John McKay frequently came to visit her in Milwaukee. He proposed one month later.
The young bride wore a simple, short dress to the wedding, which she gave away years later. And when she stares at their wedding photo, memories of their whirlwind courtship and 53 years of marriage come tumbling back each time.
“He used to joke that he married me for my cute little boy,” she said. “He used to tell my son war stories and treat him like his own son. He ended up adopting him and was very good to him.”
The McKays would go on to have four more children. In the early 1980s, McKay was surprised when her daughter, Joan Melvin, decided to wear her 1942 wedding gown in her own ceremony. Disenchanted by the gaudy beaded dresses in fashion at the time, Melvin fell in love with her mother’s simple and classic gown from her first marria

This afternoon, 60 years later, her garment will be worn again. Norma Pesch, now 85, is one of eight women at the Overland Park Place retirement center presenting their wedding dresses in an intimate fashion show.
Granddaughters and Overland Park Place employees will strut the runway in the gowns while the owners dish out wisdom about courtship and romance.
They hope their stories inspire their daughters, granddaughters and employees at the retirement center. After all, their dresses stand as symbols for love and unity. Friendship and romance. Keeping vows through sickness and health.

“I married my high school sweetheart in 1942, and then he went to war,” said McKay, who lived in Milwaukee at the time. “I was three months pregnant when I got the phone call that his plane had crashed in North Africa, on its way to Germany.”

A few years later, the single mother was in line for a Broadway play in New York City when she noticed a handsome Air Force navigator in uniform smiling at her. Her heart beating fast, McKay demurely accepted his invitation to dinner.
After a romantic night on the town, her date promised to keep in touch. The blushing brunette shrugged off his gesture, thinking she would never see him again.

Pesch is thrilled to show off her dress once more, especially on Valentine’s Day. After spending six decades in a cedar box, the dress deserves to breathe again. The grandmother has spent the past week steaming out the deep wrinkles in the gown.
“I can’t fit into it anymore,” she admits with a laugh. “But I’m very glad someone else is going to get the chance

The billowing white lace poured through the young schoolteacher’s fingers.
She smiled softly as her fingers outlined the ruffles hugging the tight bodice.
It was 1949, and the bride-to-be had fallen in love for the second time — with a dress.
This afternoon, 60 years later, her garment will be worn again. Norma Pesch, now 85, is one of eight women at the Overland Park Place retirement center presenting their wedding dresses in an intimate fashion show

The billowing white lace poured through the young schoolteacher’s fingers.
She smiled softly as her fingers outlined the ruffles hugging the tight bodice.
It was 1949, and the bride-to-be had fallen in love for the second time — with a dress.
This afternoon, 60 years later, her garment will be worn again. Norma Pesch, now 85, is one of eight women at the Overland Park Place retirement center presenting their wedding dresses in an intimate fashion show

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FIND A WEDDING DRESS FOR LESS
By COURTNEY HOLLANDS, c. 2009 The Boston Globe
Published: Friday, February 13, 2009 12:33 AM EST
Wedding website TheKnot.com recommends that a bride spend 10 percent of her total Big Day budget on her dress. By that measure, a $20,000 wedding would call for a $2,000 dress - ouch. Bridezillas on TLC's cringe-inducing show, ''Say Yes to the Dress,'' routinely plunk down thousands for designer ball gowns at New York salon Kleinfeld. And the breathtaking Vera Wangs and Claire Pettibones featured in bridal magazines can run you a jaw-dropping $10,000 or more. What's a fashion-forward yet budget-conscious bride to do? You can elbow through the racks and crowds at wedding superstore David's Bridal for a dress and be done with it. Or, you can research and shop around to find your fantasy dress - without going way over your budget. Check out these money-saving ideas

Kristin bought her Maggie Sottero dress for $800 last year. She recently got laid off and has to downsize her wedding, so now she's asking $400 for it. Courtney purchased a satin halter Nicole Miller number for $455, but her engagement didn't last and she's hoping to unload it for $150. Jen got married in an ivory, A-line, $2,000 Monique Lhuillier design; now a bride-to-be can snap up the (gently used) dress for $1,500. These gowns are among the 1,400 or so currently listed on Emily Newman's Atlanta-based website www.oncewed.com. She started the free listing service last March to pair sellers with bargain-hunting brides. (Wearing a used dress is also a nice option for those brides planning a green wedding.) There are 10-15 new dresses listed each day, Newman said, and savvy brides can search by street size, designer, or style number. Once you know what you're looking for, you can prowl eBay, Craigslist, and myriad sites like Newman's, including www.woreitonce.com and www.savethedress.com, and comparison shop to get the best deal. It's a good idea to try on a variety of dresses and designers at a local bridal salon, so you know how each style and size fits - most online sellers don't accept returns

When Leslie DeAngelo got married 16 years ago, she yearned for a designer dress. But her eyes were too big for her wallet. So after she said ''I do,'' she started selling sample and overstock dresses at discount prices at her store, Vows, in Newton. ''We're basically a TJ Maxx for bridal gowns,'' she said. Now her racks are stuffed with gowns by Reem Acra, Lela Rose, and many others. (Neiman Marcus recently closed most of its bridal departments - guess who got the goods?) Dresses are at least 50 percent off the original prices - which means that some of them still sell for thousands. Click through some of the store's inventory on its website, www.bridepower.com. You'll notice that most of the dresses are available in sizes 8 or 10, but remember: designer gowns run small. 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday; you can make appointments

What's a fashion-forward yet budget-conscious bride to do? You can elbow through the racks and crowds at wedding superstore David's Bridal for a dress and be done with it. Or, you can research and shop around to find your fantasy dress - without going way over your budget. Check out these money-saving ideas. Think outside the bridal boutique

Wedding website TheKnot.com recommends that a bride spend 10 percent of her total Big Day budget on her dress. By that measure, a $20,000 wedding would call for a $2,000 dress - ouch. Bridezillas on TLC's cringe-inducing show, ''Say Yes to the Dress,'' routinely plunk down thousands for designer ball gowns at New York salon Kleinfeld. And the breathtaking