Flashback Friday: Afro-Centric Wedding Ensemble

For this Flashback Friday, we're harkening back to a post Marilyn wrote for the Price George's County Women's Journal Bride Guide:

Early August 2009 was centered around creating a unique, Afro-centric wedding ensemble that incorporated traditions from several cultures and countries.   This bride and her mom brought me beautiful white embroidered cut-work fabric to work with.  Early on we agreed to line it in a platinum silver to reflect the metallic embroidery.  After studying a number of photos of traditional and updated Nigerian dresses, I was able to work out a design that pleased everyone.  The white fabric had a distinctive shaped border on both edges and I was able to cut that off in long strips and use it as the hem on both the bodice and the skirt.  To highlight the shaping, I made the silver lining of the skirt just a tad longer, sweeping both layers back into a train.  When the bride walked in for her final fitting, it was waiting for on my dress form and looked breathtaking!  So another happy bride walked down the aisle and that makes me very happy.

Flashback Friday: The Anti-Bridezilla

From a Bride Guide Marilyn wrote for The Prince George's County Women's Journal in 2009:

There are lots of stories about Bridezilla but I have one about a beautiful and generous bride.  She came to me with a photo to use as a starting point for her gown.  The final design was a bias-wrapped strapless bodice going into a dropped waist, a body hugging skirt flowing into a mermaid train and accented by a sash I custom dyed to match the aquamarine jewelry she would wear on her wedding day.

The gown was breathtaking on her and at her final fitting she said, "I hope you won't be upset with me when you hear what I plan to do with this dress after the wedding."  Since I have had brides who asked to have floor length gowns shortened to tea or cocktail lengths after the wedding and a couple of times have been asked to dye the gowns I kind of looked at the gown and tried to picture it shorter. What she said instead made me love her even more. She planned to donate the gown to Brides Against Breast Cancer, and organization that hosts sales and auctions of donated gowns to raise money to fund memory-making wishes for women (and men) who have little time left with their families.  The auction was scheduled for several weeks after she returned from her honeymoon so she was able to help at the auction as well as donate the gown.  She let me know afterwards that the gown was the most popular and brought in a wonderful donation for Brides Against Breast Cancer.