Once the bride has chosen her wedding dress, and the bridesmaid's theme has been confirmed, the next most important outfit is undoubtedly the mother of the bride's dress. If this is you ...

But the dress, an ivory-gold satin confection with an enormous, detachable tulle train, that her mother, Leis Di Gerolamo, wore in 1994, was not only in perfect condition — it was, to Ms.