KERRY AND ASHLEY’S STORY
Kerry and Ashley Kennedy donated their wedding dresses to the British Heart Foundation
“We always knew we didn’t want a big wedding,” says Kerry. “Ashley and I wanted to elope, just the two of us with our dogs, and surprise everyone.”
That’s exactly what happened on November 1, 2023, when the couple – accompanied by their beloved Westies, Bruce and Bertie – were married on the banks of Loch Etive, with the dramatic Glen Coe serving as a perfect backdrop.
“It was Scotland in winter, and we had every kind of weather – sleet, sideways rain, mist. It was perfect!” she says.
Kerry, 32, an active school’s coordinator, bought her white beaded sequin mermaid maxi dress from wedding specialist Lulus, and Ashley, 37, who works in finance, found her perfect gown in Karen Millen.
“They were a few hundred pounds each, but we knew from the outset that the dresses might not make it,” says Kerry. “It was always part of the plan, so we decided to pass them on to someone who could perhaps use them and gave them to a local British Heart Foundation charity shop as we have both lost family members as a result of heart attacks.”
The photgraphs are spectacular, but the dresses somewhat worse for wear.
Kerry explains: “Ashley slipped and fell at one point and hers was covered in much more mud than mine.”
After a thorough cleaning, Kerry’s sequinned gown has been rejuvenated but Ashley’s dress was too far gone.
The couple, from Falkirk, are delighted to see Kerry’s dress on display in the BHF shop in Stockbridge, Edinburgh, where manager Chris Hristov thinks it will be snapped up in no time – and he even plans to reuse Ashley’s ruined gown as a Halloween “Bride Of Frankenstein” window dressing. “The idea of wearing a wedding dress and binning it didn’t sit right with us so hopefully someone can get the use of at least one, and we are so happy knowing they have gone to a good cause,” added Kerry.
For more information on the British Heart Foundation’s Reuse visit www.bhf.org.uk/ shop to browse online or visit the BHF on ebay or Depop.