Page 28 Daily Mail, Tuesday, July 30, 2019
life
ONCE, a bride’s priority
for her wedding day was
finding The One — and no,
that’s not the groom,
but the dress! Yet more
and more brides are
investing in not one but
two gowns. It’s a trend
that’s been embraced by
the rich and famous.
Meghan wore two —
Givenchy for the church
and a Stella McCartney
dress for the evening
— when she married
Prince Harry. Arnold
Schwarzenegger’s
daughter Katherine
wore two when she
married film star Chris
Pratt last month, while
designer Elie Saab
created two gowns for
his new daughter-in-law.
This weekend, Prince
Louis of Monaco’s bride
went one step further.
She wore three dresses
— one for the civil
ceremony, one for the
church and a third for
her reception. Here,
JILL FOSTER meets five
brides to find out
whether a wedding can
really be more special
when you say ‘I two.. .’
It makes costs soar, but the latest celebrity
fad is inspiring ever more brides to insist...
Katie Lee, 25, a marketing manager,
lives with husband Josh Hearne, 30, a
financial director, in London. the couple
married in October 2018.it was Dad who encouraged me to wear two
wedding dresses, rather than one. He and
Mum came shopping with me soon after i got
engaged in May 2017. i’d always envisaged
wearing a gown with a full skirt, but none of
the dresses i tried was quite right — so the
shop staff suggested i try a separate skirt and
top. i didn’t know that was even an option.
i found the perfect skirt straight away. From
a spanish brand called Pronovias, it was made
in a lovely thick silk that hung perfectly. it
looked beautiful with a delicate lace top
(right). there was one big problem, though:
the skirt was unbelievably heavy. if i wanted
to dance all night, i’d be too restricted.
But Dad was adamant. ‘that’s the one!’ he
said. and so we embraced idea of two outfits
— one for the ceremony and one for dancing.
i spotted a flowing satin skirt with a long lace
train, but couldn’t find a top i liked. the staff
then came up with another great idea — they
could cut off some of the train and use the
material to make a top. i chose a halterneck
shape for the top (above), inspired by Meghan
Markle’s reception dress. simple, yet classy.
On the day, i loved having two looks. i wore
my dream big skirt for our Jewish ceremony
and the photos, then nipped upstairs at the
start of the reception to change for dinner and
dancing. Josh hadn’t seen either outfit before-
hand, so he had the surprise element twice.
My dresses are really versatile so they’ll have
a life afterwards. i can wear either of the two
tops with other outfits, and i’m planning to
dye the reception skirt for another event.BetH BaKer, 28, works in publishing
and lives in Cambridge with husband
Matt, 28, an accountant. they married
in July 2017 in ashington, West Sussex.i’ve been a devoted ballroom dancer since
the age of 12. then, four years ago, i dragged
Matt to a lesson and he loved it, too.
we knew we’d want to do a waltz for our first
dance and that meant a dress i could move
easily in. the idea of having two cheaper
dresses — one for the wedding, one for the
evening — seemed the perfect solution.
i ordered my first dress from China for £140.
a few adjustments and it was perfect (above).
Next, i went online to look at ballroom dresses
— and found one for £40 (left). there was lots
of cheering when i wore it for our first dance.CLaire SCanLOn, 35, a
full-time mum, lives with
husband Craig, 36, a regional
sales manager, and their six
children, aged 10 to 17, in
Dunstable, Beds. they married
in May at the Horwood estate
in Milton Keynes.BuyiNg a second dress was a
spur of the moment thing when i
went wedding dress shopping
with my cousin, who was getting
married herself.
i’d already bought one gown —
a gorgeous Princess-style dress,
which nipped in at the waist, for
£1,200 (left) — but i was a bit wor-
ried about it. the material was
heavy and i was concerned that if
i felt ill during the wedding, i’d
want something cooler to wear.
i have incurable bone cancer,
after having primary breastcancer two years ago, but am
fighting it as best i can. when
you’ve got children, you have to
get on with it.
i tried some flowing, lighter
dresses on and immediately felt
better. i didn’t feel guilty about
paying £600 for a second dress
(right)— you only get wed once.
Craig was very emotional when
he saw me walking down the
aisle. i’d kept both dresses a
secret and it was funny because,
at the meal, i said to Craig i was
feeling too hot and he said: ‘it’s a
shame you didn’t get a second
dress which was a bit cooler.’
i didn’t tell him that’s exactly
what i’d done. He was so
surprised when i emerged for the
dancing in my other dress.
i’ve kept both dresses and will
store them in case our daughters
want to wear them — or a part of
them — for their own weddings.I BOUGHT THE SECOND DRESS
TO COPE WITH MY CANCER
I DID THE HOT
TWO SHUFFLE!
on e
wedding
just won’t do
dress
GOWN 1: £1,200 GOWN 2: £600
GOWN 2: £1,500
GOWN 2: £40
GOWN 1: £140