Bride Surprises Grandmother by Wearing Her 1963 Wedding Dress: See Her Emotional Reaction

It was a moment that I’ll forever hold close to my heart and never forget,” the bride tells PEOPLE of surprising her grandparents

Chrissie Mellett married Chris Allingham in an intimate ceremony on April 5 at St. Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in River Edge, N.J.
The bride surprised her 83-year-old grandparents, Denis and Patricia Lynch, by wearing her grandmother’s 62-year-old wedding dress
“It took my grandma just a second to realize it was her dress. She said to me, ‘Chrissie, is that my dress?’ Then we both started crying. I think everyone who was in the room started tearing up at that point,” Mellett tells PEOPLE
An 83-year-old woman was brought to tears when she saw her granddaughter wearing her wedding dress for her own big day.

Chrissie Mellett, 29, and Chris Allingham, 30, tied the knot in an intimate ceremony on April 5 at St. Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in River Edge, N.J. In attendance was the bride’s grandparents, Denis and Patricia Lynch, who were moved by her decision to wear Patricia’s 62-year-old wedding dress.

You will never know how much you filled my heart with love and appreciation today,” Mellett’s grandmother told her after the ceremony. “I appreciate it more now on you than I did on me at 21 years old.”

Denis and Patricia, both 83, got married when they were 21 years old on April 20, 1963 at the Roman Catholic Church of St. Michael in Palisades Park. For the wedding, Patricia wore a floor-length gown with long sleeves, a scoop neckline, floral appliques and silk buttons running down the back.

She bought the dress that year from Roses Bridal Shoppe, which was inside the Bergen Mall in Paramus. It cost around $400-$500, which was a higher price for that time period due to the dress’ silk and peau de soie fabric. “My great grandma (my grandma’s mom) was a seamstress,” Mellett tells PEOPLE. “My grandma said she really helped her design the dress. She was pulling all the strings and telling the person who made the dress what she wanted on it and where.”

About a year ago, Mellett tried on both her mother’s and grandmother’s wedding dresses for “fun.” Although the gowns were “wrinkled and a little worn,” having been stored for several decades, they were still “absolutely stunning.”