I bought my 1982 wedding dress... after spotting it in a charity shop
A GRANDMOTHER was shocked to see her wedding dress in a charity shop – and it looked as crisp and clean as the day she wore it 36 years ago.
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Linda Jackson was bargain hunting in the Forces Support charity shop in Inverness, when she made the surprise find.
Spotting the second-hand gown straight away, she happily paid the £20 asking price and plans to give it to her daughter Heather to wear on her wedding day.
“When I saw it on the model in the shop I recognised it immediately,” she said.
“You don’t forget your wedding dress.”
Ms Jackson, of Dalneigh, Inverness, bought the dress for £75 and married Marcus Jackson in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, in 1982.
She then moved to Inverness and, after selling it to a bride-to-be, thought she had seen the last of it.
The 61-year-old, who is a full-time carer for her 27-year-old son Ross, who has Down’s syndrome, said not many people bought brand new wedding dresses in the 1980s, so she felt she was doing a good turn by selling it.
But she was speechless when it turned up again after so many years.
I actually couldn’t believe it when I saw it in the shop
“I actually couldn’t believe it when I saw it in the shop,” she said.
“It does sell second-hand wedding dresses from time to time but I never in a million years expected to see mine. I knew it was mine straight away because I had cut the labels and added an extra hook at the back.”
And despite having no sentimental ties to the dress, the mother-of-four bought it without hesitation. “My daughter has the veil and now she has the dress,” said Ms Jackson.
“She is actually the same size as I was back then and she is in a serious relationship. She said she would customise it.”
The dress, a simple white gown with lace embroidery, is in very good condition.
Ms Jackson added: “Someone has looked after it very well. I would just love to know where it has been all these years.”
Charity shop manager Donna Forbes said it was a heart-warming story to share with customers.
“That’s absolutely amazing,” she said. “It’s fabulous to hear that things can come back round again, especially after so many years.”