Bride Sparks Joy By Asking Her 92-Year-Old Grandma To Be Her Unconventional Flower Girl

Nov 15, 2022 by apost team

Plenty of little girls dream of their wedding day and plan how the big event will unfold. A horse-drawn carriage? A dashing prince waiting at the end of the aisle? Bouquets of flowers in favorite colors held by best friends turn bridesmaids? 

Especially in recent years, brides have gotten extra inventive with how to customize and personalize the traditions and track the task of making an overdone idea– like cupcake cakes– into something exciting. Whether it's employing the family Labrador to carry the rings down the aisle to the officiant or having a silent disco dance party at the end of the evening, or distributing goodie bags of slippers and painkillers for hurting feet and hangovers– social media has captured all the innovation of the wedding industry. 

One Minnesota bride planned something extra special for her ceremony. While most wedding parties involve fathers walking daughters down aisles and tearful mothers, she had an idea as to how to incorporate one very special elder into her big day. 

The 27-year-old North Mankato woman got engaged to her fiance, Dustin Mershon, in December 2016. Like any modern bride, the two recorded a quick video for family and Facebook announcing how he proposed on their one-year anniversary.

However, the sweet clip would not be the only time the internet would be captured by the couple's story. When the two finally tied the knot on July 1, 2017, one wedding guest, a 92-year-old grandma, just about outshined the beautiful bride. But, instead of being upset that this matriarch was getting all the attention, Georgiana "Abby" Arlt saw her carefully laid plan coming to fruition. This is exactly the reaction she was hoping would happen, given Grandma's special role in her big day. 

Months earlier, after getting engaged, Abby had sat her family down to discuss her big day. This was when they planned a "grand entrance" for one special person– grandma. 

Abby's 92-year-old grandmother, Georgiana Arlt, had never participated in a wedding party before. The bride recounted to PEOPLE how she informed her beloved family member of her plans. “Everyone screamed but she shrieked at the top of her lungs,” Mershon recalled. “She kept on saying over and over that she had never been in a wedding before besides for her own. She was so excited.”

The bride had revealed that she wanted Georgiana as her flower girl. The role obviously came as a surprise, given the job is usually reserved for younger family members. 

When the big day came, even Abby was excited to see Georgiana in her pale blue suit, her walker adorned with flowers, surprising the guests. Even she couldn't help but sneak a peek. “I was hiding in the club house and I told my girlfriend that I had to look out the window even though people might see me,” she remembered. “I said I didn’t care and that I had to see this special moment.”

The bride later posted about the wedding, writing, "Some may say that my 92-year-old Flower Girl was the highlight of our wedding, but truthfully, marrying Dustin Mershon was my highlight and I couldn't be more proud to be his wife!!! Thank you all for following our journey! We are so overwhelmed with your love and support…" We wish the happy couple (and grandma!) every happiness. 

apost.com

What fun changes did you make at your wedding? Let us know — and be sure to pass this article on to friends, family, as well as any fellow flower girls!