And we thought that the wonderful crazy story about the shared wedding dress was all said and done.
Not this dress. It continues to create memories.
Enter Sherrie’s daughter Cary and soon to be fiancé Judd. Cary’s lifelong best friend, Kathleen, lives on the Outer Banks and they visit back and forth regularly. During one visit Cary posts a sunset photo and I comment that I know where she is. Turns out I was not quite right. I thought that Cary was at the Colington Harbour soundside beach when she was actually at a similar small beach near Kathleen’s house in Kitty Hawk. But they both claim stunning water oaks overlooking peaceful waters to frame a good sunset.
We get to chatting, one thing leads to another with Cary and Judd agreeing to swing by for coffee on their way home to Charlottesville. They have never been to our house and as I am giving them the tour I point out the wedding dress to Cary. The story is new to her and she agrees with her mom that she would never have an interest in wearing it. She takes my picture with the dress. This is in May of 2019. In September Cary & Judd get engaged. They set their wedding date for May 1, 2021, well enough into the future to circumvent the pandemic.
Months pass. Cary gets a dress and sends me a photo of it. She tells me that she has a wish to somehow use a piece of her mom’s dress in her wedding attire. I suggest a piece of the Alencon beaded lace or some of the tiny covered buttons incorporated into her dress but neither idea strikes a chord.
Whatever we come up with she wants it to be a complete surprise to Sherrie. My lips are sealed. I look at the dress. As steward of the dress I definitely want Cary to have a piece but I also do not want to alter its integrity.
Then inspiration hits. I do not even ask Cary. I tell her I have the perfect solution and will mail her the finished piece. She trusts me enough to agree.
The dress was too long for both Sherrie and myself and it ended up with a very deep hem. I make a heart shaped template as big as I can to cut into the hem of the dress from top to almost bottom leaving just enough for a cloth patch to be ironed on to keep the cut out area together. The dress is sewn in panels. I snip two hearts for symmetry along the inside of the hem from two of the largest panels. And patch the openings with light weight iron on fabric.
I appliqué stitch the two pieces together. At first I consider leaving the top part open so Cary can tuck in a note but the piece looked prettier completely stitched. Because I want the appliqué to be as big as possible without compromising the dress it ends up being part satin and part horsehair which I think rather interesting because that documents the construction of original hem.
It has taken me awhile to ponder various ideas and decide if the fabric will cooperate, there’s not a lot of margin for error or do overs. The days are advancing and I have assured Cary, even though she does not nudge me, that she is not forgotten and my idea almost finished and ready for mailing.
By the time I gather my courage, make the cuts, sew the heart appliqué, and mail it off to Cary it is late February. Plenty of time for an early May wedding, but she’s a bride there are endless things to do.
Cary is beyond delighted when she gets her surprise. “I LOVE it!” she texts. I envision Cary tucking it into her bra or bouquet but she does that vision one better. She sends me a video, under sworn secrecy of course, showing how she has stitched the heart into the lining of her dress. It is completely perfect. She tells me she has sewn the heart in using blue thread. I tell her that my nod to blue was sewing as well. I gathered my veil with blue thread.
The pandemic has proven rude and relentless, nevertheless Cary & Judd stick to the original date modifying the location to their backyard and the in attendance guest list to family and close friends with everyone else attending by Zoom. We all send video toasts which Kathleen collates into a file for Cary & Judd to watch after the ceremony. I added one of our many outtakes here because Cary & Judd have the best of the lot and we do work hard to make a good one for them. We want to capture an Outer Banks sunset while toasting with the wedding memento champagne flutes Cary & Judd have sent by FedEx to everyone.
And Cary’s surprise for Sherrie goes off without a hitch. Their wedding photographer captured the reveal moment so well
Now this is not the end of the wedding dress story because rather like Star Wars I started in the middle.
