‘I wanted a wedding dress that appeared to have flowers falling through it, like a floral meadow that intensified towards a very long impactful train. It suited my British bohemian, romantic style perfectly. It was the embroidery that caught the eye of the V&A.
Each flower was painted by hand here in the UK, and then embroidered in Mumbai at an expert, artisanal studio. Then we cut lily of the valley embroidery from my mum’s 1982 wedding dress to add to the design. I also had pearls and small beads sewn on and with that comes the risk of snagging, but I wore it for eight hours and it remained perfect.
Giving this dress a life beyond my wedding day was an easy decision, despite the fact that once you donate, you can’t get it back, the V&A has to take continuous responsibility for its condition. I knew my daughter would never want to wear it, why would she? I can already tell she will carve her own path at 15 months! When my mum saw the finished dress before my wedding day, she said it was worthy of the V&A and it is so thrilling to me that she was right.’
‘I gave it away to a stranger’
Roz Sanderson married on 18th Nov 2017 in Hereford wearing a structured, sleeveless dress by Jack Sullivan. This year she donated it to charity Brides Do Good. The same day a new bride, Emily, chose it for her October wedding.
