I wasn't paying attention and  thought she said she needed someONE old.  Instead I was informed the bride needed someTHING old, and what she wanted was the lace from Mrs. T's first wedding dress, and for me to sit quietly in my atelier and snip the lace off the bodice and hem.

Like most men I had no appreciation for the hand work necessary to construct a wedding dress.  I had never encountered such tiny stitches, the skills required to become a bridal seamstress are beyond the imagination of most tailors.  The object was to wrap the bridesmaids bouquets in old lace, with the covered buttons from mom's dress securing the bride's bouquet.

I felt a heathen rending the lace from what was a beautiful silk gown, but as Mrs. T said, "I'm not wearing that old thing again", and since the bride was the only daughter I went at dismantling the gown  attempting to honor the skills of the crew who assembled it. The florist created masterpieces.

There was an unintended prize for me at the end of my efforts.  What do you do with the remnants of an old wedding gown?

Honoring Isadora Duncan, I am having my bride's old dress cut and stitched into a long opera scarf. Just the thing to go with a navy top coat.

Toad