Vintage wedding dresses give visitors a glimpse of bygone days

With the royal wedding just a few weeks away, locals were given a glimpse down the aisle from different eras in the Mearns yesterday.

Auchenblae Church hosted a wedding dress festival which proved extremely popular.

The festival featured a treasure trove of exhibits spanning 150 years.

The event got under way at the kirk yesterday and will continue this weekend.

There will be two openings today, from 10am until noon and then from 1.30-5pm.

Tomorrow’s finale will run from 2-5pm with refreshments again from the church hall.

Donations, after viewing the display, are going towards Auchenblae Guild projects locally and worldwide.

Among the 40 dresses on display are a mid-victorian brown silk dress and parasol. There are also several delicate vintage dresses, and other styles of dresses showing the changing fashions throughout the years.

There are also examples of haute couture including a red creation from France.

Many of these items are family heirlooms which are on loan to the festival.

Visitors to the display said that most of the older dresses looked more conservative than modern styles.

Dresses worn by brides married within the parish churches of Auchenblae, Glenbervie and Fettercairn are also featured along with a variety of wedding paraphernalia.

The newest item on display is a dress which was worn by a bride just a few weeks ago.

Picture: Paul Reid. Exhibition organiser Jenny Thomson with her own wedding dress and a picture of her grandmother’s wedding.