Something borrowed: Late mother’s wedding dress worn again

Friends and family of the late Gina Wooldridge, of Momence, got to see her wedding dress worn down the aisle once more — this time, by her daughter.

On Sept. 6, as a tribute to her mother, Momence native Katie (Wooldridge) Williams, 24, wore her mother's gown in her wedding at the Gary Bathing Beach Aquatorium, located at the Marquette Park beach in Gary, Ind. It was a sight Katie said her mother would have loved to see.

"Every girl dreams about that day of their mom helping them get ready [for their wedding]," Katie said. "It was painful; it hurts. It was only my dad there, nothing can fill that hole."

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In May 2012, Wooldridge, 42, was jogging when she was struck by a driver on Wichert Road in Momence. She was pronounced dead that night at Riverside Medical Center in Kankakee.

The Sunday wedding was not emotional for just Katie. "When I walked down the aisle and everyone saw me in that dress, you could tell they saw my mom," she said. "My dad was very emotional."

Katie's father, Mark Wooldridge, married Gina 26 years earlier, on Feb. 4, 1989.

Katie met her husband, Brandon Williams, of Homewood, about two and a half years ago. After a year of a friendship-turned-relationship, the couple knew marriage was what they wanted. "I know that my mom would have loved him," she said.

When Katie and Brandon got engaged this July, Katie debated whether to go dress shopping. When Katie tried on her mother's dress, she knew. "I totally loved it," she said. "If I went shopping, I would've picked one out just like it."

Katie did not spend a dime of her own money on her dress alterations, either. "I was talking about wearing my mom's dress to my wedding, and some ladies at my church said they knew a woman who could do it. They contacted her, said she'd love to do it, and told me that whatever she charged, they would pay for it."

Betsy Jansen, of Homewood, did the alterations: adjustments for size, and removing the train and long sleeves. The dress is white, with a lacy and beaded front and an open back — Katie's favorite part. She displayed her parents' wedding book at the reception for any guests to look through and reminisce.

Katie wasn't the first one to wear her mother's gown. Gina's sister, Jenny Tudor, of Kankakee, wore the dress to her wedding in 1993.

"We have been so blessed," Katie said. "I have to give credit to everyone that helped us."

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