Bride surprised with a dressing gown made from her late mum’s wedding dress and it’s so beautiful
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- Megan Murray
- Published
This thoughtful gift to a bride from her late mother’s best friend is incredibly moving.
A wedding is an emotional time. But, for all the happy tears, if those getting married have lost loved ones that can’t be there on the day, there can be moments of sadness, too. And so, it’s incredibly beautiful when the friends and family around them go above and beyond to make something positive out of a tragedy.
22-year-old Kaylee from Chicago, USA, married her fiancé Tony on 16 June this year, but sadly her mum Mary wasn’t able to be there. Mary had been living with metastatic breast cancer for seven years and lost her battle with the disease last November, dying aged just 55.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk, Kaylee describes the heartbreak of her mum not seeing her get married: “She only knew him as my boyfriend, but we talked about how I wanted to marry him one day. He didn’t propose to me until 19 December last year.
“Having my mom pass away at such a young age, it was tough to swallow that she wouldn’t see me graduate college, get married, get my first real job, or see her grandchildren.”
Although nothing can make up for Kaylee’s mum not being there, in an inspiring show of female friendship, Mary’s best friend Debbie secretly coordinated getting hold of the mother-of-the-bride’s old wedding dress to transform it into a dressing gown for the day.
Using the silk from Mary’s original dress, Debbie created a pretty robe for Kaylee to wear as she got ready, something which was a surprise until the day before the wedding.
Recalling opening the gift, she says: “Opening that present, I was speechless. This was a gift I didn’t even know I needed until she showed me what she had done.”
Kaylee continues: “They were friends for as long as I can remember and Debbie was always working on new art projects. She came up with the idea and got in contact with my father in order to get his permission and get the dress (I was under the impression she was just fixing up my mom’s veil for me to wear).
“Having her wedding dress gave me comfort on my wedding day. A sense that she was right there with me.”
To finish the gown with another thoughtful touch, Debbie sewed two sets of ribbons into the inside. One which read the names of Kaylee and her groom, and one of her mum and dad.
Not only is the robe itself beautiful, but the way Debbie wanted to be there for her best friend’s daughter, and ensure that a part of her friend would be there for the day, is a powerful display of female friendship.
Hero and robe image: C J Bryant
Outdoor image: Mandelette Photography