i was never the popular girl in high school — shocker, i know.
teenage years are awkward enough without having to switch schools three times in two years.
i came to my "final" school the second semester of tenth grade. a small school in a small town, it would be a year before i'd have some semblance of footing.
i found a few great friends, joined a couple school clubs and found a job ... before we knew it, senior prom was upon us.
my friends and i were already in planning mode: where would we eat? how would we arrive? what would we wear?!
well, my mom was already one step ahead of me.
she came in one afternoon with a surprise. as she was driving home, a used bridesmaid dress in a resale shop's window caught her eye. she knew i loved purple, SO SHE BOUGHT IT.
looking back on it now, i know my mom had the best intentions at heart. at the time, though, i was mortified.
all my friends got to pick out beautiful new dresses, and i was handed someone's leftovers.
don't get me wrong. it was beautiful, but a little outdated ... and way too big.
"we can take it in," mom reassured me. "plus, at least you know no one else will be wearing anything like it!"
i knew i wasn't in a position to be picky, and far be it from me to be a brat (outwardly, at least). i thanked her and went to my room to cry.
it's funny how upset i was over a dress. with all of the problems i take in stride now, i can't believe my younger self was so upset about it!
my mom worked overtime to spruce it up. she made a gorgeous lace shawl and hand-beaded it to match the bodice. she sewed together a matching purse as well — eight years later, i would use the purse again on my wedding day.
on the big day, while most girls were in the salon getting their hair and nails done, i was sitting on the floor of my mom's bathroom while she curled my hair and painted my face. we had a blast.
i went to dinner with a group of my friends, then arrived with a few of them in a horse-drawn carriage. as we walked toward the door, i caught my mom's eye and we smiled. it's moments like those that make you so appreciative for everything they do.
i love you, mom.
oh, funny side note: turns out the dress wasn't as "unique" as we thought ... one of the more "popular" girls showed up in the same one. looks like she had a good mom, too.
Looking at the group picture now, it looks like the best one of the bunch!
LOL @ the popular girl showing up in the same one!
Good story. For Homecoming, my mom would not let me buy a dress...she made me one. But she took too long, couldn't finish it (all that was needed was to close it all the way around so it wouldn't fray at the arms, neck, and bottom of the dress)...so she bought this stuff that's supposed to make the edges look neat, without actually having to fold it under and sew it. Well, she did that haphazardly and pieces of it were hanging down by the end of the night.
For Prom...I wouldn't let her make me a dress...we bought one for $32 from Fashion Bug. And I did my own nails, and my mom cut my hair (cuz we couldn't think of anything to do with it, and I got frustrated and told her to just cut it) that night...
Sounds like you had a good time, though.
@PoetMcChick - i did have a good time! it always amazes me what parents do with good intentions — yours sounds no different i'm sure you were still beautiful both times!
@filtered_sunlight - aww, thank you!! (and i know, right? i think she about died that night ...)
awwww...what a stinking tear jerker cute story! and the dress is actually really pretty...it seems more of a timeless dress. i went to prom three different years...but for the first prom my mom got me this hideous gold sequenced (from head to toe) dress with big bows on each shoulder...it was horrible!!! and i still think it was horrible. hehe:)
lol you still rocked it (:
Aww. That so sweet. And that shawl is awesome!
I had an expensive $400 dress that cost $200 to tailor it....it was beautiful, but VERY unnecessary.
I'm glad your story had a good ending. Mama knows best!
My daughter and I would always go shopping for prom dresses a year early when they went on clearance. It worked great for a couple of years. Then came the year of the beautiful white strapless sheath dress. We didn't realize she'd increased a cup size since purchasing the dress the previous year. Just as her date arrived, she literally busted out of the dress. The zipper broke in the middle and her dad had to get her out of it. She was mortified. She threw on a nice but not really formal dress and went off to the pre-prom activities while my husband and I made an emergency run to Penney's and paid full price for a blue dress from the picked over racks. Instead of going to the dinner, her date brought her home where she got changed into the new dress in time for the dance. I took the white dress to the cleaners and had a new zipper put in it and eventually sold it for more than I'd paid for it. My daughter gave the blue dress to a friend. She didn't like the memories associated with it.
looks like a fun time!
Your dress actually looks great! Plus it has that extra loving touch added :)
girls have too much to worry about. i put on my orchestra uniform (black dress shirt, black slacks), a pink tie, and a sport jacket....and showered and shaved....and yea. done. lmao.
wow, I know what you mean about hindsight... but your dress was beautiful
i actually think that dress is really pretty - nothing outdated about it!
you look gorgeous, moms advice is always the best. especially when it's not the big purple on at the top i thought it was, haha - i actually think yours was the best (perhaps times have changed?)
