Bride pays touching tribute to her mum by walking down the aisle in her 40-year-old wedding dress with only a few small alterations
- Bride Lauren re-designed her mum’s wedding dress
- She altered the 1984 gown with designer Denisse Vera
A bride took her guests’ breath away when she walked down the aisle wearing her mother’s wedding dress from 1984 that she had given a modern makeover.
Lauren Mraz enlisted the help of her old school friend and renowned fashion designer Denisse Vera to alter her mum Kristina’s custom-made gown she wore almost 40 years earlier.
The newlywed said her mum was ‘thankful and delighted’ she wore her dress as she tied the knot with her husband Andre.
‘Wearing my mother’s dress allowed me to embody both my own values and my heritage and carry them with me into a new chapter of life,’ she told FEMAIL.
‘The guests couldn’t believe the dress was 39 years old! Everyone was admiring the harmony between the alterations and the original dress design.’
Bride Lauren Mraz (right) has wowed her guests after walking down the aisle in a redesigned version of her mother’s wedding dress (left)
According to Lauren, Kristina held onto her wedding dress as she had it custom-made and thought it could be useful to someone one day.
‘After my engagement, I started talking to my mother about searching for second hand materials and she mentioned her wedding dress was still in a good condition,’ Lauren said.
‘As her dress fit me quite well I decided to re-use and re-design it.’
Lauren and Denisse had been in touch on and off since their school days on social media, offering kind words to each other when family members had passed away and following each other’s career.
Lauren enlisted the help of her old friend who is now a renowned fashion designer Denisse Vera (left) to redesign her mum Kristina’s custom-made gown she donned in 1984
‘Initially, I only asked Denisse for some recommended dressmakers because I knew she has her signature macrame style. But she actually offered to work on this dress herself!’ Lauren said
The Australian designer has made a name for herself for her unique handmade macrame outfits often seen on models and influencers at Coachella.
‘Initially, I only asked Denisse for some recommended dressmakers because I knew she has her signature macrame style. But she actually offered to work on this dress herself!’ Lauren said.
The Australian designer has made a name for herself for her unique handmade macrame outfits often seen on models and influencers at Coachella
‘I was so honoured to witness her creative process and am so grateful for her generosity.’
Denisse said every step of the redesign process with Lauren was ‘lovely’ and the pair shared no-waste ethos with the bride wanting to minimise her wedding’s impact on the environment in every facet.
‘We deconstructed the dress and sewed it back together with more structure but with a chic and simplified look,’ Denisse explained.
‘She had such a warm, genuine reception that enabled my ideas to flourish and benefit from her expertise,’ Lauren added.
Lauren went to numerous fittings at Denisse’s home as her studio was flooded in early 2022 and worked together to come up with the new design.
‘We created a new neckline, added a lining layer, structure to the bodice, a tulle illusion insert and reapplied the original self-covered buttons to the new centre-back and sleeve closures,’ Denisse described in an Instagram post.
Lauren went to numerous fittings at Denisse’s home as her studio as flooded in early 2022 and worked together to come up with the new design
This may not be the last time Lauren and Denisse collaborate and they hope to use the left over materials from the dress for a future project
‘We saved the lovely details for future use and for Lauren to hand down like heirlooms.’
Denisse said Lauren looked ‘stunning’ in her mother’s dress and ‘took her family’s breathe away’ while the bride described her day at ‘sublime’.
Kristen was ‘thankful and delighted’ her daughter donned her beloved gown on her special day.
‘She is proud of my decision to treasure this heirloom. She has always taught me to value the resources I have and waste not,’ Lauren said.
This may not be the last time Lauren and Denisse collaborate and they hope to use the left over materials from the dress for a future project.
‘I look forward to creating something special with the left over details from Lauren’s dress in my new studio, which is under construction and officially opening in mid-August,’ Denisse said.
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