Local beautician ties the knot in her aunt’s old wedding dress

The 33-year-old, who married her husband David at First Ballymoney Presbyterian Church on September 6, said she had always loved her aunt’s wedding dress.

Having first tried it on even before David proposed, the beautician said she just knew it was ‘the dress’ for her and because she was so sure, she didn’t even bother with wedding dress shopping before the big day.

“I just always loved it,” she told the Times.

“I would be very close to my aunt [Shiela Long], she’d be like a second mummy to us. She has no children of her own, so basically, I wanted to involve her as much as possible in the day.

“Her husband, uncle John, will be dead three years in August, so I wanted to give her a wee boost along with my wedding,” Rachel went on, “and she [was] just delighted - she cried the whole day.”

Rachels’ mother was also delighted with her decision to wear her sister Sheila’s dress.

And the move, Rachel added, also saved her a few pounds as alterations to the very expensive vintage gown, didn’t cost that much.

“When she got the dress, 30-odd years ago it was £800,” Rachel explained.

“I had it taken up and altered, but you would know it’s the same dress.

“It’s a beautiful, beautiful dress - it really is lovely and as I have wee boy, with it being shorter it was so much easier to lift him, and to walk in.

“It was full length” when her aunt wore it she said, but she “had it taken it up to just below the knee.

“David always said he would like to see my legs, so I thought well ‘I could shorten this’ and the bottom of it was absolutely gorgeous, so she kind of shortened it from the waist.

“It looked so much nicer shorter because you could see it better.

“The four bridesmaid’s dresses,” Rachel added, “were all short as well - below the knee - and the men were all in brown.

“David was in a brown velvet jacket, and he actually got his in a vintage [shop] second-hand.”