At the Atelier, we have enjoyed meeting the many brides courageously finding ways to make their weddings possible during the pandemic. One very memorable Bride and Groom we met was Kristin and Sven Lindblad. Their love story, their eloquent navigation of their wedding celebrations amongst the constant changes, and of course, the 1942 heirloom wedding dress worn by the bride, left a very large impact on us. This is a story we just had to share with our clients! As this is a longer story, we will share it in three parts.
Kristin and Sven are travelers, environmental conservationists, and passionate about philanthropic causes. Kristin Lindblad is a former PR and communications consultant. She now focuses on managing philanthropic efforts and serving in an advisory capacity to NGO’s focused on cultural and environmental conservation. Sven Lindblad, is a second generation Swedish explorer and founder of Lindblad Expeditions. Sven’s father, Lars-Eric Lindblad, is known globally as one of the “fathers of eco-tourism”. Together, Kristin and Sven, have traveled all over the world. Naturally, their wedding plans were just as exciting as the life they live.
Kristin came to Jennifer in 2019 with her grandmother’s gorgeous heirloom ivory satin wedding gown from 1942. The dress had since been worn 4 times by other women in the family. It was in amazing shape for being worn many times, and the satin was clean and intact. It was a very special gown and Kristin wanted to find a way to wear it for her wedding but with some new additions to personalize the dress. Jennifer collaborated with Kristin to restyle this vintage gown into something truly special and unique.
The first issue to be solved was that the wedding gown was too small for Kristin, both in the bodice and in the length. Apparently the women in her family were extremely tiny! So Jennifer started the process by taking fabric from the long train and adding panels in the sides to make the bodice larger.
The next decision to be made was whether or not to keep the sleeves. They were typical 1940s style long sleeves with covered buttons at the wrist. Kristin and Jennifer went back and forth on this decision for a while, taking time to sleep on it, thinking about it. In the end, they removed the sleeves, which resulted in a strap over the shoulder. Then they discussed whether or not to remove the strap and make the dress strapless.
Kristin was concerned about making too many changes to the dress, and consulted with her family. They gave their blessing to whatever she wanted to do. In the end, that was the final decision – to make the dress strapless. What a change from a traditional 1940s style gown with long sleeves to a modern strapless wedding gown!
Stay tuned for part two where we share how the gown became strapless and the extra items that were added to complete the look.
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