The Many Bridesmaid Dresses My Grandmother Wore | Nashville Bridal Fashion

Back in August, I traveled back to IL to visit family (and attend 2 weddings)! When it was time to see my grandma again, she had a really fun surprise for me! Since it was my first time being a bridesmaid in my cousin’s wedding, she brought all of the photos of the times she was a bridesmaid! And boy, was she a bridesmaid a LOT! I absolutely loved flipping through the photos of each dress and style of the time. Better yet, I loved hearing the stories behind each dress and wedding! So today, I’m here to share those photos and stories with you! Keep scrolling for all the scoop!

I absolutely love the story behind the photo on the left with my grandma wearing the blue bridesmaid dress. Both she and my grandpa were in my Aunt Rita’s wedding (my grandpa’s sister). My grandma had planned on watching the ceremony from the church pews up until a few weeks before the wedding. One of my Aunt Rita’s bridesmaids had to step down as a bridesmaid at the last minute… so she needed a replacement – fast! So she asked my grandma if she would be in the wedding. Of course her answer was yes, so she tried on the bridesmaid dress… and much to their luck, it fit like a glove! The best part of this story is that my grandma didn’t tell my grandpa that she was going to be a bridesmaid! So the moment came during the ceremony and my grandpa was already in position as a groomsman at the alter… and in walks my grandma down the aisle as the final bridesmaid! His jaw just about dropped to the floor! What a fun surprise! (You can see it written all over his face in this photo!)

The photo on the right is of my grandma as a bridesmaid in her sister Linda’s wedding. This wedding took place in the 1960s, so you can see the style of the ribbon headband, vignette portrait photo, and neutral brown tones of the bouquet… it all screams of the 60s!

I was so impressed when my grandma showed me this cutout – it’s an actual catalog clipping of the bridesmaid dresses for her wedding. She clipped it out and kept it on file to look back on while planning her wedding (and showing her bridesmaids of course). It’s like what would be a modern-day pin on Pinterest – only it’s a physical photo that she kept for her “wedding inspiration board”… if that was even a thing back then! Haha! I love the peach color and the mini veils that she dressed her girls in!

I’m so in love with all of the headpieces she wore with each dress! The mini veils are so chic and glamorous! And the beautiful headband piece in this photo of her as a flower girl at her Aunt Flora’s wedding… can these come back in style, please?! I’m all about the full skirt with petals in the photo on the right… everything was so done up – I can’t get enough of it!

Oh, the dresses go on to be so fabulous. My grandma even told me she was in two weddings in one day! How blessed was she to have so many close friends and stand by their sides at their weddings?! The lace appliqué in the dress on the left is so divine! And the dress on the right? She told me since she had been in so many weddings, the cost was getting to be a lot, so she originally told the bride no… However, the bride said she couldn’t do it without her by her side! So she bought and paid for my grandma’s custom bridesmaid gown! Seriously – how nice was she?! I’m also living for the tropical bouquet (all the heart eyes)!

How about the basket of flowers, gloves, and the beautiful headpiece in the photo on the left?! And last but not least, her very own wedding photo is on the right! The pillbox hat, veil, bouquet… every detail was perfection!

I’m so glad my grandma shared these photos with me! I love anything vintage – especially family photos! I hope you enjoyed the photos as much as I did!