Guest editor of our real life stories Nine presenter Leila McKinnon has chosen this big-hearted story for us this issue.
“This first story about Jill, Rita and Betty is about more than a wedding dress – it’s about family and love. One of the beautiful things that struck me was Betty being shocked to realise how long ago it was she wore the dress herself. I wish Jill all the joy in marriage that her mother and grandmother found. Enjoy!”
On Jill Coenen’s wedding day she knew exactly what her “something old” would be. Her wedding dress was bought 63 years ago, and had been worn down the aisle by her mum and grandmother before her.
“It’s a pretty special club,” smiles the 25-year-old bride, smoothing the satin folds of the long-sleeved, full-skirted gown. “Mum and Grandma are both blessed with long and happy marriages and I’m thrilled to share their good-luck charm.” The dress is a post-World War II classic, complete with full train and a sweep of delicate buttons down the back. It even has a magnificent bustle.
“That part goes way beyond booty-licious,” laughs Jill. “I joked with my friends that I wouldn’t bother to lose weight for the wedding. Who was going to notice with all that extra material piled up behind me?!”
Jill first fell in love with the heirloom dress as a child, when she saw photos of her grandmother, Betty Wolfe, at her 1948 wedding. And just like her mother, Rita, the Sydney teacher treasures the history of the dress, which Betty bought in Milwaukee in the United States in 1948. She picked it off a sale rack and paid $70, well over the average weekly wage in the US at the time.
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