An old wedding dress that someone didn’t want any more hangs on a rack in a quiet antique shop. It thinks to itself, “My best day is long behind me.” The dress waits and waits as people pass it by, hanging there sadly, hoping for another chance to shine.

As luck would have it, a young girl and her mom are looking for a second-hand dress. They take it off the rack and hold it up.

“Will this one work? There aren’t any straps, and it’s a little too big.”

“Let’s get it. We can have it altered.”

Now, it fits just right with added pearl straps for a special touch. It’s perfect for a simple wedding and has room for a little something extra. The young bride-to-be sews a hat with a matching string of pearls and a long veil to complete the classic look.

In two weeks’ time, the dress is looking radiant in the August sunlight, thinking to itself, “How lucky am I to have a second chance to shine?”

The young bride walks down the aisle toward her sailor, who is also dressed in white. Sweet, quiet voices exchange vows. The couple starts the next chapter, completing their little family.

Seventeen years go by. The old wedding dress is hanging in the closet, waiting… for another round of dress-up. Every so often, it’s pulled out of the dark to be loved and adored. Today, it smiles for another barefoot twirl in the living room and loves every moment of admiration from the daughter who wants to see her mother’s wedding dress again. She puts on the hat with a veil to complete the dressed-up look.

The old wedding dress hangs in the closet… still waiting. Thirty years after its last trip down the aisle, it’s brought out of the closet once again. This time, it’s not for dress-up. It needs another alteration to fit just right and another special touch to bring it back to life. Take out the zipper and add more fabric. The dress needs to be a little bigger. Laces up the back are a nice, clean fix. A trip to the dry cleaners freshens up the dress.

 I wear my mom’s old wedding dress, put on the hat with veil, and a brand new pair of shoes to complete the timeless look. I twirl once more in the May sunlight, showing off the dress at my bridal shower. With butterflies and feelings of love, the dress is a happy touch.

An old wedding dress that stands the test of time thinks to itself, “How lucky am I to have a third chance to shine?”

This is for all the girls who have picked out a second-hand wedding dress, for all the girls who admire and use their mom’s wedding dress, and for all the old wedding dresses that carry memories and get the chance to create more.

This was written by our contributing writer, Karina Coghlan.