There’s something truly special about giving a vintage gown a second life.
Whether it’s your mum’s wedding dress, your grandmother’s lace veil, or a beautiful vintage find, these pieces hold stories, emotion, and craftsmanship that deserve to be celebrated.
At Gown and Altar, we love helping brides bring these treasures back to life, blending the sentiment of the past with the ease and beauty of modern design.
1. From Mother’s Dress to Modern Elegance
We transformed a bride’s mum’s embroidered organza wedding dress into a delicate modern top, perfect to wear over a simple slip.
By carefully preserving the embroidery and repurposing the original fabric, we created something that felt both timeless and new. The remaining fabric from Alicia’s mum’s dress and her bridal top has been carefully stored away for future generations.
Alicia’s top was inspired by our customer favourite the Lovely Top
2. Lace Basque Gown → Restyled for Spain
Celine’s aunt’s vintage lace gown with a structured basque-waist was already stunning but needed resizing and a few updates to make it truly the her own.
We reworked the bodice, adding a ruched cup detail, and extended the back using tea-stained lace to perfectly match the vintage lace fabric. New boning was added for structure and support, while the skirt was hemmed with a clean edge. The sleeves were hand-repaired, restoring the lace for a relaxed, romantic look perfect for her wedding in Spain.
Our new Cameo collection has a gown inspired by Celine’s stunning vintage gown.
Shop Celine’s vintage style : Vivian Gown
3. Beaded 1990s Dress → Two Reception Looks
This early 1990s beaded gown, complete with a five-metre train reminiscent of Princess Diana, became two new reception dresses. The top of the dress was already perfect, so we reconstructed the skirt, using a section of the scalloped hem for Dress One.
Dress Two, a halter mini, was entirely new, made from the plain satin of the skirt and finished with one of the gown’s original rosettes at the neck.
Inspired by the oversized fabric flowers we created the Rosette Gown
4. Custom Blusher Veil for Anna
For Anna, we created a custom blusher veil using rosettes from her mum’s wedding dress and veil, combined with new hand-made organza 3D flowers. The mix of old and new elements made for a delicate, meaningful piece that tied her look together beautifully.
1970s Organza Dress → Flirty Modern Mini
This 1970s organza gown had the perfect puff sleeves and bodice for our bride’s fun, modern look. We removed the full skirt and lifted the hemline to create a short, flirty silhouette with soft ruffled detail. A playful nod to the original while giving it fresh new life.
Reception party ready → Bridal minis
Each transformation is a labour of love. Restoring vintage gowns can involve hours of cleaning, repairing, and reinforcing delicate fabrics, or even taking the dress apart completely to rebuild it with new lining, structure, or closures.
It’s not a quick process, and sometimes the cost reflects the level of care and time these restorations need. But the result is a one-of-a-kind gown with heart, history, and meaning that cannot be replicated.
For many brides, it’s not just about saving a dress. It’s about honouring where it came from and creating something new that feels entirely theirs.
If you have an heirloom dress tucked away, or a vintage find that needs new life, we’d love to chat.
Restoring and reimagining old gowns is one of the most rewarding parts of what we do.
Enquire about vintage alterations
Gown + Altar is coming to Wellington – Join us for a weekend of elegance and style at our pop-up event in Wellington CBD. Book now to secure your private appointment to try on our collection!
The Bay of Plenty Wedding Show is just around the corner, and the team at Gown and Altar can’t wait to meet you! Come and visit our stand to experience our exquisite collection of wedding gowns.
Next draw 1st February 2026
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