Your Story in the Details Vol. 1
Made by Betty B
How would your wedding feel if you could take every quiet moment shared, every special memory cherished, and somehow hold them in your hand and display them to the world?
What would your wedding become? Would it be a brilliant display of memories of travel and adventure, or peacefulness and quiet companionship? Would the images of those closest to you replace the traditional details and trendy decor? How would your story be represented through your memories come to life?
Introducing “Your Story in the Details”
You see, we feel like your story is the most beautiful part of your wedding day and the foundation for years of happy marriage to come. We want to help you tell it! Over the next few weeks (perhaps even months and years!) we want to help you to connect with the folks, right here at home in Mississippi, who can help you to bring your memories and moments – your story – to life. Perhaps they aren’t so far out of reach after all.
Each craftsman or artist has agreed to not only introduce us to their incredible Mississippi-made products or services, but also to share their story and the deeper meaning behind the items they create or the service they provide. We hope you will follow along with us and reach out to these lovely folks as you discover unique ways to find your story in the details.
Our first vendor is Bridget Prater, the whimsical dreamer behind Made By Betty B. She is a Hattiesburg native that has made an impact on the handmade community with her unique dreamcatchers. They have been used to ward off bad dreams by hanging over a bed, to add a whimsical touch to an office space, and to serve as a personal tribute to the bride and groom in weddings.
This interview with Bridget has shown us just how much meaning and history these dreamcatchers hold. They’re more than just a pretty piece to hang on your wall; they’re something to be treasured and held dear. We’ll let Bridget explain why:
What was the inspiration behind your dreamcatchers?
The inspiration for me when I started creating dreamcatchers really came from my grandmother and her Chickasaw background. Her name was Cubina Mohata and although she passed away when I was just a baby her spirit lived through me. Everyone would tell me how much we had in common and my grandfather would tell everyone I was his favorite grandchild {out of the 6 of us} because I reminded him of her so much.
She left us a trunk full of her jewelry, and I mean a trunk full, and I was the only one who wanted it all. I had no idea what to do with it all. Some of it I wear on a daily basis and a lot more of it was unsalvageable. I strung all the broken beads, looked up different ways to use them, and one day it just hit me… dreamcatchers! Not only can I display her pieces but the cultural history of her background and of my family. It was an homage to her and the wisdom she passed down through my father to me.
What is your favorite way you’ve seen your dreamcatchers used in a wedding or just in general?
Just in the last few months have I been able to really see the artisanship of my work shine through. I have really pushed myself in creating one of a kind pieces. I started to embroider the centers of doilies with positive words and quotes. They hang in nurseries and bedrooms all over the world to remind people to stay positive when going to sleep and also when waking up.
I had recently been a part of a wedding where behind the groom and bride a wall of dreamcatchers were located in the background as they said their vows in the middle of the woods. It was surreal and magical to be a part of something so inspiring. They stood there to begin in the next stages of their lives together, which I find comparable to the history of what a dreamcatcher’s purpose is; to protect from bad dreams and allow only positive ones to enter through the web and vanish.
How do you think your dreamcatchers could be used to tell a unique wedding story?
When I got married, I knew I wanted a piece of grandparents there. I used old photographs from their weddings and the dreamcatchers I made from my own grandmother’s collections. There is something about having that little trace of family there with you that makes the wedding so unique. Now the pieces I used hang in my bedroom, to be passed down generations, just like a mom would pass down their wedding dress, something blue or their grandmothers brooch.
These pieces are unique to each soul and hang up on a wall afterwards for years to come just collecting the stories. How neat would it be to add your mothers brooch to one? or your great grandmothers necklace? The possibilities are endless.
You used dream catchers in your own wedding. How do you think that helped tell your story in your wedding?
Using these pieces really helped the story I wanted to portray by having the sense of our history and tradition, but keeping the whole day whimsical and modern. I was married in the same place my parents were 37 years prior and to have the history of that and all of the little pieces of my grandparents’ past hanging above me really showed me the value of marriage and those vows. They stuck with each other side by side their whole lives, just as my parents have and my husband’s parents have. I come from a very strong (possibly hard headed) family and if they passed down anything to me, it is that the love you give one another is worth more than anything in the world. It is the only constant you will have as other variables come into play.
Other than your dreamcatchers, how do you think you managed to tell your story through your wedding?
We both are a bit shy in nature and the thought of having our closest friends and family share in this occasion with us meant a lot, but having us as the main focus really kind of intimidated us. We really wanted a low key wedding, nothing fancy, something everyone could enjoy and feel welcomed.
We wanted it to feel like home, our home, the home we want to have together. We are both very lucky our parents have really expressed the trials and tribulations of marriage and their stories resonated into what we want our story to be like. Our story has just begun and that day couldn’t have been more perfect to manifest it.
If you could do it all over again, would there be anything you would change about your wedding? Why or why not?
If I had to do it over again, I don’t know if there would be much I would change. Maybe to be a little more organized?
If there was one piece of advice you could tell a bride, what would it be?
Relax, but I think everyone advises that. Although it’s true. Real weddings are not like the magazines, they are chaotic and total pandemonium. Everyone wants your attention or to know what is going on, don’t give it to them. Put your phone down the whole day. Allow someone else to take charge. Take a bubble bath, drink champagne, hang out with your bridesmaids and sisters, you’ll have all the opportunity to talk with everyone at the reception. Don’t let go of your husbands hand and thank everyone for coming.
If you could have written your future bride-self a note to read on your wedding day, what would it have said?
This is it. Enjoy it and try not to cry.
What could others do with your product?
Dreamcatchers are unique pieces in themselves. They really have a
history of their own. They can be used as window displays,
photobooth backgrounds, I’ve been asked to make 80 mini
dreamcatchers for party favors, they can hang in your room, the main
room, a nursery. They can collect jewelry from your own family that
you don’t want to wear. For Christmas I ship mini paper clips
with the dreamers to attach family photos and cards sent in the mail
to display. They really are versatile in telling whatever story is
yours.
What are some of your favorite handmade wedding vendors in Mississippi?
I love
Thimblepress in Jackson, MS.
Ardor Rental Boutiques in Hattiesburg, MS.
Starling and Sage Photographers in Hattiesburg, MS.
Parris Jewelers in Hattiesburg, MS.
I also found a lot of help from Etsy, which isn’t Mississippi
but it is handmade! Most of my pieces came from handmade shops
custom for my wedding!
(Click here to view items on Etsy that are made in
Mississippi!)
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We want to thank Bridget so much for her inspiring words. How could you use your family heritage or items inherited from cherished family members to tell your story?
