Just Married Jacket: A sisterhood of brides in Edmonton and around the world

'Tis the season for giving! That's why we're bringing back some of our favourite stories from 2019. This story was first published Jan. 25, 2019. Enjoy!

For a bottle of wine, Edmonton brides can rent a hand-painted leather jacket to wear during their wedding. It's called the Just Married Jacket, appropriately named for the words emblazoned on the back.

The jacket isn't exclusive to Edmonton — calligraphers around the world are creating Just Married Jackets as a part of a movement similar to the Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants.

"It's building this community, going to all these different weddings and creating a story of who's worn it and how they celebrate it," said Amelia Terlecki, calligrapher at Wink Ink Design Co., who designed the Edmonton version of the jacket.

"It's just a fun [accessory] to wear and spread the news."

The idea originated in Toronto, when calligrapher Sylvia Wong painted her favourite leather jacket for her own wedding in 2016. Wong decided to share the jacket with other brides and the Just Married Jacket was born.

Since then, Wong has helped local calligraphers create chapters in Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, New York, Hawaii, London and even Hong Kong. Plans are in the works to expand to Australia next.

Each of the jackets has "just married" written in white paint with an arrow motif. Calligraphers put their own spin on the jacket they rent out to brides in their city.

"It's this super soft buttery leather jacket," Terlecki said. "We chose to do real leather over imitation leather because it's more durable and we hope that it will last for years to come."

Terlecki started the Edmonton chapter last year, with eight brides wearing the jacket in its inaugural summer.

Three of the eight brides met each other for the first time earlier this month to swap stories about the jacket and memories of their wedding days.

"You expect a leather jacket to have a certain, like, badass vibe but some of them made it look really elegant and it was cool to see how everyone brings their own style to it," Terlecki said.

Watch: A few of the brides who've worn the jacket share their experiences. 

Edmonton's Just Married Jacket

6 years ago

Duration 1:31

A local calligrapher has created a sisterhood for brides who want to wear the Just Married Jacket.

Terlecki noted many of the brides want to rent the jacket for the "good luck vibe" it adds after being worn at other weddings.

"One of the things that I really love about the jacket is that the girls rent it out for a week at a time so that they can rock it out around town wherever they are," Terlecki said.

"One girl had it in Canmore and she was telling me how people would just come up to her in the street and say 'Hey, congratulations!"

Another bride, Natalie Hinse, said the jacket was "a lifesaver" to wear over her wedding dress on a cooler fall day.

An edginess

Laurel Cox was one of the first brides to wear the jacket in Edmonton. She was married on Sept. 1 last year to Conor Enns.

Cox found the Just Married Jacket through Instagram and immediately liked the sustainability factor of how multiple brides could use it for their weddings, and how it "fit into the budget" for just a bottle of wine.

"It just seemed like a really cool community and experience to be a part of," Cox said.

"When we did our grand entrance … I turned around and popped the collar and everybody had a good laugh when they realized it said 'Just Married' on the back."

It just seemed like a really cool community and experience to be a part of.- Laurel Cox

Cox had wedding photos taken in front of her dad's Mustang and said the jacket added an edginess to the special moment.

"When we were kids he had a 1968 Mustang. I've been a Mustang fan since and I always dreamed of going to my wedding in a classic car," said Cox.

"My dad got the 2018 Mustang … he drove me to the wedding in that car."

And it's not just about the brides. Calligraphers who rent out the jackets have also built a community. Terlecki has dubbed them the "girl gang of calligraphers."

Terlecki said they bounce creative ideas off one another, asking how they price items or what tools they use.

Twelve Edmonton women have already booked the jacket for their ceremonies this summer and Terlecki said she's already getting requests for the 2020 wedding season.

As for whether she will wear the jacket for her own wedding someday?

"I would love to. I am taller than the average girl so I might have to rock it as an over the shoulder [look]," Terlecki said.

"I think it would be a nice thing to incorporate in my day after it's had such a journey through all these other girls' special days."

For more information on renting the Edmonton Just Married Jacket, visit https://winkinkco.ca.