At 80 years old, Janet Merryman never expected to find fame on TikTok. Battling loneliness, the grandmother of four found her life transformed, first when she found love, and then when her granddaughter, Danielle, recorded their adventure shopping for Janet’s wedding dress. That simple outing turned into a viral sensation, changing their lives forever.
In her video, posted on October 3, 2023, Danielle Jefferson showed her grandma posing in a dress she picked to marry her 60-year-old fiancé. With City Session’s “Get You the Moon” dubbed over the video, the smiling woman posed in front of the mirror in a strapless white dress with a slit in the side.
A photo of Janet Merryman as seen in a video dated 10 March, 2023 | Source: TikTok/@theonlydanib
When given a small bell, the soon-to-be bride rang it, unsure at first. She quickly got into a rhythm, though, laughing as she rang and giving in to her excitement. In their feature on GMA, Jefferson recalled how other brides in the shop stopped trying on dresses to look at her grandma.
The users were quick to support the woman on her way to happiness, noting her incredibly youthful appearance. “I don’t believe she is 80 wow!” one commenter wrote. Others agreed with them: “No [redacted] way she [is] 80, wow she is stunning,” and “How can this woman be 80? … Someone’s pulling someone’s leg here,” other users commented.
A photo of Janet Merryman as seen in a video dated 10 March, 2023 | Source: TikTok/@theonlydanib
Some users also noted Merryman’s beautiful legs: “Look at those legs honey!!” Jefferson explained that her grandma is always wearing high heels and never leaves the house without them.
“When I’m reading these comments from strangers, I’m very happy. I just can’t believe this has happened at my age,” Merryman said.
A photo of Janet Merryman as seen in a video dated 10 March, 2023 | Source: TikTok/@theonlydanib
In the next video, Jefferson shows the pair getting ready for the wedding and invites the viewers to join them. The woman walks the users through their day, adding in witty remarks.
A photo of Danielle Jefferson and Janet Merryman as seen in a video dated 10 March, 2023 | Source: TikTok/@theonlydanib
Throughout the video, Merryman maintained a playful sarcastic tone. When her granddaughter asked if she was excited, the woman drawled, “I don’t know.” Jefferson also made sure to tease her grandma, calling her a “bridezilla.” Both women got hair and makeup done, with the bride wearing her hair up, bedazzled with rhinestones.
A photo of Janet Merryman as seen in a video dated 29 April, 2023 | Source: TikTok/@theonlydanib
Jefferson wore a deep-blue dress with a slit, while her grandma was seen in the wedding dress she rocked in the previous video. The granddaughter accented on the slit on the bride’s dress, cheering, “Gorgeous, queen! 80 years old and still slaying!”
A photo of Janet Merryman as seen in a video dated 29 April, 2023 | Source: TikTok/@theonlydanib
When she asked if her grandma had any last words as an “unmarried bride,” the woman replied in her usual witty, slightly sarcastic tone:
“I’m not sure about this [redacted].”
The third video with Jefferson’s wedding speech was even more of a treat. “I just wrote this during cocktail hours,” she announced, “so bear with me.”
A photo of Janet Merryman, Dave, and Danielle Jefferson as seen in a video dated 30 April, 2023 | Source: TikTok/@theonlydanib
“I’ll never forget the day that my grandma called me and told me she kissed a boy. I was happy for her, but I was nervous for me. At the time, Janet was my traveling buddy … and all of a sudden, she would rather stay at home with Dave!”
However, Jefferson admitted, she could not be upset because of the smile Dave put on her grandma’s face and saved her “money on her airfare.” She continued teasing the newlyweds, saying, “They put a ton of sweat and tears into this wedding, and by ‘they,’ I mean ‘Dave.'”
A photo of Janet Merryman, Dave, and Danielle Jefferson as seen in a video dated 30 April, 2023 | Source: TikTok/@theonlydanib
On a more serious note, the woman added how her grandmother was featured on Good Morning America, sharing her story of getting married later in life, and how she inspired many young women, including her granddaughter. She also gave a glimpse of their earlier life, thanking Merryman for taking her in when she was 13.
“I hope I look half as good as her when I’m her age.”
A photo of Janet Merryman and Dave as seen in a video dated 30 April, 2023 | Source: TikTok/@theonlydanib
Then, Jefferson turned her attention to Dave, who didn’t miss a beat to jokingly reply, “Really?” She said the man had been great for their family. Since she had been living with her grandma first, she said, she would pray for him.
