Out with the new, in with the old

“I think it’s so great,” she said. “Some traditions hold, but it’s nice to bring back others, too.”

The Ottos said that they received a number of compliments on Nicole’s decision to wear her mother’s dress. In fact, the choice went over so well that Nicole hopes to preserve the dress in case she has a daughter of her own who wants to wear it.

“I’m working to preserve it as best as possible, and hopefully keep it for my daughter to wear at her wedding too,” she said. “I think it would be really special to see it go through the generations.”

It took a lot of effort to get a dress from the mid 1990s into shape for a wedding in the early 2020s. Mrs. Otto said that new clips were attached to the dress, in addition to some other minor pieces of upkeep. One of her favorite parts is a feature that you don’t see on too many wedding dresses nowadays.

“I loved the puffy shoulders,” she said.

The highlight of the ensemble was the custom made headpiece, constructed by Nicole’s mother’s best friend, for Nicole’s mother’s wedding in 1995. It is a white veil in a half-moon shape with flowing lace behind it. It wasn’t in the best shape when the bridal party first looked at repurposing it, but a strong team effort got the headpiece back into working order.

“She made it very elegantly, and it still had a bit of a 90s feel to it,” Otto said.

Franklin said that she has seen a number of other creative ways to work the past into the present, although none have been as special as Otto’s choice.

One common trend is to put a spin on the classic choice of flower girl—maybe with a fun outfit, or using a boy, or even a well trained dog instead of a young girl.

Some people are opting for a more old-fashioned spread, too. Franklin said that one family had a full multi-course meal complete with every protein and side you could name, served traditionally, instead of buffet-style. The event was put on by two caterers working together, which was quite a feat.

Then, there are also some heartfelt trends that are new in nature but old in soul. Franklin said that a prime example is the new trend of the “first look,” or the moment when the bride and groom see each other in their wedding attire for the first time. Lately, it has become fashionable to photograph this moment and preserve it in solitude for just the newlyweds.

“I have heard so many people say, ‘The first look is the only thing we remember from the whole day,’” Franklin said.

Another popular choice that has gained traction in recent years is a mid-function change by the wedding party. After all, why dance in a tuxedo or dress when you could be wearing a matching sweatsuit bedazzled with the names of the bride and groom?

The Ottos opted for a traditional wedding in every sense of the word, from the food and drinks to the groomsmen’s outfits.

“We knew we wanted a traditional wedding, which also made things a little easier from the planning perspective,” Nicole Otto said.

“Our priority, though, was to make sure everyone had a good time,” said Ozzy.

The couple and their guests danced the night away at The Mountain View Barn in Jerome, Idaho. Eveyone left with a special favor: handmade gifts wrapped to appear like a wedding cake.

Nicole said her wedding day was a blur, but that she will always remember the moment her mother saw her in her dress for the first time.

“She started crying, then I started crying, and it was just a really beautiful moment,” she said. “It wasn’t the original plan, but it worked out perfectly.”

Ozzy, who suffered the loss of his father not long before the ceremony, said that his favorite memory of the day was just watching everyone else enjoy themselves.

“Losing my dad was really hard, it was still a pretty fresh wound. The barn was right across the street from where he used to work, and he just loved that (area). It’s just a nice open area with big fields next to a freeway that doesn’t get too noisy, so it’s good for the kids to just scream and have fun,” he said. “And everyone else to get drunk, I suppose.”