The man I wed wore the same dress.. and I’m so glad he did!
“They always spoke of my latest dating disasters as I lurched from one unsuitable to another.
“But when they met him everybody knew Ian was right for me. He has very much been welcomed into the family. No one cared how he dressed.”
Emma – a communications manager for an aerial circus skills company – found the perfect dress at alternative boutique Fairy Gothmother in Deptford, South London.
But Ian was keen to wear something special too. So a few weeks later they went NOT UNUSUAL: With Ian in menswear to the shop together. Emma said: “We had a great time trying on dresses.
“It was actually the manager who suggested Ian try on the dress I’d already chosen.
“She pointed out we were the exact same size and Ian asked if
I’d be happy with that. It didn’t bother me at all.
“As soon as he tried it on I knew it was the dress for him.
“I’m not precious – it’s a dress and actually it’s our wedding, not just mine.”
The couple tried to keep the wedding quiet but when family and friends found out they booked flights too. Ian’s daughter Kate, 27, even helped do her dad’s make-up before the ceremony at Las Vegas’s Neon Graveyard – a museum of remarkable historic lights.
After the wedding, a pool party and a barbecue, they spent the night at a boutique hotel. Emma said: “It was a superb day.”
Ian said: “My wedding day was fantastic. I felt utterly wonderful – I imagine as wonderful as any bride does when they get dressed up. You just feel a million dollars.”