4 Women In One Family Wore The Same Handmade Wedding Gown From 1932

It's just as stunning today as it was 85 years ago.

Over the last 85 years, four women in one family have worn the same silk dress for their weddings.

It all started with Maria Teresa Moreno ― known by her relatives as “Grande” ― who made the gown herself before her own wedding in 1932.

Maria Teresa Moreno (a.k.a Grande) and Manuel Moreno at their wedding in Los Angeles in 1932.
Courtesy of Marta Prietto O'Hara
Maria Teresa Moreno (a.k.a Grande) and Manuel Moreno at their wedding in Los Angeles in 1932.

Since then, the long-sleeved gown has been passed down through generations of women ― Grande’s granddaughter, Marta Prietto O’Hara, wore it to her wedding in 1983.

Marta Prietto O’Hara and Kevin O’Hara on their wedding day in 1983.
Courtesy of Marta Prietto OHara
Marta Prietto O’Hara and Kevin O’Hara on their wedding day in 1983.

Followed by Elena Salinas, Grande’s granddaughter and Marta’s younger sister, in 1997.

Elena Salinas and Ric Salinas on their wedding day in 1997.
Courtesy of Marta Prietto O'Hara
Elena Salinas and Ric Salinas on their wedding day in 1997.

And most recently, by Pilar O’Hara Kassouf, Grande’s great-granddaughter, in September 2017.

Pilar O’Hara Kassouf, Marta's daughter, wore her great-grandma's wedding dress when she got married in September 2017.
Pilar O’Hara Kassouf, Marta's daughter, wore her great-grandma's wedding dress when she got married in September 2017.

Marta, who lives in Tustin, California, told HuffPost in an interview that that fact that she and her daughter Pilar both wore a dress with such rich family history was an experience “beyond words.”

“It was such a connection to my grandmother, with whom I was very close,” Marta said of Grande, who died in 2009. “She was also my godmother and she lived around the corner from me so I saw her all the time. And she lived to be 98. So my kids grew up knowing their great-grandmother.”

Marta Prietto O'Hara with her grandma Maria Teresa (a.k.a Grande) and grandpa Manuel Moreno. In addition to the wedding dress, Grande (left) made the suit and blouse she is wearing in this photo.
Courtesy of Marta Prietto O'Hara
Marta Prietto O'Hara with her grandma Maria Teresa (a.k.a Grande) and grandpa Manuel Moreno. In addition to the wedding dress, Grande (left) made the suit and blouse she is wearing in this photo.

Marta continued: “My grandmother would just be so thrilled to know that one of her great-grandchildren wanted to wear her dress. I think she would be very touched. It fills my heart. It makes me just so happy.”

Marta Prietto O'Hara and her grandmother Grande. Grande died in 2009 at the age of 98.
Courtesy of Marta Prietto O'Hara
Marta Prietto O'Hara and her grandmother Grande. Grande died in 2009 at the age of 98.

It all started in 1932 when Grande, a talented Los Angeles seamstress who was born and raised in Mexico, fell in love with a wedding dress she saw in a department store window and decided to recreate it by hand for her nuptials to Manuel Moreno, according to the Orange County Register.

The couple went on to have four kids ― two sons and two daughters. When one of Grande’s daughters, Anita, tied the knot with Pablo Prietto in 1957, she ended up wearing a different dress that was custom-made by her mother for the occasion. Still, Anita held onto the original gown, which she kept in a small, flimsy box in her closet.

Bride Anita and Groom Pablo on their wedding day in 1957, posing with their parents. Anita wore a different wedding dress that was also made by her mother.
Courtesy of Marta Prietto O'Hara
Bride Anita and Groom Pablo on their wedding day in 1957, posing with their parents. Anita wore a different wedding dress that was also made by her mother.

Fast-forward to 1983 when Marta, one of Anita’s seven children, was planning a wedding to her high school sweetheart Kevin O’Hara. Anita wanted her daughter to wear the same dress she had worn at her wedding back in 1957. Although the garment had been specially preserved, when Anita pulled it out of the container, she saw it had been badly damaged with a large stain across the bodice. It was unwearable.

Anita had a plan B, though. She grabbed the box holding Grande’s dress from her closet for Marta to try on.

“It wasn’t even in tissue ― it was just in the box in perfect condition,” Marta told HuffPost. “Before I even saw the style ― just the fabric alone ― I said, ‘I’m wearing this dress if it fits me.’ I tried it on that day, and knew I was going to wear it.”

Marta and Kevin said their "I dos" at St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Tustin, California.
Courtesy of Marta Prietto O'Hara
Marta and Kevin said their "I dos" at St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Tustin, California.

Marta described the dress as a creamy gold in color with a luxurious, buttery texture.

“It’s thick, luscious silk. You just want to feel it when someone’s wearing it,” she told HuffPost.

In 1997, Elena ― Marta’s sister ― married her husband Ric in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood and wore the elegant gown as well.

A poster Marta made for her daughter's wedding, showing the four women in their family who have worn the dress so far.
Courtesy of Marta Prietto O'Hara
A poster Marta made for her daughter's wedding, showing the four women in their family who have worn the dress so far.

After Elena’s wedding, the dress sat idle for 20 years until Marta’s daughter Pilar got engaged to Nick Kassouf in April 2017.

“I always knew about ‘the dress’ but it was always a vague notion to me until I was actually engaged,” Pilar told HuffPost. “After I got engaged, I went over to my grandma Anita’s house to try it on. Once I did, and saw myself in the mirror, I knew. It fit like a glove and needed no alterations whatsoever. There was no way I was walking into any bridal store to look at a dress that meant nothing to me when our family dress meant everything to me. It was meant to be.”

Pilar at her wedding ceremony at St. John Maron Church in Orange, California. In this photo, you can see the back of the dress, which was changed to a deep V before her mother Marta's wedding in 1983.
Pilar at her wedding ceremony at St. John Maron Church in Orange, California. In this photo, you can see the back of the dress, which was changed to a deep V before her mother Marta's wedding in 1983.

Once Pilar decided she was wearing the dress, Anita spent a month interviewing dry cleaners before finding one she was willing to leave her prized possession with.

“My mom is superstitious,” Marta told HuffPost. “She’s like, ‘I don’t want to spend a lot of money to get it cleaned until somebody really wants to wear it in case it gets ruined.’ She’s extremely protective of this dress and the fabric and the care of it.”

Newlyweds Pilar and Nick were smiling ear-to-ear at their wedding in September.
Newlyweds Pilar and Nick were smiling ear-to-ear at their wedding in September.

Remarkably, the dress has never been taken in or let out for any of the women who’ve worn it. Somehow, it just fits. The only alterations made over the years include removing a portion of the original 9-foot train, changing the back of the gown to a deep V shape, as well as adding ― and later removing ― some beading, lace trim and other minor decorative details.

Bride Pilar posing with her grandma Anita and her mother Marta.
Bride Pilar posing with her grandma Anita and her mother Marta.
As soon as Pilar tried on the dress, she knew it was the one.
As soon as Pilar tried on the dress, she knew it was the one.
The dress is a stunner.
The dress is a stunner.

With no other family weddings on the horizon, it’s unclear who will be the next to wear the dress. Two of Marta’s nieces, Daisy, 15, and Lola, 16, have already called dibs on the dress for their future weddings.

Until then, the dress patiently waits for its next bride in a box in Anita’s closet.

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