The Story of a Wedding Dress

Once upon a time in a small town of Talladega, Alabama, lived a girl and a boy. They met in 10th grade and fell madly in love. They wanted to see each other as much as possible, but that is where the story gets tricky. The girl lived in the country, a little too far away from town to plan many after-school dates. The boy did not live much closer to town, but he had many family responsibilities expected of him at home after school. So as many young loves did at the time, they went on dates during the weekends. They also visited at each others' homes on Sunday afternoons.  

It was during these afternoon visits that the two young people realized they had been raised in two different worlds…in the same small town, but nevertheless, very different lifestyles. 

The girl came from a very strict background, going to the Baptist church twice on Sundays and once or twice again during the week days. Her parents allowed her to dance, but if she attended a dance, it had to be kept a secret from her grandfather. And hardly without mentioning, there was never any alcohol in the house or ever served with meals. 

The boy could have been raised on the other side of the world as far as  the differences in his family were concerned! He was raised in a lively and boisterous Irish Catholic home with 2 brothers and a sister and more racket and activity and singing that could be imaginable to the young girl. Bedtimes  were not enforced too much. These teenage children were regarded as adults in some ways. The boy had also been administered a driver's license at the age of 13 because he had been expected to take on some of the family driving, including taking children to school and the adult relatives to work. He was also the driver every Sunday for the local Catholic priest who served 3 small parishes in the county. 

 In the boy's home, the food was different too. The boys' family had lived in a few industrial cities and had been introduced to delicious ethnic dishes that became some of their family favorites. And to top it off, the boy's mother brewed peach wine in the cellar!

Why, these two young people did not stand a chance….or did they? 

Well, the story continues when high school graduation came around. Both wanted to attend The University of Alabama. Here is where the road takes a rough and bumpy turn. The girl was sent to Howard College, a Baptist school in Birmingham, where some of her older cousins had attended. Curfews were nightly; chapel was required…….."Oh dear," cried the girl. "I cannot survive here."

The boy was sent to St. Bernard College, a Catholic school in Cullman. For a young man who had been given adult responsibilities for the past several years, going to St. Bernard was like entering boarding school as a 5th grader! Bed check and locked dorm rooms at 10 pm for goodness sake! And certainly no cars on campus!

As the way of the heart can endure, such was the story of these two loves. They both convinced their own parents that they needed to be on the campus of The University of Alabama where they could pursue their own college education and get to see one another. Both excelled in university and finished in 4 years. Both were presidents of their fraternity and sorority, and both had met the 

agreements set by both parents to get their diploma in order to marry. 

So the wedding planning began. 

China patterns, silver place settings, and crystal glassware were chosen. Parties and showers were given. The wedding date was set-a special date- June 30, 1954, the date that the boy's parents had married... a special touch .

Here the story finally reaches the part about the wedding dress. (That IS the title of this blog post, isn't it?) The girl's mother had a cousin who had a fine dress shop in Anniston, and this cousin offered to order the wedding dress of the girl's dreams.

The wedding finally took place. The dress was beautiful . The bridesmaids were precious in their pink ballerina-length gowns, the flower girl stealing the show! The groomsmen were very handsome in their white summer suits.  Then honeymoon to Panama City,

and married life began in Tuscaloosa, Alabama as the boy waited for his orders from the US Army. Finally his orders came through, but the girl had to wait behind for her own orders to join him. So off she goes home to pack for her new life in post -WWII France, and the beautiful wedding dress was laid in a trunk.

Waiting for orders to travel

Once in France, the entertaining of officers became a frequent affair. Hearing that one soiree would be an "Old South" theme, she telegrammed her mother to please send her wedding dress to Orleans, France. She would use it as a costume! All that really needed to be changed was cutting off the train! ("UGH UGH UGH!"… that is my voice in parenthesis ). She was young, and married to the love of her life, and she did not really care what happened to the dress after the wedding!

Well, many years went by, and the wedding dress became the  permanent house guest in an old army trunk in all the different places and towns the boy and the girl lived. It was the ivory-colored wad of fabric stuffed in a trunk. The poor beautiful dress never could not be a consideration for the next generation of girls to wear in their weddings.

Then in 2007, the girl from Talladega-days-gone-by got a great idea. She would have her dress restored and remade into  a beautiful top to wear to her granddaughter's wedding. The dress that had been bought in Anniston in 1954 would be walking down the aisle once again 53 years later!

Nancy wears her new creation from her old wedding dress at granddaughter Rebecca's wedding, July14, 2007

 Even though the dress had been stuffed in a trunk for 50 years, a very talented designer and restoration artist, named Marion Allen, created a very special Grandmother of the Bride top to wear with a long skirt.

Jackson holding the pillow at granddaughter, Rebecca's wedding, July 14, 2007

And the mother of the bride made 2 ring bearer pillows from the remnant fabric and lace from the dress.

Nancy DeWine with the ring bearer at her grandson, William's wedding, December 31, 2010

A few years years later the wedding gown remnants were put into service again, even though this bride of 1954 had gone to heaven to be reunited with her groom. Her daughter made a bonnet from the lace of the dress that had been ordered from Anniston, worn in Talladega, shipped to France to become a costume, stuffed in a trunk, and shipped around the southeast for years. The girls' great-granddaughter wore this bonnet when she was baptized.

Elle and her mother, Frances Ellen, on Elle's baptism day, July 20, 2014

So is "The Story of a Wedding Dress" finished? Will there be another chapter? That is what makes this story so exciting. This story does not have a "The End," but it has a "To Be Continued." There is still  more organza fabric and just a little bit of lace left. Handkerchiefs and veil insertions for future family brides are possibilities.

Photo taken upstairs in "Tee's House"

So this story will end with a big "To Be Continued" and a very heart-felt thank you from this writer who is grateful that not all stories are fairy-tale perfect. These are the ones that are so much more fun to pass on.