Photo by Lizzy Morrison Photo Designs
Five years after Devon Lambur met Dylan Lambur at her boss’ birthday party, the two of them got engaged in June 2023. To celebrate this exciting milestone in their relationship, Devon’s mother sent her daughter a thoughtful gift—her wedding dress from 1984. The bride told Business Insider that she had never envisioned wearing her mom’s special gown, but upon receiving the gift, she made the commitment to incorporating the frock into her affair in some way. She decided to get crafty, completely reimagining the long-sleeved A-line dress featuring an illusion neckline, a mock neck, and lace embroidery for her welcome dinner in October 2023.
After seeing a high-neck wedding outfit, Devon was inspired to recreate a similar iteration using her mother’s wedding dress. So, she took the gown to Eliza, a seamstress at Cozynest Custom Apparel & Alterations in St. Louis, Missouri, who worked her magic, per the outlet. Eliza converted the 40-year-old dress into a two-piece set with a long-sleeved blouse and lace-embroidered pants. On October 11, 2023, after her wedding took place, the bride posted a video of her final look on TikTok—which has received over 560,000 views.
Since Eliza only had one chance to cut the dress correctly, the entire process took eight months to rework, and it required Devon to spend 30 hours on trips to the alterations. The bride said she didn’t realize how much work the experience would be. “She had to mock up pants,” Devon recalled. “Then, she did a second mock-up.” Once the design and fit matched the mock-up pants, Eliza could evaluate the best way to cut the dress, according to Business Insider. Even though the final outcome maintained the look and feel of the original bodice, the revamped piece still cost Devon $1,000.
At first, Devon said she was nervous to tell her mom she would be cutting her wedding dress. However, the mother of the bride was on board with the idea. From start to finish, Devon made sure her mother was involved in every step of the process. “I would FaceTime her at almost every single one of the fittings,” Devon said. “That was a special experience for us.”
In addition to her sentimental welcome dinner outfit, Devon added another personal touch to her wedding celebration. Based on a TikTok that she posted on October 8, 2023—which has accumulated 2.7 million views—the bride played a voice note over the speakers before walking down the aisle, and the message captured her excitement to marry Dylan. “I had a lot of time to get creative with things, and I was like, ‘How can I make him cry?’” she recounted to Business Insider. And it paid off: Not only did the groom shed a few tears upon hearing the heartfelt message, but also the best man got emotional. “Wedding stuff can get really overwhelming, especially when you’re working a full-time job or two jobs—it gets super crazy,” she expressed. “This makes it all worth it in the end.”
