I felt so lucky to wear my nonna's dress. Especially because I’d never even seen it as a child and had no real knowledge of what it looked like in detail, or that she still had it and what condition it was in. The fact that the opportunity to wear it was presented to me months into our wedding planning was totally random, but ended up being the best surprise. I thought of my nonna and her struggles as an immigrant from post-WW2 poverty. I thought of her cousins, also struggling but banding together to make this dress a reality, to make sure my nonna had something special for her wedding day. I felt so beautiful, but also strong like the amazing Sicilian women who came before me."