She couldn't afford dream dress—her prom date learnt how to sew and made stunning dress from scratch for her

Creating something special with your own hands is always meaningful, but when it’s for your best friend’s senior prom, it becomes unforgettable. A high school student in Indiana started a heartfelt project to ensure his best friend wore the dress of her dreams on her prom day, as per the viral tweet shared by Adrianna Rust, @AddiRust. What started as a light conversation turned into a full-blown sewing journey that no one involved will ever forget. 

Adrianna Rust, who was 18 at the time of the tweet, shared her happiness on social media, "Taking a minute to brag on this man because I think this is the coolest thing that I’ve ever been a part of. Parker made my prom dress. Straight from scratch did the whole thing and I am still speechless. I’m so lucky to have him as my best friend!" Meanwhile, her best friend, Parker Keith Smith, 17 at the time, also shared his story with the tweet, "Quite a journey, but the first thing I’ve ever sewn (a prom dress) has been finished, just in time for the ball!"

The initiative took place when one evening, the two best friends were hanging out at a common friend's place, and Rust mentioned a prom dress she liked but couldn’t afford, per Fox 4 News. Jokingly, she said Smith should just make her one instead. “That night, my thoughts stirred and the next morning I told her, ‘You know what? I think I actually can make your prom dress!’” Smith recalled. With that, a months-long project began. Starting in January and working right up until the night before prom, the Pendleton Heights junior dedicated hours to designing and sewing a light blue gown for his best friend of six years, despite having never sewn a full dress before.

Rust had only one request. She wanted the dress to be “big and beautiful.” Smith took full creative control from there. “Amazingly, she trusted me with the rest and I got to design something really special while taking everything she wanted and incorporating it all at the same time,” he mentioned. Rust was equally confident. “I trusted that Parker would make it stunning and wouldn’t let me go to prom in something that was anything less than perfect. I was right!” she said. The final result was a spaghetti-strap gown with rhinestone details, a lace-up back, and a fairy-tale feel. “I’m such a perfectionist that I was up adding more stones to the dress even the night before prom,” Parker shared with FOX59. “Seeing the finished dress that morning before prom was like a movie,” Rust shared. “I couldn’t believe my best friend made it! It was mostly just such a proud BFF moment."

The dress-making process was anything but easy. Smith and Rust gathered all the materials together, keeping the cost down to about one-fifth of what a store-bought dress would have cost. Smith spent late nights on the project. He also received help from his grandmother, Lois Kean, when he hit sewing roadblocks. “I’m so glad I learned a few lessons from her, as well as had a few good laughs,” he shared. Even with busy school schedules, the two made time weekly to work on the dress, and Smith often remade sections until he got them just right. “It’s so special to me that Addi’s dress was my first,” he said. Smith further shared that he hoped to double major in musical theatre and costume or fashion design. While Rust was planning to attend college to study special education. 

More on Amplify 

High school student asked Dwayne Johnson to her prom—his amazing response left her flush-faced and speechless

Girl's prom dress ripped five minutes before leaving the house — how her mom fixed it left the internet stunned