Like mother, like daughter?
A proud mama is documenting her little girl’s growth through the years taking in an unorthodox way — by taking photos of her wearing her wedding dress on every birthday.
Aneta Zeppetella, 51, claims she was inspired to begin the annual tradition after reading about the idea in a parenting magazine.
While she isn’t sentimental about her wedding dress itself, Aneta thought the photos would be a sweet way to record her daughter Carla’s life and capture memories of her childhood — from the ages of 1 to 17.
“It definitely makes me feel sentimental. It sounds cliché — but really, years are short,” she told Caters News. “I think this is a great memory for her to keep.”
Aneta, who lives with her family in Ohio, has been together with her husband, David Zeppettella, 57, for 24 years.
The couple got married on May 5, 2000, after Aneta moved from Szczecin, Poland, to the US in 1999. Aneta was living in the country on a student visa when she fell in love with David.
She had to plan the wedding quickly to get everything in order before her visa expired and bought the wedding dress on clearance a couple of days before her wedding.
While the garment itself doesn’t mean much to her, the photos and memories it has created do.
Carla loved having her photo taken in her mother’s wedding dress every year and would remind Aneta every time her birthday came around.
After celebrating Carla’s 17th birthday, the family decided to complete the series but cherish the memories.
“Her dad, David, cannot believe how fast the time has gone when he looks back at the pictures,” Aneta shared.
The photo series, which Aneta posted on her Instagram, has received some hate from strangers who don’t understand the photos.
“I got a share of negative comments. Some people — without knowing my story or my daughter’s story — accused me of forcing her to wear this dress to her wedding, to stay thin, or to get married,” Aneta said.
“My daughter would not wear this to her wedding – the dress doesn’t really have any sentimental value to me.”
However, overall the reactions have been very “sweet” and “positive.”
“I cannot believe that my daughter is almost an adult and that we are now done with the wedding dress picture series. She is an incredible person and my best friend. Time really goes so fast,” Aneta said.
The Post has contacted the Zeppetella family for comment.