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By Alyce Collins
Senior Reporter
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A woman who always dreamed of wearing her grandma’s 1966 wedding dress was so excited to unbox the dress last year, although she had no idea that cherished moment would also be one of their last together.
Ever since she was younger, Catherine Michelle Bartlett, 31, loved the idea of incorporating her grandma, Patricia Carlson Bartlett’s beautiful lace gown into her own wedding. Catherine still remembers the moment she tried the dress on for the first time aged 19, telling Newsweek that it “fit perfectly” and felt meant to be.
“We could not believe it. She was also 19 when she married my grandfather, and I was 19 at the time, so it felt like kismet,” Catherine, who is originally from New York but resides in the U.K, said.
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“My grandmother’s only daughter, my aunt Michelle, passed away at 15 when a drunk driver caused a fatal accident. I am named after her and am also the oldest grandchild. Because of that, I believe my grandmother and I shared a uniquely close bond. I always wanted to give her moments she had been robbed of with her own daughter," she said.
In August 2025, Catherine flew to Pennsylvania to visit her grandparents. During her visit, Catherine asked to try on her grandmother’s 1966 wedding dress once again. She was curious to see if it still fit, and to her delight, it went on perfectly.
Catherine said the dress “went on like a glove” and unboxing it with her grandmother will be a moment she cherishes forever. Indeed, her grandfather was equally moved by the moment he saw his granddaughter wearing his wife’s dress all these years later.
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“My grandmother had beaten cancer twice, so every extra moment I had with her was a gift. I am incredibly grateful we had that experience together because she ultimately passed away before my wedding day,” Catherine said.
Patricia sadly passed away on October 6, 2025, at the age of 77.
After losing her beloved grandmother, wearing the dress felt even more poignant for Catherine. In fact, one of the final conversations she had with her grandmother was about shipping the wedding dress to the U.K. for the civil ceremony, which took place on May 2, 2026.
Catherine said there was something “so comforting” about wearing the same dress her grandmother wore three decades earlier. The dress carried Patricia into a 59-year-long marriage, and Catherine hopes it will bring her half as much joy and love as her grandparents have experienced over the years.
She said: “Walking down the aisle in her dress made me feel incredibly grounded, elegant, and deeply connected to her. Even though she was not physically there, I felt her presence with me the entire evening. Wearing her dress felt like being wrapped in the warmest hug from her. It felt like carrying a piece of her love and strength with me into this new chapter.”
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The wedding dress has now been boxed back up and is ready for the next bride in the family if they too wish to wear it. Catherine was also given her late grandmother’s wedding band, which she had engraved with her grandparents’ wedding date as well as her own.
Catherine was fortunate enough to document many of these moments with her grandparents throughout the wedding planning process. She shared a video on social media (@catherinemichelle__ on TikTok and @catherinemichelle_._ on Instagram) showing the moment she unboxed the 1966 dress alongside her grandmother mere months before she passed. The footage has generated millions of views online, as many people reached out to praise the undeniable bond between Catherine and her grandparents. Indeed, there were plenty of commenters who said how much Catherine looks like her grandmother, which she says is “the greatest compliment.”
Catherine told Newsweek: “As beautiful as she was outwardly, she was even more beautiful on the inside. She was a genuine angel on earth. My advice is to hug your loved ones tightly and often because you never know when it will be the last time. Take photos and videos, even if it feels silly in the moment because one day, they may be your most treasured possessions.”
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