This past month I had the pleasure of dancing with my granddaughter Sommer who was wearing the same wedding dress my wife Chris wore at our wedding 53 years ago. After our wedding, Chris’s sister Karen wore it at her wedding. In 1991 I danced again with the dress at our daughter Sareen’s wedding and again at our daughter Anjie’s wedding in 1993.

All of the brides made my 53-year dream of our daughters wearing the same dress come true. To tell the story of “The Dress” at Sommer’s wedding Chris wrote the following narrative:

The Wedding Dress

Long, long ago, in 1964 in the land of Iowa, a fair young maiden, named Christina, met a tall, handsome fellow. They fell in love and wanted to get married, so one day the maiden and her mother went to a Bridal Shop in the capital city of Des Moines and purchased a beautiful wedding dress. And so, on December 19th in the year 1964, Christina Bergstrom became the bride of Richard Bryne. After the wedding, the wedding dress was carefully folded, wrapped in tissue paper, placed in a large “dress” box and moved to the back of a closet.

And so it happened… a few years later, in the land of Iowa another fair young maiden, named Karen (sister to the first maiden), met a tall dark and handsome fellow. They fell in love and wanted to get married, so the box was taken out of the closet and when the maiden tried on the dress, it was beautiful and fit perfectly. And so, on February 24th in the year 1968, Karen Bergstrom became the bride of John George. The wedding dress was again carefully folded, wrapped in tissue paper, placed in the special “dress” box and moved to the back of a closet.

A few years later…

Chris and Rich moved to California to seek their fortune. However, every few years they would return to the land of Iowa to visit. One year during a visit their young daughters, Anjie and Sareen who had heard the stories of “the wedding dress” asked to see it, so the box was brought out of closet and opened. The young girls ooh’d and aah’d over the dress and asked to try it on as they dreamed of their far away wedding days.

Then, on a visit to Iowa a few years later those little girls were now young women and the wedding dress traveled to California with them.

And so it happened…in 1990, this time in the land of California a fair young maiden, named Sareen, met a tall, dark and handsome fellow. They fell in love and wanted to get married. A July 1991 date was set and planning got underway. The box was brought out of the closet and when the maiden tried on the dress…….it didn’t quite fit. A seamstress was called in and created a new bodice for the beautifully flowing dress, the sleeves were redesigned as short sleeves as this wedding day would be in the hot summer time. However, as February 14th approached, the romantic couple, who were not very patiently waiting and being very much “in love”, decided on the spur of the moment to get married on Valentine’s Day! Oh No! What about all the plans and the dream of wearing “the dress”! Well, on July 20 in 1991, in front of family and friends and wearing “the dress”, Sareen Bryne and Lucas Carrasco renewed their vows in a formal wedding setting. The wedding dress was then again carefully folded and bohemian styled garments for prom show useage

lovingly wrapped in tissue paper, placed in the special “dress” box and moved to the back of a closet.

And so it happened… the following year in 1992, in the land of California, a fair young maiden, named Anjie, met a tall dark and handsome fellow. They fell in love and wanted to get married, so the box was taken out of the closet and when the maiden tried on the dress it was beautiful and fit perfectly. However, a seamstress was called in to add lace netting to create long sleeves and to fill in the neckline as this would again be a winter wedding. And so, on January 2nd in the year 1993, Anjie Bryne became the bride of Amon Emeka. Since the wedding dress was now 27 years old and more precious than ever, Anjie had it professionally cleaned, carefully folded and again wrapped in special tissue paper, and placed in a new special “dress” box before being returned to the back of a closet.

Twenty-two years went by and then it happened…. in 2015, in the land of Iowa, a fair young maiden, named Sommer, met a tall, handsome fellow with red hair. They fell in love and wanted to get married. The “wedding dress” was however in a closet in California. So, it was two years later during a visit that the box was taken out of the closet and when the maiden tried it on, it again fit “almost perfectly”. However, a seamstress was called in, a few adjustments were made, the sleeves were redesigned and lace was added here and there to restore the beauty of the now 53-year-old “wedding dress”. And so, today January 6th in the year 2018, Sommer Carrasco is the bride of Kellin Chambers!! And….. next week the “wedding dress” will again be carefully folded and wrapped in tissue paper, placed in the special “dress” box and be moved to the back of a closet.

And a story update.…..

Chris and Rich celebrated their 53rd Anniversary last month.

John and Karen will celebrate their 50th Anniversary next month.

Sareen and Lucas will celebrate their 27th Anniversary on Valentine’s Day.

Anjie and Amon celebrated their 25th Anniversary four days ago.