Bride Wears Her Grandmother's Wedding Dress from 1961 That Was Kept in an 'Old Bag' in Basement

Abigail Adams
·2 min read
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@keptyaphotography / MERCURY PRESS (PICTURED L-R Allie Livingwater and grandmother Anne Cooke) This woman has something borrowed and something old as she walked down the aisle wearing her grandma's 60-year-old wedding dress. Allie Livingwater, 23, tied the knot with Timothy, 27, on September 25 [2021] wearing her grandma Anne Cooke, 88, dress. The white laced gown was discovered in a black bin liner in 2016 and Allie immediately knew she wanted to wear it as 'something borrowed'. The long-sleeved dress required zero alterations but needed a clean after being stored in the basement since 1961. SEE MERCURY COPY

@keptyaphotography / MERCURY PRESS

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.

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"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."

MERCURY PRESS (PICTURED Anne Cooke wearing the dress in 1961) This woman has something borrowed and something old as she walked down the aisle wearing her grandma's 60-year-old wedding dress. Allie Livingwater, 23, tied the knot with Timothy, 27, on September 25 [2021] wearing her grandma Anne Cooke, 88, dress. The white laced gown was discovered in a black bin liner in 2016 and Allie immediately knew she wanted to wear it as 'something borrowed'. The long-sleeved dress required zero alterations but needed a clean after being stored in the basement since 1961. SEE MERCURY COPY

MERCURY PRESS

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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.