Exclusive | I modernized my grandmother’s vintage wedding dress for my big day – trolls tell me I “Shein-created” a family heirloom, but she loved it

She turned something old into something new.

Brittany Dalena, a bride in Fresno, California, repurposed a third-generation wedding dress from her grandmother into a two-piece ensemble. The vintage ivory dress covered in paisley prints, first worn by her grandmother and then passed down to her mother, became Dalena’s fitting dress.

“The dress is about 50 years old and there are parts of it where my grandmother and her mother-in-law sewed on beads,” Dalena told The Post.

In a clip resurfaced online on her TikTok, with over 13.4 million views, the bride walks inside the church, showing how she transformed the old heritage.

“I knew she was going to be in total shock and I knew she was going to love it no matter what I did to her,” she said.

As she walks in, her grandmother exclaims, “Oh my god!” surprised that her granddaughter is wearing the garment.

“She felt honored to have used it for such a special occasion and it meant more to her that I would use it than leave it in a box for many more years,” she confessed.

The two hug each other and her grandmother immediately bursts into tears of joy, stunned by the discovery.

“I always had plans to use the dress and wear it as one piece. Since I wanted it for testing, a shorter version seemed like the best option,” revealed Dalena.

The bride admits she is smaller than her mother and grandmother, so significant alterations would be needed if she wanted the dress to fit like a glove.

“In order for the seamstress to adjust the body to my waist, she had to cut it in two,” she said. “When I tried it on in two pieces I thought it was much more my style and immediately fell in love with the redesign.”

Over the generations, the dress has undergone changes to suit the style of each bride.

Although her grandmother bought the wedding dress as a long-sleeved dress with a high neckline, Dalena’s mom tailored it to have a sweetheart neckline and short sleeves with beading.

So when it came time for Dalena to add her flair, she kept the key elements of the outfit but made it a set.

Meanwhile, many people on the Internet were upset by the redesign, calling it “Shein-ified,” but Dalena knew her family would be happy regardless of the style — she was following tradition.

“You cut her wedding dress,” wrote a TikTok user. She was definitely crazy.”

“I would cry if my granddaughter did that to my wedding dress,” one person commented.

“This was a priceless legacy; I couldn’t do something like that,” an observer confessed.

“What about the next generation,” asked another.

However, some people understood the bride’s spin on the vintage dress.

“I think this is beautiful! “My mom would be happy to see her dress worn again and never again, even if it meant cutting it to fit my style,” one woman commented.

“I love that each generation had their own additions to it,” one person added.

“Most people let old dresses rot because they look old. Good for him for finding a way to use it,” said one TikToker.

Despite the naysayers, Dalena remains unfazed by the negative comments because her family admires what she did.

“My family is extremely sentimental, so it didn’t matter how I incorporated a family heirloom; they would appreciate it no matter what,” she said.