A Family Goes Viral for Wearing Their Wedding Dresses Out to Dinner

Most women buy a wedding dress for their big day and wear it just once, but one family decided that their special gowns deserve to be shown off as many times as possible. A Texas mom named Terri Bonin, four of her daughters, and two of her daughters-in-law pulled their wedding dresses out of their closets and threw them on for a dinner outing in May of 2023. One of Bonin’s daughters, Alexis Houston, captured the fun moment on Instagram, and the clip has since gone viral, with 4.7 million views and counting. “We decided that the most expensive dresses we owned deserved to be worn and enjoyed for more than just one day in our lives 😆,” Alexis wrote. “We’ve decided to make this a yearly tradition 😍😂.” The video shows the group of women strutting down the streets, sitting at the restaurant, and twirling around on a patch of grass. Based on the clip, there were even two babies in the mix.

Bonin has 11 children, and she and her six daughters have a monthly tradition where they grab dinner “to get out together without husbands or toddlers and eat and talk late into the night,” the Texas mom tells People. One of her daughters spotted an Instagram reel of a woman joking about everything you can do in a wedding dress, per the outlet. Once she shared the clip with the sister’s group chat, the women decided that their wedding dresses should make an appearance at their next monthly dinner. 

According to People, Bonin and her daughters—Madeleine, Alexis, Annalise, and Kate (who is not married)—plus two of her daughters-in law, Hannah Joy and Sydnie, met up to put on their gowns before heading to True Food outside of Houston. In her Instagram caption, Alexis also recapped the process. “We met together before the dinner to tape each there into our dresses 😂😂😂 #mombodsquad,” she wrote.

At the restaurant, the family selected a spread of roasted vegetables, burgers, ancient grain bowls with steak, and chicken with pepper pesto, People reports. Thankfully, their wedding dresses all remained intact. “There were no accidents,” Bonin jokes. The food didn’t stop there. Next, the girls went to Sixty Vines for cheesecake, cappuccinos, and lattes, per the publication. 

Seeing the entire squad dressed in white caused a lot of commotion. “I’ve been asked what the response was from the people around us,” Alexis said in her Instagram caption. “Well, we were recorded on phones, complimented, asked what the occasion was & asked to be taken photos with. can’t say we didn’t enjoy the attention 😂.” Bonin also reflected on other people’s reactions. “It was hilarious!” she exclaims. “We unknowingly picked the busiest night to go to Market Street. A local high school was celebrating a graduation on the grounds. We felt a little bad about stealing the show, but we really didn't know there would be a graduation there. The valet guys parked us for free.” Hannah Joy noted that some people thought she and her female family members had just gotten married but were enjoying the night without their husbands, which was her favorite part.

Although the night was an overall success, there was one setback. “I lost my wedding dress,” Bonin admits. “I have no idea how or when, but thankfully, Sydnie, my daughter-in-law, had loaned her high school prom dress to Kate a few years ago, so it was hanging in one of our closets. I tried it on, and it fit perfectly! Literally saved the day!”

Overall, the group had the best time. “My favorite part was just making a spectacle and being silly with my girls,” Bonin shares. “We definitely made a memory that will last a lifetime. Alexis agrees. “100/10 recommend doing this!” she exclaimed in her caption. “Absolutely SO fun!!”