had been dismantled, I felt like I finally found someone who truly understood what it meant, not just as a piece of jewelry, but as a treasured part of my mom’s history and our family story.”
Robyn and Marie are discussing the crown during a virtual consultation.
Robyn found the best photo capturing the crown's details and sent me a high-resolution digital scan. When I design any bridal accessory, I do it with precision. A high-quality scan is essential to design as close to the original crown as possible.
The base of the crown was left intact. This was a great starting point for determining the dimensions of the original piece.
“Fortunately, I had three things to work from to recreate Sharon’s crown: the bag of beads and crystals, the high-resolution scan, and the original crown’s base. ”
Even though the scan was high-resolution, the details were still very hard to see.
I engineered a design diagram and counted every bead and crystal. We were short three crystals and ten pearls. I knew my sketch was very close to the original crown. Patience, time, and skill were all that was left to bring this crown back to Sharon.
“My expectations at first were very modest. I knew I was asking to recreate something that no longer existed, using only a vintage photograph and a bag of beads. What I hoped for was something that would capture the look, shape, and spirit of my mom’s original crown. I knew there would be some guesswork involved. I later learned that you are precise in everything you do...there is NO guessing!”
Mom’s Vintage Wedding Crown Surprise
Robyn came to me just six months before her mom and dad’s 65th anniversary celebration. I told her I couldn’t guarantee I could meet the anniversary date because of the volume of designs already scheduled for production, but I would do my best. I worked late nights to make sure her mom would have the surprise of a lifetime as she celebrated her marriage milestone.
“I was so incredibly pleased with the results of this crown design. It was one of the most satisfying projects in my career. I knew my recreation was built better than the 1960 original, and its presence more beautiful than the day Sharon walked down the aisle. The pearls were hand wired and the cleaned crystals hand sewn. The new crown was void of the massive amounts of age old epoxy and designed with perfection.”
“We never thought we would see the crown put together again. We cried when I pulled it out of the purple box. I knew what it was. For Robyn to go to the lengths to find you was just meant to be. Our special person found you. another special person.”
“When Mom opened the box and saw the crown, she was completely stunned. Tears began to fall. She started to tremble, couldn’t speak, and was overwhelmed with emotion. I could see the disbelief on her face as she realized what she was looking at.”
“Looking back five years later, it is heartbreaking to realize how something that began with a family heirloom, a crown that carried so much history and sentimental meaning, could become part of a series of events that caused such lasting pain and division within our family.”
“The crown looks exactly as it did when I bought it. Your work on the crown is fantastic! Your understanding of the meaning of these family items is a blessing. We know the crown and its story will always be passed on in our family. Thank you, Marie!”
There is a story behind every vintage piece I touch. Many involve heartbreak of some kind. What a blessing it is to share my gifts in a way that brings incredible happiness and healing of the heart. I am grateful for every day I unlock the purple door to headpiece.com and for the people who continue to find their way here.
See you next month on the Fourteenth