FAMILY

80-year-old celebrates 60th marriage anniversary by fitting into her original wedding dress

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I feel blessed to say that when I look back on my wedding day, I can still feel the waves of warmth and love like I’m standing in the church again.

There are a lot of special memories from that day, but one that stands out has to be the sheer feeling of wearing my wedding dress. As a young girl, I often dreamed about how I’d look on my big day, but it wasn’t until I approached the church, knowing all of my loved ones were waiting inside, that I truly understood just why so many women take so much time in waiting for the right dress.

In some ways, wedding dresses represent a rather strange – and costly – tradition. After all, it’s a carefully made, individualistic gown that you’re going to pay out of your backside for and wear precisely … once.

Right?

Well, that’s not the case for Janith Goedde, who first donned her wedding dress all the way back in 1957 when she tied the knot with her husband, Joe in Haubstadt, Indiana.

Recently, she took the dress out of her attic. Not content to merely show off just how good a condition she’d managed to keep it in, she then decided to go one further.

Now, it’s not every day you get to see a 60-year-old wedding dress being worn by the same person it was originally purchased by.

Yet with her 60th wedding anniversary quickly approaching, Janith knew it would be the perfect time to prove that she could still fit into her dress.

As per reports, a local newspaper published a photo of Janith on her wedding day back in 1957. At the time, a lot of readers were taken back by just how beautiful her dress was.

“For her wedding, the bride chose a floor-length gown of imported Chantilly lace and nylon tulle over satin, fastened down the back with tiny covered buttons,” the newspaper announcement read.

“The fitted lace bodice was designed with Sabrina neckline and embroidered in pearlized sequins. The long sleeves tapered over the wrists.”

To mark her and her husband’s 60th anniversary, Janith’s family organized a party that included a cake which featured their wedding photo.

Now 80 years old, Janith made a cheeky bet with one of her family members. She believed that she could still fit into her wedding dress without any adjustments needing to be made.

And … well, she passed the test with flying colors.

“She still looks beautiful,” her husband Joe said.

The craziest thing about all of this? Janith claimed that she had never done anything special or gone out of her way to keep her wedding dress pristine.

I agree with Joe: Janith certainly does look beautiful.

What an incredible feat! I only wish I could still fit into my wedding dress!

Do you have special memories from your wedding day? Let us know them in the comments box on Facebook.

Meanwhile, share this article if you want others to read Janith and Joe’s story!