Unboxing My 1980’s Wedding Dress
I unboxed my 1980s wedding dress to see how well it preserved, and if I could wear it once again.
This is my favorite wedding photo taken by my brother on June 19th, 1982.
You may wonder what inspired me to do this. I have shared joyous and tearful occasions with clients who have unboxed an heirloom wedding gown once worn by a loved one. Some are devastated by the condition of the gown when they take it out of the box, while others reminisce about their mother or spouse wearing it and what it meant to them..
“While many of my brides have unboxed their dresses at home, there have been memorable moments when they wanted me to be with them and have that moment together in the shop.”
“I brought my mom’s preserved wedding dress to Marie because I trusted that she would have the expertise and compassion to help my dad and me unbox the dress that my mom so carefully preserved 44 years ago. I wanted my mom’s dress, veil, and headpiece to inspire my vision for my wedding day. I was so glad that we could start the redesign process by seeing all of my mom’s wedding attire outside of the box and in person at the shop.”
Mary and her dad, Tom, shared their emotional moment with me. I have never seen a photo framed inside a preservation box before. I loved it and it helped me to connect with them more. You can see Mary’s restyle journey on this blog, Planning Your Wedding Without Your Mom.
“I brought Patricia’s wedding gown to Marie, boxed and unopened, after 44 years. When I found it, I managed to survive the flood of emotions and memories that washed over me. I hoped the gown would find value in Marie’s hands. Her dress was not professionally stored, and we were uncertain of its condition. As we opened the box, surprise and excitement filled the shop. Because of its classic design, Marie decided to keep it and restore it to display in the shop. In that moment, Pat’s gown took on a whole new meaning.”
Lee’s story was featured on our blog, Passing On His True Love’s Wedding Dress.
I did all the things that you're not supposed to do with your preserved wedding gown, and I warn my brides against doing. I stored my gown upright in our one-bedroom apartment for a year, until we bought our first home and put it in the attic, or ‘convection oven,’ as I tell my brides. When we moved to our second home up in the attic, it went again, until we added an addition, and I was able to store it safely on a top shelf in my master bedroom closet.
Unboxing My Vintage Wedding Gown
Photos by Antonietta Henry Photography
I thought carefully about the condition of my vintage wedding dress. “Would it be stained, yellowed, or excessively creased, and could I emotionally deal with the results?”
Not many people know that I designed my wedding gown and bridal hat while still a Fashion Design student at The Fashion Institute of Technology, and unbeknownst to me, it would be the beginning of a fantastic career and the opening of Headpiece.com.
“I was elated to unseal the box and see white! ”
For some reason, I went to the bottom of the box first. There it was, my beautiful but simple lace hat. Poufs were such a thing with bridal accessories in the eighties. I fell for the trend and designed a less pouffy and simple veil to drape from the back. Underneath the veil, I sewed ribbon to trail behind.
The biggest surprise to me was finding my little sister’s flower girl dress, which I had designed to complement mine.
Her gown will need a little restoration for sugar stains on the bodice.
My baby sis was almost four years old when I got married.
“The big moment had finally arrived. As I pulled my dress from the box, I immediately focused on the skirt and train, looking for stains. My gown was in impeccable condition.”
My photographer, Antonietta Henry, kept saying she couldn’t believe how white it was. I laughed and replied, “That’s because I had no fun at my wedding! I had half a glass of champagne, danced one dance with Jeff and one with my dad, and ate hardly anything. We spent the majority of our wedding reception moving from table to table to greet our guests. That was the etiquette back then. Now brides have fun!”
While I was happy with the condition of my wedding gown, the wrinkling was extensive, a result of storing it upright during my first year of marriage. It required a thorough pressing before stepping into it and asking Antonietta to photograph it.
Trying On My Vintage Wedding Dress
After unboxing my wedding dress, the next natural step was to try it on.
“My dress was in desperate need of a good press. After four hours of using a hand iron and steamer, my gown was restored to its original beauty.”
I bought all of my fabric and lace at a tiny store called 40th Street Trimmings, located in the heart of the New York City fabric district. I funded it by cashing in the $200 Savings Bond I won in middle school for the top prize in the Pompton Lakes Fire Prevention Poster contest. Inspired by the fashion of the Victorian Era, I designed a tiered lace train for the skirt that required 130 yards of hand-gathered, embroidered English net.
“The lace train, featuring rows of ruffled, embroidered lace, was my favorite part of my wedding dress. Seeing it looking so beautiful and just like new made me fall in love all over again.”
“I originally decided to design a hat for my wedding because I had short hair. I actually love how it looks with my longer locks.”
“When I was a young bride in 1982, I never would have thought that I would wear my wedding gown one more time, in my own bridal shop.”
So, what is the ending of the story of my wedding gown design? After designing everything for my wedding — wedding dress, mom’s gown, flower girl dress, ring pillow, money bag, silk flower bouquets, and wedding favors —family and friends began asking me to design for them. I did this as a hobby while holding a full-time position as a Fit Development Designer at International Playtex, designing foundations (a.k.a, bras and panties). As the years passed, my hobby evolved into a business, and I began creating from my home. In May 1999, Headpiece.com, a brick-and-mortar store, was born.
Marie Hunt, Owner/Designer, in front of her store, Headpiece.com.
Did My Vintage Wedding Gown Still Fit?
I stay at the shop late many nights to work on production. It is a quiet time when some of my best work happens. My wrinkled dress had been on my mannequin for two days, staring at me through my production room window. I decided to try it on. It was just me and my dress, late at night, and I wanted it to fit perfectly.
“I stepped into my dress and slowly pulled it up. My arms slipped into the long sleeves, and I began to zip. I zipped as high as I could. However, I couldn’t go all the way.”
I felt sad and a bit defeated, and called my daughter, Aubrey. She is the owner and CEO of Hunt Grit, which provides life plans to create change and empower women through exercise, nutrition, and mindset. I hoped she could provide me with a plan that would enable me to fit into my gown like I once did. Her reply hit me hard.
“Mom, you aren’t the same woman you were then.”
My daughter was right! Her comment completely changed my perspective.
“My dress fit perfectly around my waist — the core of who I am. The upper bodice didn’t fit. But life is different than when I married 43 years ago. My shoulders have carried many of life’s burdens. The breadth of my chest has been filled with love and family. Maybe, just maybe, when I designed it so many years ago, I needed to leave a little extra room for life.”
Happy Anniversary, dear Jeff!
See you next month on the Fourteenth