45 Years of Pegeen: The Stories Behind the Dresses
I am often asked -"How did you decide to start this company?"
When I started this company—almost as a child, I’m tempted to say—with the help of an enthusiastic and loving mother (isn’t it always that way?), I never imagined that more than 40 years later I would still love what I do, still building this tiny empire of mine, one dress at a time.
Every now and then, I catch myself wondering:
Do my customers appreciate me?
Do I matter in their lives?
Do the things we make really help “make their day perfect”?
Why Customer Stories Still Matter After 45 Years
And then, out of nowhere, I hear from a customer from years ago. Well—not directly at first. Her sister and I are now creating a flower girl dress for her wedding, and she asks me, “Do you remember my sister?” Not exactly—not at first. But the last name felt familiar.
Then she sent me a photograph.
Flower Girl Dresses That Become Family Memories
A dress we made for a wedding all the way back in 2013. I know the year because I keep records—every one of them. And suddenly, there it was again: a moment, a family, a memory we had been part of without even realizing how much it meant.
Once a year, we ask you to send us your photographs. They can be brand new—or 44 years old. (And yes, with a little help from AI, we can clean up almost any image.) People often ask me why I keep doing this.
The answer is simple—and complicated all at once.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s a wedding, a recital at Carnegie Hall (yes, that really happened), a special performance, or—on rare and heartbreaking occasions—a dress made to bury a child. Your stories matter to me. They always have. They carry me through difficult family moments, through quiet stretches, and through extraordinary honors—like being part of Prime Video’s Étoile or appearing on the cover of a bridal magazine. All of it matters because you matter.
My son once asked me, during one of those school interviews kids have to do, “Why do you do this?”
The answer came easily. Because I love the creative process. Because I love the relationships. And because, over the years, I have made some truly wonderful friends through this business.
Now, as we approach our 45th anniversary, we are choosing our Wedding or Event of the Year—and not many companies can say that after four and a half decades.
Share Your Pegeen Wedding, Recital, or Special Occasion Photos
So please: send us your photographs. Send a link to your photographer’s gallery. Share your story with us once again. This coming year, we’ll be creating something very special—a commercial that looks not just backward, but forward—toward the future, and, I hope one day, to my granddaughter stepping into this business too.
Thank you for being part of this journey. I couldn’t have done it without you.
Help Us Choose Pegeen’s Wedding or Event of the Year
Just a few new dresses our customers have sent us over the past few weeks.
