Mother-in-law wanted bride to 'feel' her late mom at the wedding. The bride broke down the moment she saw it

A TikTok video shared by bride-to-be Bianca Corso (@bmcmakeup) shows the moment she opened her future mother-in-law’s gift at her bridal shower in Providence, Rhode Island, and ended up in tears. Corso lost her mom, Marie, to cancer in 2016 — she was only 20 when her mother received a sudden stage 4 diagnosis of liver and lung cancer and died just two weeks later. "Navigating life without my mom has been extremely hard, and grieving never really ends; it just comes in waves or gets a little easier to withstand," Corso told PEOPLE.

Now 29, and preparing to marry her fiancé Alex in Tuscany this October, Corso has faced the bittersweet reality of planning a wedding without her mother. She admitted, "It really just puts all of the things she is missing and can't be here for right in front of me; it hits you like a truck at times." That’s why the gift she received from Alex’s mother, Sharon, carried such weight. Corso knew her mother-in-law had planned to make her a custom dress to wear while getting ready on her wedding morning. Sharon had asked for her late mother’s wedding dress, and Corso assumed she would use it in a small, symbolic way.

Instead, Sharon presented her with a handsewn dress made almost entirely from two irreplaceable fabrics, lace from her late mother’s gown and lace from Sharon’s own. "The finished dress was all a beautiful surprise to me!" she said. When she touched the beading her mother once wore, the emotion overwhelmed her. "I also felt so loved and seen, for her to think about including my mom in such a sentimental way," she explained.

The dress gave Corso a chance to relive her mother’s memories in a physical and emotional way, something she had longed for since losing her at 20. Research shows how powerful that can be. A study published in JAMA Psychiatry found that grief therapy involving emotionally reliving a loved one’s death helped reduce symptoms of prolonged grief. Among participants, 38% who didn’t undergo this therapy still showed symptoms, compared to only 15% in the group that did. This is what Corso experienced firsthand: holding on to a tangible piece of her mom allowed her to carry her presence forward while easing some of the pain.

"Since day one, she has been nothing but warm and welcoming to me," Corso said of Sharon. Bianca has also planned other ways to honor her mom. At the ceremony, a seat will be reserved for Marie with a sign, and guests will be invited to place flowers there as they arrive. She will wear her mother’s favorite perfume, and framed photos of her in her wedding dress will be displayed at the rehearsal dinner and reception. "Knowing that I will have a small piece of my mom with me, physically on my body, on my wedding day, brings me a lot of comfort," Bianca said. "It is like I have her touch with me all morning."

The video drew a lot of emotional reactions online. @sophelah commented, "Unsurprised that Alex’s mom is the most thoughtful woman ever. Also, unsurprised that any mother-in-law of yours would want to move heaven and earth to make you feel loved. You deserve it, honey." @chelle842466 added, "Your momma sent her to you. She wants you to have a momma here on earth." @artistry_rw wrote, "As another girl who had to get married without their mom, this brings tears to my eyes, what a thoughtful gift."

You can follow Bianca Corso (@bmcmakeup) on TikTok for more makeup content.

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