Get ready for the tears, because this story will literally melt your heart. Christine Quinn made the bold decision of wanting her 89-year-old grandmother, Nana Betty Govern, to be one of her bridesmaids at her Pennsylvania wedding this past May.
Nana Betty was shocked and confused about her granddaughter’s decision. “She asked me about 10 times, ‘Are you sure?’ and ‘Why would you want an old lady in your bridal party?’” Quinn said to the Huffington Post. “A few times she even said, ‘All of your bridesmaids are young and pretty, why would you want me?’”
The answer was simple. “Who doesn’t want her best friend standing beside her on her wedding day? Not to mention all of my friends love my nana as well, so we all had a great time planning and spending time together,” Quinn told Buzzfeed Life.
She also reassured her grandmother that she didn’t have to do anything she did not want to do, such as choosing a bridesmaid’s dress, and could even change her mind up until the day of the wedding. The bridesmaids wore a flattering strapless, convertible purple Jenny Yoo gown, and Nana Betty put her own twist to the dress with smart glasses and a neutral wristwatch.
Nana Betty herself was married to her husband and Quinn’s late grandfather for over 50 years herself, and did what was more than expected on the day of her granddaughter’s wedding. Instead of the original plan to go home early and rest, Nana ended up going on the party bus and dancing the night away.
And that was all Quinn could ask for. “One moment I do remember clearly and really resonated with me was when she said, ‘Are you happy?’” Quinn recalled, “to which I responded yes and that I am fortunate to have my entire family with me as I marry the love of my life — cliché but so true.”
