A BRIDE who lost her wedding dress when the company she bought it from went bust has married her fiancee in a “perfect”

wedding ceremony - thanks to the Argus.

Tracy Thomas, 42, from Bryn Bevan in Newport, married her fiancee Andrew Stephens, 41, on Saturday afternoon at All Saints Church.

She walked down the aisle in an ivory gown with burgundy embroidery – but she very nearly didn’t have anything to wear at all after the company she originally bought her dress from went out of business.

The Argus reported in November last year how Miss Thomas had paid £854 for a wedding dress from Newport bridal shop Always and Forever, only to find out later that the company had ceased trading.

Miss Thomas discovered that although she had paid for her dress, it had not been ordered from the wholesaler or been paid for by the shop, and because she paid for it in cash it was not covered by the insurance that protects credit card purchases.

The Argus reported the “devastated” bride-to-be’s story, and mother-of-the bride Alison Blandford’s concerns that they would never be able to afford a replacement dress.

But just two days later, owner of Newport menswear shop All About Adam Jo Manuel came forward to offer Miss Thomas a free wedding dress, while the Newport Lodge Hotel – where the couple had booked their reception – offered them the hotel’s honeymoon suite free of charge.

Although Miss Thomas’ family eventually managed to find the money to pay for a dress identical to the one she lost, the couple said the generosity shown to them by local businesses after reading their story in the Argus had made the day even more special.

The new Mrs Stephens said: “The honeymoon suite was absolutely brilliant and we had a fantastic day.

“I did not think my day would come true after everything that went wrong, but Oakfield Photography, Newport Lodge and the Argus made it all possible.”