The wedding dress was well loved by Nana on her wedding day.
The thick, ivory brocade fabric, richly embossed with roses ~ the perfect gown for a princess. A gentle neckline, formed bodice, a large hooped skirt, layers of crinoline, and a beautiful bustle bow with hardly a train in back! Perfectly simple, classic, and beautiful! She loved to sing and dance. She was a romantic. She loved her knight in shining armour. She felt like a princess who married her prince charming.
The dress was well loved over the years ~ it was used as a costume for all of her children and their friends. They danced, they sang, they laughed. They played pretend and the dress was dragged around from house to house as the family moved, gradually becoming ripped, stained, and bedraggled.
The wedding dress had a second life as a romantic wedding gown 25 years later, Nana’s daughter wore it to marry her prince charming.
The dress was bleached and washed. The zipper repaired. The large bustle bow was taken apart, the fabric used to reconstruct a new back for the dress, and to lengthen the sleeves with a small cuff. The hoop was long gone from years of play, but not needed anymore since the daughter was taller than Nana. The wedding dress was worn down a church aisle proudly once more. Simple. Elegant. Perfect.
Again, the dress was well loved by all the ‘littles’ in the family - once again becoming the dreamy dress in the costume box at Nana’s house. Once again little children played pretend, sang, danced, and laughed in the tired, old wedding dress. Once again the zipper ripped, the seams were torn, the fabric stained, and edges frayed. But so many memories. So much joy!
When Nana was to celebrate the 25th wedding anniversary with her prince, She insisted on planning her own party! A 50’s Rock and Roll party! Nana spent weeks cutting small silver starts from foil paper and threading them so she could hang them from the ceiling and create a night to remember with twinkling stars!
She bought special material and made herself a beautiful, floor length, red velvet skirt to wear! Just like the dress Julie Andrews wore in Mary Poppins! She made sure it was fun to twirl! She danced the night away during her celebration and the red velvet skirt became her ‘special’ skirt for the next 25 years! She wore it to any special occasion she could, including the renewal of her wedding vows on her 50th wedding anniversary to the prince!
Nana has died but her memory lives on.
In honour of her memory, little pillows were made for each grandchild with the fabrics of her special dresses - one side the wedding dress and the other the red velvet skirt.
A treasure to remember Nana…..her love, her joy, her silliness - And the love of her prince.
Kathleen Knapp - February 2021
