Heirloom Wedding Dress Bridal Portraits

Picking a wedding dress that is all your own is wonderful, but getting the chance to wear your grandmother’s over 50 year old wedding dress is priceless! We are smitten with this bridal shoot captured by Archer Inspired Photography. The bride chose to wear her grandmother’s dress in these portraits as a gift to her. So sweet!

One of my brides reached out to me asking for a bridal session, but what was unique about this, is that this was 2 weeks AFTER her wedding. This time, she wanted to put on her grandmother’s dress from over 50 years ago and take photos in them as a gift to her.

We tried looking for who the designer of the dress was, and all we could find was a small tag that read: ‘International Ladies Garment Workers Union.” Her grandmother had shoved the dress in a “large ziplock bag” and stored it away in the attic. She never dreamed she would see it on anyone else, but my bride Ciera had a different idea. Believe it or not, the dress was in pristine condition and fit Ciera like a glove. It was elegant, beautiful, and perfectly ordained with stunning details. The dress may be over 50 years old, but it looked like it fit perfectly for a modern day bride. Ciera showed me a photo of her grandmother and grandfather on their wedding day back on July 3rd, 1965. Her grandmother looked stunning in the dress, and it was evident just how much Ciera looked like her. 

heirloom wedding dress bridal portraits | Archer Inspired Photography | Glamour & Grace-01

heirloom wedding dress bridal portraits | Archer Inspired Photography | Glamour & Grace-02

heirloom wedding dress bridal portraits | Archer Inspired Photography | Glamour & Grace-03

heirloom wedding dress bridal portraits | Archer Inspired Photography | Glamour & Grace-04

heirloom wedding dress bridal portraits | Archer Inspired Photography | Glamour & Grace-05

heirloom wedding dress bridal portraits | Archer Inspired Photography | Glamour & Grace-06

heirloom wedding dress bridal portraits | Archer Inspired Photography | Glamour & Grace-07

Watching Ciera wear her grandmother’s dress, it was hard to not just see the simple elegance transfer decades over onto this modern day bride. The vintage dress, although made in the 60s, seemed to just fit this era so flawlessly. To witness the connection and similarity between a grandmother and granddaughter was breathtaking. As a wedding photographer, I see time and time again so many wedding dresses that are similar or don’t tell a story. This was so different. This not only was elegant and unique, but it carried such a beautiful story along with it. Her grandparent’s lasting love shined through Ciera as she wore the gown.

heirloom wedding dress bridal portraits | Archer Inspired Photography | Glamour & Grace-08

heirloom wedding dress bridal portraits | Archer Inspired Photography | Glamour & Grace-09

heirloom wedding dress bridal portraits | Archer Inspired Photography | Glamour & Grace-10

heirloom wedding dress bridal portraits | Archer Inspired Photography | Glamour & Grace-11

heirloom wedding dress bridal portraits | Archer Inspired Photography | Glamour & Grace-12

heirloom wedding dress bridal portraits | Archer Inspired Photography | Glamour & Grace-13

Photography | Archer Inspired Photography | Florals | White Oaks Florist