The years roll away as Jean Short smiles in this beautiful replica of her 1962 wedding gown, which was made by her beloved dressmaker granddaughter.
Amy Copland was inspired to recreate Jean’s fabulous satin and lace frock by a mantelpiece photo of her gran’s big day.
“She knew I was making it, but I wanted the result to be a surprise,” said Amy, 26.
“She was so happy when she saw it, she just kept saying how beautiful it was. When she tried it on it fitted like a glove.”
Jean, 79, whose husband Jack died of bowel cancer in 1996, aged 58, said: “I’m so proud of Amy. Seeing the dress brought back a lot of happy memories.”
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Normally Amy is a wardrobe supervisor for theatre productions on cruise ships sailing around the Caribbean.
But when the pandemic hit in March 2020, with foreign travel halted, she flew home to the UK and formed a support bubble with Jean.
Amy is incredibly close to the retired cleaner who lives down the road from her in Dundee.
It took Amy two weeks to copy the frock and cost just under £100. Its emotional unveiling at Jean’s house was earlier this month.
Amy said: “I usually sail for months at a time but since lockdown my gran and I have been keeping each other sane.
“It was really hard for the first six months of lockdown to not even hug her but, as the restrictions eased, we’ve been able to form a support bubble.
“I’m only a walk away and I usually spent one night a week at her house.”
Jean paid between £10 and £20 for her original wedding dress – which she lent to two friends who wore it at their weddings.
She married Jack at St James’s Church in Dundee on March 3, 1962, and is sure he would have approved of Amy’s work.
Jean said: “I first met Jack at a dance and we were engaged a year later.
“I found my wedding dress in a local shop but after lending it out to friends I never saw it again. I don’t know what happened to the original dress but I’m over the moon that I now have this recreated version as a keepsake.”
