- TikTok star and bride-to-be Emily Mariko is having her mom's wedding dress repurposed into clutches.
- Viewers called the kimono-inspired gown "elegant" and pleaded with Mariko to reconsider taking scissors to it.
Lifestyle influencer Emily Mariko is currently in the midst of wedding planning, though one step in the process has struck an emotional chord with her 12.6 million TikTok followers.
Last month, 31-year-old Mariko announced she was transforming her mother's kimono-inspired wedding dress from the '80s into clutches as gifts for her bridal party. Fans are pleading with the influencer not to cut up the vintage family heirloom.
Mariko, who is based in the Bay Area and beloved for her serene and fastidious cooking and lifestyle videos, vlogged a trip to New York City on April 11 for her wedding dress fitting. There, she was also scheduled to have her mother's dress, which is made out of "traditional Japanese kimono fabric" completely repurposed, she told two million fans.
She said she planned to keep one of the clutches for herself and distribute the others to her mom, grandmother, and the rest of the bridal party.
@emilymariko ♬ original sound - Emily Mariko
In the TikTok video, Mariko admired the "elegant" gown, gushing over the sumptuous fabric and intricate beading. Then, noting that it was the "last night" the gown would remain intact, she decided to try it on.
Mariko marveled at herself in her mother's wedding dress.
"I love it so much — I feel really beautiful in it," Mariko said, looking slightly emotional. "I got to go call my mom."
Commenters, perhaps sensing she was a bit torn about her bridal project, begged her to reconsider and not "cut it up."
"EMILY DON'T MAKE THE CLUTCHES - get it tailored!" one top comment, with nearly 25,000 upvotes, urged. "That dress should be protected at all costs," one wrote. "GIRL YOU SAID IT YOURSELF THAT YOU LOVE IT DONT CUT IT UP PLEASE WE ARE BEGGING," a fan feverishly begged.
Others more scornfully pushed back. "Ah yes, let me give parts of my moms wedding dress to people I may not be friends with in 30 years," one viewer wrote.
It's unclear what route, if any, Mariko took with the dress. The creator has not posted an update and she did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Wedding dresses, and specifically repurposed dresses, are a hot topic on TikTok. Last month, for instance, the TikToker Brittany Dalena turned her grandmother's gown into a rehearsal dress comprising a mini-skirt and short-sleeved top, which sparked a heated and divided response among observers.