Morgan Hafeman, 26, an engagement and marketing specialist from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, found a creative and meaningful way to preserve a piece of her wedding day. After altering her $5,000 lace wedding dress, she was left with fabric scraps. Instead of throwing them away, she transformed the leftover lace into two beautiful purses for just $200.
Her seamstress, Andrea Richter of R. House Custom Alterations LLC, suggested upcycling the scraps into a purse. "My dress scraps were really pretty because the dress was all lace on the top," Morgan explains. "Andrea came up with the idea. She asked if she could take the scraps and turn them into a purse." Morgan, who is sentimental about her wedding, immediately embraced the idea. “We spend so much money on our dresses, and this is a way of essentially re-wearing it again.”
Morgan envisioned a specific style for the purse. "I found a unique purse style on Pinterest that I really liked, and Andrea brought it to life perfectly," she says. Andrea, who specializes in custom alterations for wedding dresses, used her expert skills to help Morgan turn the leftover fabric into something that could be cherished long after the wedding. For an additional $50, Andrea turned the lace into a purse Morgan could pick up in March 2024, just ahead of her wedding later that month. Morgan took the purse with her on her honeymoon to Fiji. "It was very special," she says. "A wedding dress and the whole wedding process are so expensive and go by so fast. Having a piece of my wedding dress to take with me on trips, to dinners, and anniversaries is nice."
After her honeymoon, Morgan still had a box full of leftover scraps from the dress. Ten months later, she decided to make another purse, this time opting for a clutch. "I saw the scraps in the box, and it made me sad," Morgan admits. "I wanted another purse made."
In December 2024, Morgan discovered JEM Design567, a shop run by Juana E. Morreale, a designer who specializes in repurposing wedding dresses and scraps into unique keepsakes such as purses, robes, and neckties. "After reaching out and discussing my vision, I mailed my scraps to her on Dec. 18. I received the finished purse by Feb. 5, exactly within her expected turnaround time," Morgan explains.
When Morgan received the finished clutch, she was thrilled. "I was super excited to get that package," she says. The designer added a personal touch by stitching Morgan and her husband’s names inside the purse, making it even more meaningful.
With two unique and sentimental purses, Morgan is excited to take them on her upcoming anniversary trip. "I love them both individually," she says. Each purse not only reminds her of her wedding day but also allows her to keep those memories close.
"Every time I use one, I’m reminded of our special day, and it makes celebrating our anniversary even more meaningful," she says. "The thought of passing these purses down to future generations fills me with excitement — imagining the memories they’ll hold and the joy they’ll bring to my children, and possibly even my grandchildren, is truly heartwarming."
Morgan believes a wedding dress should have a lifespan beyond one day and is grateful that her keepsakes now allow for that. "What I love most about my wedding keepsakes is that they let me 're-wear' my wedding dress in a meaningful way," she tells The People. “Wedding dresses are such precious (and costly) items, and they deserve more than just a single use. It would have been heartbreaking to think about those beautiful scraps being discarded or sitting in a box forever, so transforming them into something sentimental like a purse brings me so much joy.”
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