Page 88 - South Mississippi Living - February, 2018

HEALTHY LIVING family tradition Something Old...
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster photos courtesy of Rusch family and James Edward Bates
For many brides, the process of finding the dress can be a daunting one. With endless options available, selecting the perfect dress can
seem like finding a needle in a haystack.
Some brides are lucky enough to know exactly what they want
to wear on their wedding day, and Justina Rusch Hulen knew from age 15 that she wanted to wear the family wedding
dress.
Since 1949, women in Hulen’s family have passed down
an heirloom wedding dress: a formal gown of ivory satin and lace with a jeweled Victorian neckline and long fitted
sleeves. The dress was originally worn by Hulen’s great aunt, Jessie Rea Smith, in 1949 and has since
been worn by Hulen’s grandmother, Joanne Clark Rea, in 1952; Hulen’s aunt, Elizabeth Rea Shivas,
in 1975; and Hulen’s mother, Catherine Rea Rusch, in 1984.
After years of wear and tear, the dress needed some attention prior to Hulen’s wedding in
June of 2017. “The dress hadn’t been preserved, so many of the metal buttons had rusted, staining the satin
and there was a rip in the tulle,” said Hulen’s mother, Catherine Rusch. “Luckily a woman in New Orleans was
able to repair the damage to the tulle.”
As for the buttons, Rusch took matters into her own
hands. She painstakingly replaced each button and re-covered them in satin fabric from the sleeves of the
dress. By the time Rusch was finished, the dress was as good as new, but with a modern twist.
88 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • February 2018
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2017 Justina Rusch Hulen
With the sleeves removed and the collar altered to create a beaded illusion neckline, Hulen knew this
was her dress. “When I first got engaged, mom pulled the dress out and I immediately said I
wasn’t wearing the collar,” she joked. Rusch was able to use the collar to create a garter and used lace from her own veil to make her daughter’s
hair piece and veil. Wedding dates of each previous dress wearer were lovingly stitched
into the embroidered peplum of the dress. “I really enjoyed wearing this dress as I walked down the aisle,” Hulen said. “My
grandmother is no longer with us, but I knew this is what she would have wanted.”
1949 Jessie Rea Smith
1952 Joanne Clark Rea
1975 Elizabeth Rea Shivas
1984 Catherine Rea Rusch