Molly Hickey grew up admiring the photograph of her grandparents' 1950 wedding day.
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It sat in a frame on the dining table in their Camperdown home.
It was her grandmother's dress that struck her the most, the same dress her mother Judy wore in her Apollo Bay wedding 36 years later.
When Molly was dressing for her own Warrnambool wedding on Saturday, this was the floor-length lace dress she admired in the mirror.
"Never in a million years did I think I'd be lucky enough to wear it myself," she said.
Molly Raun, nee Hickey, was married at Simon's Waterfront on the weekend.
The dress has now been worn by three generations of the family on their special day.
The gown was originally made to fit grandmother Elizabeth 'Betty' Hickey who married her sweetheart Patrick Keith Hickey at Camperdown's St Patrick's Church June 17, 1950.
It was then worn by Betty's daughter-in-law Judith Mills at her beach wedding with Neil Hickey in Apollo Bay, November 22, 1986.
The lace dress has a bodice that features a heart-shaped neckline with long slim fitting sleeves that end in lily points over the hands and 12 pearl buttons on the back.
The skirt has a peplum which drapes from the front and falls into a long graceful train edged with tulle.
"As soon as I got engaged in May 2018 mum offered me the dress and as soon as I put it on I knew it was a given that this was the dress for me," Molly said.
"The dress fitted like a glove."
Molly said she resisted making any major alterations for fear it would lose its history.
"There was a small tear in the train and there was also two stains about the size of my palm on the backside within the train from when mum sat in champagne at her wedding.
"I decided to keep these minor blemishes because they are what tell the beautiful story about the dress.
"I even kept the original petticoat and the pearl buttons that run down the spine."
The classic style of the dress drew many comments at the weekend event, Molly said.
"On the night so many guests commented how 'in fashion' the dress was and they were amazed about how much of a 360 degree fashion makes," she said.
"A few guests said they were expecting lots of frills and a big puffy 'over the top' dress but were shocked at how delicate and intricate the detail and design of the dress was."
Opting to have her 'first-look' reveal with her dad Neil rather than her husband-to-be was "almost too overwhelming," Molly said.
"Dad saw the dress and just cried," she said.
"He was quite emotional but I'm sure they were happy tears.
"Dad was one of three boys," Molly explained. "And Nanna passed away in 2011 so I think he was thinking of how proud she'd be to see me in the dress."
"I had to be sure to not look at my dad and his two brothers, Nanna's three sons, during the ceremony because I knew there wouldn't be a dry eye between them."
While the dress was the same the flowers were slightly different for the three family members.
"Nanna wore a full length embroidered tulle veil but neither mum or I had a veil," Molly said.
"Nanna carried a bouquet of azaleas and gardenias. Mum carried a bouquet of red roses with white gypsophila as well as a flower crown of the same flowers.
"I carried a small bouquet of a mix of red, yellow and peach roses and spray roses with red and yellow roses pinned through the right hand side of my hair."
The new Mr and Mrs Raun are planning to honeymoon in Africa in May.
Before they left Warrnambool to return home to Gippsland on Monday, Molly and her parents made an emotional stop at Betty's grave in Cobden.
"Instead of throwing my bouquet I decided to keep it and place it on Nanna's grave in Cobden.
"I placed one on Pa's grave in Cobden too. Nanna and Pa are buried together in Cobden."
The dress itself will be cleaned and boxed for future generations.
"I plan on taking the dress to a dry cleaner and boxing it up in hopes that a daughter comes along who is interested in carrying on the tradition," Molly said.
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