Military Dad Makes Daughter's Prom Dress: It's Camo

This is the cutest thing you'll read all day.

When David Herron's daughter couldn't find the prom dress of her dreams, he did what any resourceful dad would do: He sat down and made her one from scratch.

The Marshfield, Wisconsin native's teen daughter Mariah had been frustrated because she couldn't find an affordable dress made from camouflage fabric. “I jokingly asked my dad if he could make me a prom dress. When he said yes, I was surprised,” Mariah told the Marshfield News-Herald. 

A former military man, Herron had learned how to sew his stripes and hem his own uniforms. But making a prom dress? Totally new territory. “I’m pretty good with straight seams and about two years ago, my wife gave me a sewing machine. I’ve made some quilts and pillows, but this dress was something else,” he said.

Neither father nor daughter could be reached for comment but Mariah told the paper, “My dad is pretty good at making things, but making a dress — that’s different,” she said.

Although David did the work, he credits the fabric store for motivating him. “Mariah and I went to Hancock Fabrics and started looking at fabric and patterns. If it hadn’t been for the ladies that work there, we would have walked out and that would have been the end of this."

“They showed us the fabric and we talked about patterns. Then we got started,” he said.

At home, Herron turned the family room into a sewing shop. One table served as the fabric station, another for the sewing machine. And he logged in hours studying the camo fabric and sewing instructions.

The result: A strapless, black satin gown made from Snow White Camouflage fabric with a white underlayer and covered with black tulle. The top of the dress is lined with a thin black ruffle and a black satin bow is fastened to the back of the dress. The waist is lined with shotgun shells. Herron topped off the look with brown and white boots which he bought for his daughter.

Eight weeks later, Mariah debuted her winter white camo dress to attend the Marshfield High School Junior Prom. “I think she likes it. She asked me if I’d make her wedding dress,” Herron said and smiled.