A Massachusetts bride found a very special "something old" for her big day — her grandmother's wedding dress from 1961.
On Sept. 25, Allie Livingwater, 23, wed partner Timothy, 27, at Turners Falls, Mass., in an elegant gown first worn by her grandma Anne Cooke, Mercury Press reports.
Livingwater said that Cooke, 88, "couldn't believe" she had chosen to wear her old gown. "She stored it in an old bag because she didn't think it was anything 'special.' But to me, it was."
All the garment needed after being kept in the basement for 60 years, was a quick cleaning, Livingwater told Mercury Press. And when she tried it on, it fit like a glove.
"My grandma couldn't believe she was the same size as me," the bride said. "I definitely think the dress has brought us even closer together."
The gown is especially sentimental for Livingwater, who never met her grandfather, Cooke's husband of 38 years, before he passed away. But she knows "they had a successful, long and happy marriage," Livingwater said. "So it felt like the dress paved the way for my marriage."
Cooke was especially emotional when she caught her first glimpse of her granddaughter wearing her dress. "She was tearing up when she saw me for the first time on my big day," Livingwater said. "It was an incredible moment that I will treasure forever."
The newlywed's father George Cooke, 57, also got choked up. "My dad was over the moon as his mum had worn the dress to marry his dad," she said.
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Most importantly, Livingwater said, her "something borrowed" added a unique emotional element to her special day.
"Everyone was complimenting me and thought it was a lovely gesture," she added.