Here comes the brides’ dresses

BRIDES from six decades have been showing off their wedding dresses at a church exhibition visited by hundreds of people.

Nearly 30 wedding dresses, all with a connection to the village of Weston, proved a major attraction at the village’s open gardens day.

Iris Cadwell, who was married at Weston church on July 12, 1958, and has lived in the village with husband Michael ever since, showed the dress made by her mother.

Organiser Pam Blackburn said: “The dresses had been worn at weddings in Weston church, or by brides who were married elsewhere but now live in the village.

“The oldest was from 1935, worn again in the 1970s, and the newest from a few weeks ago. The variety of dresses, from designer to home-made, made it interesting. We were amazed at the tiny waists brides had in the past.

“One of our parishioners, Gill Clements, had the idea of showing wedding dresses to mark royal wedding year. She spent hours staging the display but it was well worth it.”

The open gardens day raised money for the village hall and Red Cross.