“I want to wear something I won’t have to worry about, while I’m dancing my butt off.”  – Jen

Jen felt a dapper ensemble was most fitting for their event, however she also imagined walking down the aisle in a traditional ball gown. She/they wanted to use the lace from her mother’s wedding gown. We worked together during the consultation, to design a convertible look that fit Jen’s body and personality, as well as to incorporated the lace from their mother’s 1987 heirloom wedding dress.

I sketched several wedding jumpsuits for Jen, offering options for how to play with the lace from mom’s wedding dress. I then sketched a ball gown skirt over the jumpsuits she liked best. We ended up using the lace from mom’s wedding dress on the waistline of the detachable ball gown. This made the ensemble seamless.

“I ended up wanting a custom made outfit not only because I wanted to use the lace from my mom’s dress, but because I was struggling to find options that really worked for me and my gender fluidity. Everything was too one end of the binary or the other, I didn’t want to buy two outfits, and I loved the idea of getting to use the lace from my mom’s dress. The convertible skirt/jumpsuit idea gave me an incredible opportunity to express myself fully, with a natural, elegant dress for the ceremony and a fun, clean-cut, dance-ready jumpsuit for the reception. I loved it! It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to build something that really, truly felt like me.”  -Jen

Below left is a close up of the lace from Jen’s mothers dress, laid over silk organza, for a sheer back. On the right shows the hand sewn finished details of the inside of the jumpsuit.

Jen and Molly Recapture Their Wedding Day

6/19/2022

Molly hand painted the Ketubah, (the Jewish wedding contract), and did the calligraphy in Hebrew. Jen did the English writing of the contract.

Jen and Molly were married at Woolman Hill, a Quaker Retreat Center in Deerfield, Massachusetts.

They walked barefoot down the aisle and began their wedding ceremony in song. Ma Nora Hamakom Hazeh, a traditional Jewish song, the refrain, “how awesome is this body, how awesome is this place, how awesome is this journey, through time and space.”

Wedding Photos by: West On Jade Photography

Surrounded by 190 friends and relatives, they all came to bless the couple under the Houpa. This was the most memorable and touching part of the day. The couple exchanged vows and rings, both family heirlooms.

Swordsman guarded the Yiahud room, where Jen and Molly had a moment alone and a moment to eat, as some kids tried to get passed the guards but failed.

Jen and Molly danced the night away. Friends and family packed the dance floor. Everyone was surprised and loved the attire change. They didn’t realize she had the jumpsuit on the entire time. Jen felt it was perfect for dancing.