That dress is gorgeous! And the horse drawn carriage idea is awesome :) It sounds like you had a good prom!
@jediwa72 - i've GOT to see your dress. seriously. @awokenfatality - you can't tell from the pictures, but she seriously sewed beads throughout the whole thing ... on both edges, she cut out silk flowers, and attached them one-by-one. she's amazing. @saintvi - you really are an amazing mom!!! (plus, penney's rocks.) @CaKaLusa - it really was. oh, those were the days ...
i was never the popular girl in high school — shocker, i know. 
Comments (20)
Looking at the group picture now, it looks like the best one of the bunch!
LOL @ the popular girl showing up in the same one!
Good story.
For Homecoming, my mom would not let me buy a dress...she made me one. But she took too long, couldn't finish it (all that was needed was to close it all the way around so it wouldn't fray at the arms, neck, and bottom of the dress)...so she bought this stuff that's supposed to make the edges look neat, without actually having to fold it under and sew it. Well, she did that haphazardly and pieces of it were hanging down by the end of the night.
For Prom...I wouldn't let her make me a dress...we bought one for $32 from Fashion Bug. And I did my own nails, and my mom cut my hair (cuz we couldn't think of anything to do with it, and I got frustrated and told her to just cut it) that night...
Sounds like you had a good time, though.
@PoetMcChick - i did have a good time! it always amazes me what parents do with good intentions — yours sounds no different
i'm sure you were still beautiful both times!
@filtered_sunlight - aww, thank you!! (and i know, right? i think she about died that night ...)
awwww...what a stinking tear jerker cute story! and the dress is actually really pretty...it seems more of a timeless dress. i went to prom three different years...but for the first prom my mom got me this hideous gold sequenced (from head to toe) dress with big bows on each shoulder...it was horrible!!! and i still think it was horrible. hehe:)
lol you still rocked it (:
Aww. That so sweet. And that shawl is awesome!
I had an expensive $400 dress that cost $200 to tailor it....it was beautiful, but VERY unnecessary.
I'm glad your story had a good ending. Mama knows best!
My daughter and I would always go shopping for prom dresses a year early when they went on clearance. It worked great for a couple of years. Then came the year of the beautiful white strapless sheath dress. We didn't realize she'd increased a cup size since purchasing the dress the previous year. Just as her date arrived, she literally busted out of the dress. The zipper broke in the middle and her dad had to get her out of it. She was mortified. She threw on a nice but not really formal dress and went off to the pre-prom activities while my husband and I made an emergency run to Penney's and paid full price for a blue dress from the picked over racks. Instead of going to the dinner, her date brought her home where she got changed into the new dress in time for the dance. I took the white dress to the cleaners and had a new zipper put in it and eventually sold it for more than I'd paid for it. My daughter gave the blue dress to a friend. She didn't like the memories associated with it.
looks like a fun time!
Your dress actually looks great! Plus it has that extra loving touch added :)
girls have too much to worry about. i put on my orchestra uniform (black dress shirt, black slacks), a pink tie, and a sport jacket....and showered and shaved....and yea. done. lmao.
wow, I know what you mean about hindsight... but your dress was beautiful
i actually think that dress is really pretty - nothing outdated about it!
you look gorgeous, moms advice is always the best. especially when it's not the big purple on at the top i thought it was, haha - i actually think yours was the best (perhaps times have changed?)
That dress is gorgeous!
And the horse drawn carriage idea is awesome :)
It sounds like you had a good prom!
What a great story. Moms are the best.
@saintvi - You sound like a very good mom :)
That's a really cool story. I love the dress
@jediwa72 - i've GOT to see your dress. seriously.
@awokenfatality - you can't tell from the pictures, but she seriously sewed beads throughout the whole thing ... on both edges, she cut out silk flowers, and attached them one-by-one. she's amazing.
@saintvi - you really are an amazing mom!!! (plus, penney's rocks.)
@CaKaLusa - it really was. oh, those were the days ...
@Desert_Eagle_AE - @meganc0102 - @LaLaLici0us - @TheCheshireGrins - @CanadianConspiracy -
@MochaFrappichinoMiss - @aliceandrandy - thank you so much!
@Chinese_Sait0u - believe me, i'd LOVE it if it weren't so complicated! trade ya?!
@BarelyJen - I'll try and dig up some pics later....I'm sure if I tried hard enough I could probably even find the sinful thing.
What a sweet story about your sweet Mom.
Your dress is the best looking one in that picture.
Just saw this one and WOW! You were the best looking and best dressed out of the bunch! I think Ma knew what she was doing.