Dorset care home hosts decades of wedding gowns to celebrate Harry and Meghan’s wedding

Colten Care’s Newstone House in Sturminster Newton is holding an indoor street party to celebrate the nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and its activities team asked local people to loan their own wedding dresses for the occasion.

Colten companion Rebekah Goddard, explained, “We wanted to celebrate the royal wedding and also encourage our residents to share memories of their own weddings, so a couple of months ago I put a message on social media asking for dresses – and they just started coming!

“We have gowns of all colours and designs, from the 1930s to present day and that’s not all; local shops have come forward to loan us mannequins, we have had a lady offer to make us a wedding cake, plus a singer offering to perform at our party and gifts of flowers, buttonholes and bunting and memorabilia too.

“It’s been absolutely fabulous. A real example of the community coming together to celebrate a happy occasion.”

Among those who have loaned dresses to Newstone House is Sue Allard, whose mum Nancy Cooke was a resident at the home until she passed away last June.

Sue said, “My mother and father were from big, local farming families and married at Sherborne Abbey in December 1949. It was a grand affair followed by a reception for 150 people at the Digby Hotel – and it was one of the happiest days of my mum’s life.”

She continued: “Mum kept her beautiful, satin gown and the wedding notice from the Dorset Echo and she loved to look at them and her photos.

“When I heard Newstone House was looking for wedding dresses I knew mum would have loved hers to be displayed, so I brought it straight in.

“She adored everything about living at Newstone House and would have been one of the first in front of the TV to watch the royal wedding this weekend. I hope people enjoy looking at her wedding dress as much as I do.”

Resident Catherine Matthews also shared memories of her wedding, which took place in 1948 when she and her husband Ralph were in the army and also involved a ‘loaned’ wedding dress.

She said: “We married in Whitchurch at the local church where we were living in civvy digs. The wedding was three days after I turned 21.

“When I mentioned I was looking for a wedding dress I was told: “You don’t buy a wedding dress when you’re in the army! We have lots. You can loan one.

“Sure enough they came up with a beautiful, white, heavy satin gown, which was taken up to fit me.

“I had a bouquet of roses and we held our reception in a local restaurant.”

Catherine continued: “It’s absolutely wonderful to see all these wedding dresses at Newstone House and I already have a favourite – a white one with a boned bodice and beading, which was brought in by a lady who got married very recently.

“I think it might even fit me!”

Newstone House manager Sohail Daniel, said: “We want to say a huge thank you to everyone from the community who has come forward to support this event.

“It’s wonderful to walk around the home and see all these beautiful dresses. They are a real talking point and I’m sure our royal wedding celebrations are going to be a huge success.”