Something (B)old: Bride Transforms Mother's Wedding Dress for Rehearsal Dinner

Sami’s first instinct after her now-husband, Austin, proposed was to explore her parents’ wedding chest of memorabilia for inspiration. Like many brides, she tried on her mother’s dress and was surprised to find that it fit perfectly in all the right places. Sami reflects, “In that moment I knew I wanted to bring it back to life somehow.”

Full of time-stamped trends from 1995, Sami was enamored with the intricate lace and beading adorning the bodice of the gown but removed the sleeves and shortened the train to modernize the fit. Blending her mother’s bridal era with her own, she revealed the upcycled wedding dress to her mother on the night of her rehearsal dinner. “Watching her face light up made it even more special,” Sami says, “Out of all the white dresses I wore during my bridal era, this one was by far my favorite. It felt like my parents’ love was wrapped around me.”