Another video from the wedding showed the couple cutting the cake and feeding it to each other, followed by a passionate kiss.
A photo of Janet Merryman and Dave as seen in a video dated 30 April, 2023 | Source: TikTok/@theonlydanib
The family also appeared on Tamron Hall Show, where they shared some family history, as well as Merryman’s and her husband’s love story. The woman told the audience she met her late husband at 15 and had been married to him for 45 years when he died unexpectedly. Soon, she was diagnosed with colon cancer.
Janet Merryman in an interview for Tamron Hall Show from a video dated 22 May, 2023 | Source: YouTube
“That was the lowest I thought I could ever get.”
The woman described her struggles with loneliness, not wanting to be in the house or eat by herself. Jefferson added that while living with her grandmother from ages 13 to 17 was nice, when she left the nest, seeing her alone again was very hard. No amount of traveling with her could fix it. That was, the woman said, “until the neighbor.”
Danielle Jefferson, Dave, Janet Merryman, and Tamron Hall at Tamron Hall Show from a video dated 22 May, 2023 | Source: YouTube
When Merryman first met Dave in 2012, he was her next-door neighbor and married, as Jefferson added. Then, he became single, and the woman started inviting him to Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. “Every time he got ready to go home,” she reminisced, “he would give me a little hug … and then, we just grew from there.”
Janet Merryman and Dave at Tamron Hall Show from a video dated 22 May, 2023 | Source: YouTube
Dave admitted to not knowing about her struggles. “She would go out on her own, she would go shopping,” he said. When asked how she managed to steal his heart, the man said his now wife looked fabulous “all the time.”
A photo of Janet Merryman from Danielle Jefferson’s Facebook page dated 31 May, 2024 | Source: Facebook/Danielle Button
In 2021, Dave proposed to her, and she said yes, but not before cracking a joke. According to Merryman, she said, “There better not be a plastic ring.”
We wish all the best to the newlyweds!
Our Granddaughter Accused Us of Being Cheap after Getting Our Wedding Present
My husband and I bought our granddaughter a wedding gift from her registry. She reached out and accused us of being cheap after getting the wedding present. Now, she is upset and threatens to cut us off because we didn’t give her the cash gift that we presented to each of our grandkids a day before their wedding.
An elderly couple | Source: Getty Images
I’m in my 70s, a proud grandmother to five amazing grandkids: three women and two men. I adore my grandkids and often show up for them emotionally and financially. Whenever they have celebrations or hard times, they know that they can count on me.
Grandparents with their grown grandkids | Source; Getty Images
The youngest of grandkids, Eloise, got married last October. My husband, who is also in his 70s, and I have a tradition for our grandkids. We buy a small gift from the wedding registry, usually the cheapest item, and then, the day before the wedding, we give them a check for $40,000.
We hope they’ll use it for a house, but it’s ultimately their choice. We also ask them to keep it a secret, considering our large family. Until now, everyone has respected this request.
Happy young woman opening a gift | Source: Getty Images
This time, we sent an air fryer to our youngest granddaughter, the cheapest thing on her registry. Eloise called us, livid, accusing us of being cheap. I remember picking up her call and she didn’t even say hi, she just started ranting, “Seriously, Grandma? I just got your gift. An air fryer? That’s the cheapest thing you could find on my registry!”
Woman rejecting a gift | Source: Getty Images
I was taken aback because as much as the air fryer was the cheapest on their registry, I still thought it’d be useful to them, so I told her that. Eloise kept on complaining, “Useful? Come on, you know you can do better than that. Everyone knows you have the money. I just can’t believe you’d be this cheap with me. It’s embarrassing.”
An air fryer | Source: Getty Images
In this heated moment, I told her, “Yes, you’re right. We are cheap, old, and useless. The only thing you DIDN’T know is that the day before the wedding, we were going to gift you a check for $40,000.”
Woman disappointed by a gift | Source: Getty Images
I revealed this in an attempt to explain to Eloise about the cash gift we usually give our grandkids before the wedding but she was so angry at this point, that she wasn’t listening to a thing I said. I speculated that maybe she didn’t believe we would gift her such an amount of money after only buying her an air fryer.
Eventually, she said, “No, it’s clear. You just don’t love me enough to show it. You know how much pressure I’m under with the wedding. And then, this? It’s like you don’t even care,” then she hung up.
Disappointed elderly couple | Source: Getty Images
Despite my husband and I’s shock at Eloise’s reaction, we then bought her a China set, hoping to appease her, but decided against giving her the $40,000, feeling she hadn’t earned it.
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