Moms are transforming their heirloom wedding gowns into modern rehearsals dresses for their daughters

Wedding dresses are an heirloom, and every bride needs four things when she walks down the aisle: something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. For many, shoes and jewelry are qualified as "something new," while their wedding gown is an "oldie but a goldie." As exquisite and memorable as the dresses were for their mothers, they are now turning their wedding gowns into stunning rehearsal dresses for their daughters' big day. Thanks to TikTok, this is a popular trend among mothers who attempt to pass down their wedding dresses without imposing their style upon the brides-to-be. And a shoutout to all the talented designers who transformed these vintage wedding dresses into a modern style, perfect for a 2023 bride.

Lovell Faye Bridal (@lovellfayebridal) is one such bridal designer who has dedicated herself to helping brides-to-be pay tribute to their moms' vintage wedding dresses, all while still maintaining their former charm and character. "Everyone loves the tradition of ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue,'" Lovell writes on her website. “Freeing your mother's wedding dress from storage and incorporating it into your wedding wardrobe is a touching and unique way to pay tribute to the tradition and celebrate in style.”

Lovell said that brides come to her with different requests. “They want to modernize their mother’s wedding dress for their own rehearsal or bridal shower, want to make a gift that will last a lifetime, or wants a special way to honor the memory of their mother or grandmother.” In a video posted on her TikTok account, Lovell turned her client's mother's wedding dress into a rehearsal dinner dress. The designer updated the hem, trimmed the skirt, took out the poof in the long sleeves, and turned it into short sleeves. The final product was incredibly adorable and modern, and the bride looked stunning in the dress.

Folks gushed about how beautifully the dress turned out without losing its original charm in the comments. "Wow, you did that dress justice! Looks so modern but still recognizable as the original," said @helen_becerra. "It’s amazing how changing the sleeves updates the whole dress! Both she and the bride are adorable!" wrote @darlingmom1. "This is gorgeous!! I never thought of making the sleeves short," shared @modicharry. "So cute! When I saw the original I wasn’t sure what could be done to update it, but you had a great vision for it!" added @ladyandalusia. "This is astoundingly well done!! Not just the skill to pull it off but the creative vision to see what it could be!" exclaimed @rain_violent. 

Another bridal designer, (@unboxthedress), helps transform wedding gowns into stunning bridal robes. One mother of the bride wanted to pass down her dress without imposing it upon her daughter, so she converted it into a robe, enabling her to cherish her gown uniquely on her daughter's big day. While some of these vintage gowns are from the '80s and '90s, some date back to the 1960s. Bridal designer and bride (@brittanyltibbs) transformed a third-generation wedding dress into a stunning modern rehearsal dress. We hope to see more vintage dresses receiving a second shot at life in modern weddings in light of the 11 million views the video with the mom's reaction that she shared on her TikTok account.