20 of the gowns stolen during the break-in were couture dresses designed and created in-house by the owner, Patricia Onions. The owner of Patricia Couture revealed it would take her years to build up her bespoke collection again and is pleading with the people who stole the irreplaceable gowns, which have starting prices from £2,000 each, to return these dresses.

The other 20 dresses which were stolen after robbers smashed the front doors of the boutique were shop samples used for brides-to-be to try on. There dresses ranged in price from £1,000 each and Mrs Onions says these can be re-ordered, although the dresses will take 20 weeks to be delivered which she fears will have a detrimental effect on her business.

Luckily for brides who had ordered dresses from Patricia Couture for upcoming weddings, the gowns which the designer was currently working on were kept in another secure storage area and were not tampered with by the thieves.

The cost of the raid at the bridal boutique is expected to be many thousands of pounds, and police are calling for anyone with information with regards to the break in on Tuesday to get in touch.

The bright pink dress made its public debut over the weekend where it won the Alternative Miss Limo Pageant. The size 6 floor length gown uses 250 meters of hair made up of 10,000 individual hair wefts, decorated with 1,500 crystals and 12 individual underskirts. Weighing a massive 15 stone and costing a whopping £50,000, this is as far from your usual wedding dress as you’re likely to get.

The dress was created by eight designers at Thelma Madine’s Nico dress shop. The team of designers and seamstresses put 300 hours of work into the dress, spending a total of 12 days to make the dress from start to finish.

While the Nico studio has been responsible for dreaming up some incredibly flamboyant gowns in the past, the inspiration for this dress actually came from hair stylists at Liverpool salon, Voodau, who approached Thelma Madine with the idea for the one-off dress.

Speaking at the unveiling of the £50,000 hair gown, Nico owner Thelma described how she was pleased with how the dress had turned out, adding that thinks the quirky design would be perfect for someone like Lady Gaga who is famed for her outlandish choice of outfits.

After returning home from her wedding reception with her new husband, Keith Hope, the newlywed started shouting abuse up to the bedroom of her neighbour, Samantha Pilling. The neighbour came downstairs to speak to the bride, who had reportedly downed lager and spirits at her reception, when a fight broke out, with Mrs Hope hitting 31-year-old Mrs Pilling, only stopping when her new husband pulled her off the female neighbour.

The police were called and the new Mrs Hope was taken into custody. Despite the offer of the arresting officers for the bride to change out of her now blood stained wedding dress, the mother of three opted to spend the night in the cells in her bridal gown.

The case came to court earlier this month where the newlywed denied assaulting her neighbour, although she admitted being too drunk to remember what happened. The court were told about a long running dispute between the two women as Mrs Hope believed that her neighbour, Mrs Pilling who is a practising pagan, had put a curse on her father-in-law who had recently been diagnosed with cancer.

Despite pleading guilty to assault, the brawling bride was found guilty of but was handed a conditional discharge and ordered to pay £75 to her victim, and £300 court costs.

The brides featured on the show told heartbreaking stories of how their big days were ruined after the handmade dresses they ordered from La Belle Bridal in Swansea started to fall apart at the seams before they even arrived at their wedding receptions.

The county council has confirmed they are also investigating La Belle Bridal after receiving dozens of complaints from unhappy brides who bought their dresses from the Swansea store, or ordered their bridal gowns but never received their dress.

With brides-to-be forking out anything from several hundreds of pounds to thousands of pounds for each dress, it was estimated that the total cost of dresses which fell below the expected quality standard ran into £100,000.

One unhappy bride described how she paid £2,000 for a handmade dress which started unravelling around the hem, with both straps falling off, before she’d even made it to her wedding reception.

Another unlucky bride described how she was told days before her big day that the dress she’d paid for in full would not be arriving, while another had to walk down the aisle in a dress which smelt strongly of damp.

