Taylor & Annie's Joyful Union at Redland Family Farms: Grandma Adina's Wedding Dress Takes Center Stage

July 01, 2025

Taylor & Annie's Joyful Union at Redland Family Farms: Grandma Adina's Wedding Dress Takes Center Stage

Taylor & Annie nail their neck dip during their first dance

I love a good story, and this one touched my heart so much that it just had to be told.

I met Taylor & Annie at one of the Venue Crawl events in Portland and I got lucky that they decided to choose to work with me for their first dance. I was really excited about their vision: They wanted to dance to a mix, starting out with a slow, romantic song (God Bless The Broken Road by Rascal Flatts) transitioning into a surprise dance - something fun and upbeat that would show off their playful, electric personalities (Spicy Margarita by Jason Derulo & Michael Buble). They worked REALLY hard during our lessons and put together an epic number, which I had no doubt would be a showstopper on their wedding day.


Taylor & Annie just married (and Annie wearing the gown I thought she'd be dancing in)

So they get married and I'm waiting on pins and needles to hear how everything went, as I usually am the day after one of my couple's weddings. Annie sends me a video of their dance and the first thing I notice is her dress, which was not the one she had told me she'd be dancing in (and not one I had seen or even known anything about) but it was BEAUTIFUL. I was immediately curious. And I was actually second guessing myself for a second because I always ask a series of questions when I start working with couples and one is to see a picture of the bride's gown, and I was 99% sure that Annie was supposed to be dancing in her long, sleek wedding gown. I needed validation that I wasn't crazy. She told me that sure enough, that was the plan, but Taylor & Annie had a rainier wedding day then they had envisioned come late June and she said her dress had become so dirty and wet during her outdoor photos that she just couldn't picture dancing in it. So she switched it out for Grandma Adina's dress.

Grandma Adina as a newlywed, July 16th, 1960

Grandma Adina Currier and Annie were very close throughout all of Annie's life. Adina was the glue of their family - always hosting every occasion, making everyone feel seen and heard. She was also Annie's shopping buddy. She sadly passed away in 2019 from cancer with her husband following her in 2021 (also from liver cancer, but the family always says he died of a broken heart. He couldn't live without his love). Annie tells me that every year on their wedding anniversary Grandma Adina would get her wedding dress out and wear it (and it still fit!) So after her passing and after Annie became engaged she knew she wanted to get Grandma Adina's dress altered to wear at her wedding reception. She had the sleeves cut off, the dress shortened and it was hand-washed four times to get the yellow out.

Annie with Krysti from Behind the Seams Bridal in her grandma's altered dress

As you can see from the pictures above and below, the dress alterations turned out beyond stunning and I absolutely love that Annie decided last minute to change into it earlier on, for many reasons. One is that she was able to honor her grandma while she was in the spotlight doing her first dance with her new husband - surprising her Aunts who didn't know she'd be wearing their mom's dress and making them sob well into the night. She also wore it for her father/daughter dance with her dad, who was Grandma Adina's son, so the dress made the dance moment between the two of them all the more meaningful. And last but not least, it perfectly matched Taylor & Annie's first dance routine. I never pressure couples to wear any specific attire (your day, you do you!) but with their second song starting out with the salsa I had always hoped maybe somewhere along the line during our lessons that Annie would change her mind and decide to slip into a sassier, more lighthearted number for their choreographed dance. And due to unpredictable circumstances, she did. So here's to grandma Adina, her beautiful dress and granddaughter and to embracing your wedding day as it comes to you, even if it doesn't turn out exactly the way you envisioned it (because sometimes, it turns out even better).