Dear Deanna,

 

I am writing to you to share my Betty the Beautiful Bride story. 

 

I received my doll as a 7 year old in Ireland from my Aunt Mary  in California.  It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen !  I even took it to school for school picture day, thus preserving that wonderful time in my life.  I lived with my Grandmother, Aunt Mary's mother.  She died in 1959 and I came out to live with my aunt in California leaving my doll behind.

 

Many years later, I wrote to my family and asked what had become of the doll.  She was still there and being enjoyed by nieces.  I sent some lovely baby dolls in trade, and arranged for her shipment to America.  Amazingly, she was still in good shape, not even a haircut!

 

Later, when I discovered the computer age, I learned so much about these dolls that I never knew.  The first site I discovered was yours.  Wow, was that ever exciting ! 

 

As a little girl, I had dreamed of my bride dolls having bridesmaids with different colored dresses just like I had seen at real weddings in our local church in Ireland, never realizing that they existed until I found your site. 

 

I scoured flea markets, garage sales, and ebay to collect her bridesmaids.  Some dolls cost as little as $2 and I did pay more for one in pristine condition, and substitued my original doll's dress for the perfect one.  I took artistic license with the old yellowed and grayed dresses and dyed them the pastel colors that I had dreamed about as a child.  I had acquired a Rosemary and Debbie dress, but I really liked the uniformity of the shot lace dresses, so Debbie didn't make it in to the wedding party.