The BBC show succeeded in tracking down the bridal shop owner, Carolyn Edwards, however she refused to give any comment. The complaints are being investigated by the county council however it’s not known if the brides will be reimbursed for their faulty dresses or the dresses which didn’t arrive.

Kirstie Kelly wedding gowns have gone on sale at selected Costco stores in the US

Cash and carry giant Costco have launched a pilot scheme in the US to sell designer wedding dresses at affordable prices.

Thanks to a partnership with wedding dress designer Kirstie Kelly, the cash and carry outlet has launched its first collection of bridal gowns at selected stores in the US.

In keeping with the retailer’s reputation for affordability, the Kirstie Kelly Signature collection of wedding dresses will be on sale at Costco with a 40% reduction off the recommended retail price. A bespoke Kirstie Kelly wedding dress can cost as much as $4,000, however the range on sale at Costco offers brides-to-be the chance to bag a real bargain as these gowns are priced between $699- $1,399.

A number of one-off events have been scheduled to showcase the collection of six wedding dresses which have just been launched in selected US stores of Costco. In order to allow all future brides the perfect opportunity to try out the new range of gowns, Costco stores have installed special changing facilities at their stores across the States as part of their pilot scheme.

Unlike the other goods available at the Costco stores, the dresses don’t have to be bought in bulk, plus if you find “The One” you can take your dress home that very same day. Costco have also gone to great lengths to accommodate brides of all shapes and sizes as the six designer gowns are available in US size 2 – 24.

Vera Wang bridal gowns will go on sale at a new Browns store in London

Vera Wang wedding dresses will go on sale in the UK after Browns revealed they will open a London based store dedicated to renowned wedding dress designer.

The UK store, Browns Brides, will feature two entire floors and 1,200 sq feet of retail space devoted to the Vera Wang Bridal Emporium. The couture gowns will be showcased where Browns Shoes once stood, right opposite the swanky Claridges Hotel in London. Browns Shoes is in the process of relocating to make way for the bridal collection.

The American wedding dress designer is thrilled to be partnering up with Browns and to have her dresses on sale in the London as the 61-year-old regards the UK’s capital as one of the “most cosmopolitan cities in the world.”

During her 20 plus years designing wedding gowns, Vera Wang has created wedding dresses for some of the biggest names including most recently, Chelsea Clinton, and also bridal gowns for Victoria Beckham, Jennifer Aniston, Uma Thurman and Alicia Keyes plus many, many more.

2011 is shaping up to be a very busy year for the New York based designer as Vera Wang has released a collection of affordable wedding dresses in the US this week in partnership with David’s Bridal. The White by Vera Wang collection features 12 stunning gowns, minus the designer price tag; the most expensive dress in the new White range is $1,400.

Stay in touch for the latest news on the launch of Vera Wang at Browns of London.

Clevedon charity shop has reduced their wedding dress prices by 50%

A charity shop in Clevedon, North Somerset, has slashed the prices on its wedding dresses by a massive 50% for the whole of February as the CLIC Sargent shop revealed its overrun with bridal gowns.

The charity shop has over 40 wedding dresses in stock, many of which are designer gowns with original price tags of over a thousand pounds. The managers at the shop decided it was time for a clear out, and so the prices on all of their wedding dresses have been reduced by half for 4 weeks.

The average bride in Britain will spend approximately £1,250 on their outfit for the big day, however the price of wedding gowns at the CLIC Sargent shop in North Somerset start from just £20, with the most expensive coming in at £100. Plus the dresses are available in a wide range of sizes, from dress size 8-24, and with the money you’ve saved on your frock, you’ll have plenty left over for alterations to make your gown made-to-measure.

Kyrstie Rich, assistant manager of the Clevedon shop, said they’re keen to sell as many of the dresses as soon as possible and raise funds for charity. Many of the dresses have been donated from wedding fairs, and also by former brides, and all are in excellent condition.

As well as rows and rows of wedding dresses, the Clevedon CLIC Sargent charity shop also has bridesmaid shoes and dresses for sale as well as hats, ideal if you’re attending a wedding this year as a guest.

