20+ Women Who Wore a Family Heirloom on Their Wedding Day and Looked Stunning

4 years ago

A wedding gown holds a special place in every woman’s life. And while some brides search for “the perfect one” for months, others make up their own designs. Some brides go a step further and wear their mother’s or even their grandmother’s wedding gown on their big day.

At Bright Side, we respect this wonderful tradition of passing a wedding dress down through the generations! Just look at all these beautiful brides from our list who not only honored their families but looked very special on their wedding day.

A tribute to a grandmother

This beautiful bride, Jordyn, wore a gown from 1962 that her grandmother wore on her wedding day. Jordyn surprised her granny by showing up in this beautiful antique dress on her big day, bringing the elderly woman to tears. “I married my high school sweetheart in this dress, now so will you,” whispered the granny to her granddaughter.

A 150-year-old dress

This dress became quite famous on the Internet in 2017. The gorgeous bride named Tess married her husband in this marvelous 150-year-old dress. After the wedding ceremony, Tess brought the gown to the dry cleaners, which went bankrupt shortly after and eventually lost it. Tess was desperate to find the antique dress, so she wrote a post on Facebook asking people to help her find it.

Luckily, the precious wedding gown was found and returned to the family.

11 women, 1 wedding dress

In 2015, a young bride named Abigail became the 11th woman to wear a 120-year-old wedding dress that had been passed down from one woman in the family to another for generations. This beautiful tradition started in 1895, when Abigail’s great-great-grandmother first wore it on her wedding day. The priceless gown has been altered many times since, and every bride looked amazing in it.

So, you want to wear your mother’s gown on your wedding day. Where do you begin?

Sometimes a sleeve change can alter the look completely. If you think your mother’s dress is outdated, start by cutting out the sleeves — that’ll change the gown and modernize it a little. Here are some examples:

A complete transformation

If cutting out the sleeves isn’t enough, you can alter the dress completely. That way you’ll be able to wear the dress of your dreams while also paying tribute to your family.

Here are some examples of successful wedding dress transformations.

Sometimes, no major changes are needed!

If your mother’s dress is in good condition and it suits your taste, you might think about wearing it without any modifications. Just make sure it fits you perfectly.

Even celebrities wear their family heirlooms on their wedding day.

The beautiful and talented actress Margot Robbie in her mother’s dress on her wedding day

When she wed Prince Harry, Megan Markle didn’t wear her mother’s wedding dress, but she did wear the 90-year-old tiara that belonged to Queen Mary of Teck.

Bonus 1: A tribute to a late mother

Nora, a strong and beautiful young lady, lost her mother when she was just 4 years old. Her mother Amber died from a rare form of cancer. In honor of Amber, Nora, with the help of her father, participated in a photo shoot where she wore the dress her mom wed her dad in.