Watching a beloved granddaughter get married to the love of her life could bring any doting grandmother to tears.
But for Penny Jensen, 74, that special day was made even more poignant when her granddaughter Jordyn Cleverly surprised her just before her big day by revealing that she would be wearing her own 1962 dress to walk down the aisle.
Idaho native Jordyn, 23, decided to use Penny’s dress as her ‘something borrowed’ long before she prepared to wed her high school sweetheart, but managed to keep the news a surprise until the day of the wedding.
Sweet moment: Grandmother Penny Jensen, 74, was left in tears when she was surprised by her granddaughter Jordyn Cleverly wearing her old wedding dress
Perfect fit: Penny had no idea that her granddaughter even had the dress in her possession
Looking back: Jordyn is seen holding a photo of Penny on her wedding day in 1962
And what a surprise it turned out to be.
In photographs captured by Kortney Peterson, Penny appears overwhelmed with happiness in the moment she learned of her granddaughter’s touching tribute.
According to the images, Penny was quickly reduced to tears when she saw the beautiful bride in the dress that had once brought her so much joy.
Speaking to Huffington Post, Kortney revealed that Penny didn’t even know that Jordyn had the dress in her possession, let alone that she was about to wear it.
‘Jordyn and I stepped out [of the rehearsal dinner] and got her all ready and into the dress. We got her grandmother to step outside and we showed her the old photo of her in the dress that was going to be displayed at the wedding,’ she said.
Happy moment: Penny whispered in her granddaughter’s ear, ‘I married my high school sweetheart in this dress and so will you’
Not a dry eye: Penny’s husband died 25 years ago, before he even got to meet Jordyn
Generations: Penny had been thinking about donating the dress before Jordyn managed to get her hands on it
Jordyn decided to debut the dress to her grandmother at the rehearsal dinner because she thought seeing it for the first time as she walked down the aisle would be too emotional.
In the moment of the surprise, Jordyn claims that she ‘blacked out’ for a moment.
‘All I heard her saying in the back was, “Wow, wow, wow.” I finally went up and hugged her and she whispered in my ear, “I married my high school sweetheart in this dress and so will you”.’
Sadly, Penny’s husband had died 25 years ago, before he was ever able to meet Jordyn, which made the dress all the more special. The touching moment left everyone looking on in silent tears.
The big day: Jordyn met her then fiancé, Dakota Cleverly, when she was 14 in the eighth grade
Man and wife: The couple were wed on September 23 with Jordyn pledging to keep the dress for future generations
The bride had previously tried on dozens of dresses, failing to come across anything that felt right, before learning that her grandmother was thinking of donating her own dress.
She secretly tried it on and was left blown away and, though it was originally a few sizes too big, she was able to find a seamstress that altered it to fit like a dream.
Jordyn, who met her then fiancé, Dakota Cleverly, when she was 14 in the eighth grade, was married on September 23 and plans to keep the dress for future generations of their family.