Three generations of wedding dresses at Warwickshire wedding

Bride Paige Bignell decided to display her mum and nan's wedding dresses at her wedding breakfast

On June 28th 2019 Paige Bignell and Oliver Hill got married at St Leonard's Church in Beoley, the same place where the bride's parents married in 1992. 

Paige and Oliver, who have been together for two and a half years, then celebrated their wedding reception at Walton Hall where Paige and her family had arranged for both her mum and nan's wedding dresses to be displayed. 

Paige said: "I wanted to incorporate a sense of heritage and family in my wedding day. Being a fashion graduate I decided to have my nan's and mum's dresses as part of my day to show how time has moved forward with classic styles of wedding dresses."

The display truly showcased the changing face of bridal fashion and the rising cost of wedding dresses. Paige's nan Barbara Cheetham's blue coat dress was the perfect low-key outfit for her registry office wedding in 1969 - bought for just £8 from Grays in Birmingham. In contrast, mother of the bride Deborah Bignell's dress featured a full skirt and puff sleeves, a style which was fashionable in the early '90s and characteristic of a traditional white wedding - bought for £600. 

Representing the present day and current bridal fashion, Paige's fairytale 'Aurora' wedding dress  by Viva Bride featured intricate embroidery and delicate lace edging. Paige's brother, Daniel Bignell, who acted as man of honour on her wedding day bought the dress for £1,000. 

Paige, Barbara and Deborah captured the concept beautifully with a photograph of the three women and their respective wedding photos. 

Commenting on the reaction to the display, Paige said: "The guests loved it. My nan's other children had never seen her dress before and were amazed at how '60s' it was... and still in great condition. I think it made my grandad, Clive, emotional to see his wife, daughter and granddaughter with their wedding dresses."

Official wedding photography: Pete Johnson