There’s something so special about re-wearing a dear relative’s wedding dress—but since an heirloom gown can oftentimes feel out of touch with modern fashion trends, many brides choose to reimagine their vintage pieces. When one bride converted her grandmother’s wedding dress into a two-piece set for her rehearsal dinner, however, a majority of the internet was appalled at the end result.
Brittany Dalena’s grandmother tied the knot about 50 years ago, wearing a paisley-printed ivory frock with beaded details that the bride and her mother-in-law stitched themselves. Her grandmother then passed down the garment to Dalena’s mother, who also wore it on her big day (after making a few modifications). So when Dalena was planning her wedding, she knew that she wanted to incorporate the vintage gown in some way—and ultimately decided to wear a revamped version of the secondhand getup for her wedding rehearsal.
Since she is a different clothing size than her mother and grandmother, though, Dalena explained to the New York Post on September 18, 2024, that she needed to get it altered. “In order for the seamstress to adjust the bodice to my waist, she had to take it apart into two pieces,” she noted. Although the bride wasn’t able to keep the original one-piece look, she maintained the main elements of the dress. “When trying it on in two pieces, I thought it was much more my style, and I immediately fell in love with the redesign.”
Once Dalena’s wedding day came about, she decided to surprise her grandmother by doing a grand reveal of the finished product; the bride posted a video of her grandma’s reaction on TikTok, which has amassed over 13.4 million views. In the clip, the bride’s grandmother is pictured walking down the aisle of what appears to be a church when she spots her granddaughter, immediately recognizing the dress. Her jaw drops and she screams, “Oh my God! No way!” before embracing Dalena and shedding tears. “She felt honored to have it used for such a special occasion, and it meant more to her to have me use it than leave it in a box for many more years,” Dalena told the publication.
The video ends with a few shots of the original dress and her mother’s iteration, highlighting the evolution of the gown across the three generations of women. This clip first shows Dalena’s grandmother donning a long-sleeved, floor-length gown with a scoop neckline. Then, Dalena’s mother is seen sporting the long skirt but with shorter puff sleeves and a sweetheart neckline. Finally, Dalena is seen wearing her version of the ensemble—she kept the puff sleeves and neckline but created a mini skirt and a fitted top.
Although Dalena said her grandmother loved the two-piece result, the internet wasn’t so convinced. “The way I’d never speak to someone again if they ruined my dress like that,” a shocked user wrote, while another agreed, revealing, “I would cry if my granddaughter did that to my WEDDING dress. Some even had a completely different outlook on the grandmother’s reaction than the bride’s. “Grandma was disappointed but she had to keep it inside and pretend she likes it,” someone commented. Reinforcing that point, another shared, “I hope you know that she’s devastated and hid it for the pure and simple fact that it’s your wedding. You can literally tell.”
There were a few diverging viewpoints—although few and far between. “Everyone in the comments is ridiculous,” one person exclaimed, defending the bride. “She looks amazing and they both seem happy!! Just mind your own business if you don’t agree.”