Rollande and Robert were married for 39 years, until his passing in 1992. They had seven children but only one biological granddaughter – Emily Rollande Lemieux.

“She’s always been my girl,” said Emily of her “Granny” Rollande. She was present the day Nicholas Zeglen asked Emily to marry him, and on July 5, 2024, at the age of 94, Rollande watched from the front row of the Church of Immaculate Conception in Glenville, as her granddaughter was married in the same gown she herself had worn 71 years earlier.

“She was so beautiful. It was overwhelming. It was really something to see,” said Rollande’s daughter, Emily’s mother, Denise Lemieux.

Incorporating remnants of a preserved dress in a new one is something brides are requesting more this year, said Master Seamstress Megan Mosca, owner of Mosca Alterations (formerly Will Fit U In).

“We’ll change the dress to fit you, you don’t have to change to fit the dress,” said Megan.

In November, Emily reached out to Mosca Alterations to see if they could salvage her grandmother’s dress, and brought it to her first appointment at Saratoga’s historic Franklin Square studio. After discussing their options, the week-long process to deep clean the fabric commenced. The results were better than they ever imagined possible.

“Seeing Emily’s face when we walked in and saw it, was just phenomenal,” said Denise.

Now a fresh, bright, white, after sourcing fabric from New York City to match, Megan Mosca and seamstress Courtney Thomson began refashioning the dress.

By handcrafting the bodice and adding an invisible zipper hidden in the side seam, they transformed a dress too small to fit onto a size 0 form into a bridal size 8. Over the course of nine fittings (the last just two days before the wedding), a new bustle (embellished with hand-stitched beading) was affixed, the lace skirt repositioned, and an extra layer of tulle added to create volume and a floor-length gown.

Topped with a custom circle-cut cathedral veil, the dress went from being a delicate but sentimental “something old”, to living a new life, as it went seamlessly from ceremony to reception - and dancing!

“I was dropping it low, spinning around, even DJing. It was so perfect!” said Emily.

Granny Rollande, who had traveled three hours to be there, reached out her hand to Emily and smiled, before practically jumping onto the dance floor at the Mohawk River Country Club & Chateau in Rexford herself.

Brides wanting to include heirloom pieces in their wedding day should contact Mosca Alterations 9-12 months in advance. Follow them on Instagram and visit moscaalterations.com