A Wedding Dress With a New Purpose
By: Brittany Bevis
Some brides search for months to find the perfect wedding dress. Brittany Russell Brown’s search for her dream dress took her all the way to Australia, through Arizona that is.
“My wedding dress is a Rue De Seine,” she says. “I saw it, and I had to have it. There was only one store in Arizona that carried that brand, and I went and searched for it, tried about five different styles on, and then found the perfect one. They’re handmade in Australia, and they take about 10-12 months to make and ship to you. They only do generic sizes, so then you have to get it altered after you receive it. I also added a cool pair of sleeves to accent the whole picture.”
Finally, Russell Brown had her perfect match and her perfect dress, but the pandemic created a few difficulties on the road towards the perfect wedding. “My wedding was held in October 2020 during the pandemic,” she says. “It was actually at our home in Queen Creek, AZ. It was very tough planning a wedding during COVID, because a lot of businesses weren’t open or were short staffed. Overall, it was a very successful day and turned out absolutely beautiful. I couldn’t have asked for a better day.”
Soon after, Russell Brown was faced with the same dilemma that most brides encounter- where on earth will you wear that dress again? But, she had an idea. Russell Brown has been showing horses for over 16 years and training for over ten. She decided to repurpose her wedding dress into a unique show outfit.
“I was sitting around one day and had a thought that I wanted to use the sleeves of my dress for the sleeves of a show shirt,” she says. “I loved my dress so much and wanted to wear it again somehow. I instantly messaged Judith Fairfield with Sonder Avenue.”
Judith designed the show shirt, and Russell Brown selected the colors and the sleeves and cuffs. She was able to glimpse bits and pieces of the design throughout the process, but was excited to see the finish project.
“At first, Judith was super nervous and thought I was crazy! But I told her not to worry. I said, ‘I promise this will work.’ It couldn’t have turned out any more perfect!”
Russell Brown is thrilled with the completed look and already has plans to wear it at a big event in 2022. “The shirt is very unique. It’s actually one-of-a-kind. I’m very excited to wear it and see it in person. I hope to wear it at the APHA World Show in 2022 and wear it only for the bigger horse shows.”
How many equestrians will be running to their closets to pull out their wedding dresses after reading this article? We will just have to wait and see around the show pens in the coming year…
If you have a special story to share with The Equine Chronicle, email B.Bevis@EquineChronicle.com.