Bride Helene Manca bought 18 dresses for her wedding day

For one bride from Surrey, one wedding dress really wasn’t enough as the 25-year-old ended up with a wardrobe stuffed full with 18 gowns by the time the big day arrived.

Helene Manca estimates she spent £20,000 on her selection of wedding gowns, the average amount most couples in the UK spend on the whole of their big day. However with a wardrobe bursting to the seams with lace and ivory taffeta, even shopaholic Helene had to admit, she had gone slightly over the top.

When the big day arrived, model Helene managed to choose just 9 out of the 18 dresses to wear throughout the big day. The blushing bride decided to change her dress at various intervals throughout the wedding day, wearing one dress for the ceremony, another for the photographs, etc.

The wedding dresses ranged in style and price with the most expensive designer gown costing an eye-watering £5,500, and the cheapest dress coming in at £220 from the sale at popular high street store, Monsoon. Helene paid for eight out of the nine dresses she wore on the big day herself, with her parents paying for the most expensive gown as a special gift.

Of the nine dresses Helene was unable to wear when she married her long-term partner, Joe Glass, one was returned to the shop, three were donated to charity, and five were sold on eBay.

The good news for wedding dress boutiques in Guildford area is that the 25-year-old is planning to renew her vows to her new husband next summer, and she’ll be buying 10 dresses especially for the occasion – we’re not even kidding!

Ultimo boss Michelle Mone plans to launch a wedding dress collection in January

Leading lingerie brand, Ultimo, is planning to branch into wedding dresses from next year after the company revealed it will offer a range of beautiful bridal gowns for brides on a budget.

Prices for the Ultimo wedding dresses will range from £300 to £400, offering brides-to-be the chance to get their hands on a stunning wedding dress at an affordable price.

The Ultimo Couture Bridal Collection will be sold exclusively through top UK department store, Debenhams, and will go on sale in January for the first time.

Ultimo, which is headed up by Scottish entrepreneur Michelle Mone, already offers a highly successful bridal lingerie range, and so the move into bridal gowns seemed like a natural progression for the company.

Official images of the wedding dresses in the Ultimo collection have not been released yet, although a sketches of the four gowns in the range have been revealed. Ultimo boss, Michelle Mone, describes the style of the wedding gown collection as “sophisticated, timeless and modern.”

Despite the budget price tag, Ultimo haven’t scrimped on quality on either the design or materials used for the gowns. Brian Rennie the former head of leading designer fashion house, Escada, designed the dresses in the collection. The top name designer has dressed high profile celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez and Catherine-Zeta-Jones in the past so big things are expected from the Ultimo bridal range.

Bridal shop owner collecting dresses for charity

Bridal shop owner Becky Murtagh, who runs Nancy Jane Bridal in Stretford, is doing her bit for charity by collecting used bridal gowns for local charity, St Ann’s Hospice.

The hospice has its own specialist bridal store in Cheadle where it raises money through selling second hand wedding gowns. Bridal shop owner Becky has been helping out the charity store by collecting the dresses, cleaning, and running repairs on them if needed, in order for the charity to sell them on and raise much needed funds.

Becky even made the ultimate sacrifice herself and donated her own wedding dress, which she wore to tie the knot with husband Mark three years ago. The mother of two admitted it was a tough decision to make, as such a garment holds great sentimental value, but conceded she’d never wear it again, so it was right to pass it on.

As well as bridal dresses, the charity also collects other items such as groom and page boy suits, bridesmaid and flower girl dresses, and even accessories such as tiaras, shoes and handbags. Becky says she’s even encouraged her own bridesmaids to give up their dresses for the St Ann’s Hospice.

29-year-old Becky has been donating second hand wedding dresses to St Ann’s Hospice since she set up her business in 2007. The charity say they are very grateful for the work Becky puts in, and know they can always rely on dresses arriving from her in immaculate condition.