Page 41 of A Highland Family Affair

‘Ruined,’ Olivia said as her stomach sank. ‘They’re completely ruined.’ She held up her mother’s dress and veil to find them stained and torn. ‘It must have happened when the storm hit and damaged the roof.’ Her heart ached and sadness flooded through her. ‘My mum’s beautiful dress.’ The dress had once been a floor-length 1970s gown, fitted at the waist with a layer of lace over the top and bell sleeves. Her veil had been quite plain in contrast, with little flowers embroidered around the edges, but it had looked stunning on her mother in every single photograph Olivia had seen.

Mirren sighed and shook her head. ‘Oh, hen, I’m so sorry. They look beyond repair. Perhaps Nina could recreate the design for you?’

Olivia slumped onto the old wooden chair that sat in the corner of the attic room. ‘She probably would but it wouldn’t be the same. I really hoped they had avoided the leaks.’ She rummaged through another box. ‘My grandmother’s dress is ruined too.’ She huffed. ‘Well, bang goes that idea. I’m not sure what to do now.’

‘Right, Monday, can you take the day off? We can go bridal shopping in the city. Or we could have a ride to Edinburgh, maybe? What do you say?’

A flutter of excitement vibrated through Olivia. ‘Let’s make a day of it and head to Edinburgh. There are a few bridal boutiques and some nice vintage shops we can check out. We could start out by having a nice lunch.’

‘That sounds absolutely perfect, Olivia. But are you sure you don’t want to invite your friends along as well, or… instead?’

Olivia stood and crossed the uneven floor. She reached out and placed a hand on each of Mirren’s arms. ‘Mirren, you do know I consider you to be my family, don’t you? And that now Mum isn’t here, I can’t think of anyone I would rather go wedding dress shopping with.’

Mirren pulled her into a hug. ‘You mean the world to me, hen. I would be honoured to go with you.’

On Monday, 19 December, with only days to go before Christmas, Mirren and Olivia set out by train on the hunt for the perfect wedding dress. In the meantime, Nina had offered to recreate the gown for her, but Olivia wanted the excitement of trying on a variety of styles and enjoying the fun of the experience. It would be a once-in-a-lifetime thing and she wanted to enjoy every second.

They arrived in the country’s capital city at half past twelve and headed straight to The Dome for their lunch reservation. It was a stunning restaurant decorated with chandeliers and marble, plaster cornicing and wood panelling. But the most attractive feature was, of course, the glass dome at the centre of the place that flooded the tables with natural light.

The waiter delivered their bottle of champagne along with their multi-tiered cake stand of delicious delights. Aromatic meats and cheeses, smoked salmon and chutneys with slices of warm home-made crusty bread started off their feast. Followed by melt-in-the-mouth macarons, rich, dark chocolate tarts, and light-as-a-feather scones with jam and cream.

Once they had finished, Olivia rested her hand on her stomach. ‘Wow, I’m not sure trying on wedding dresses is such a good idea after all that food.’

Mirren giggled, a little tipsy from the champagne. ‘I think I could do with a nap!’

‘Come on, we’d best forge ahead. We only have a few hours before our return train. Let’s make them count!’ Olivia said with determination.

‘Aye, let the shopping commence!’ Mirren said, raising her final glass. Olivia paid their bill, and they headed off for the first shop of the day.

Their first stop was at a rather amusingly named shop called Better Off Wed. But after an hour, Olivia had tried on three dresses, none of which had really made her feel special, and she was losing heart. Mainly because none of them resembled her mother’s dress or her grandmother’s. But they kept on looking. After a quick stop for coffee and a breather, Olivia searched vintage shops on her phone.

‘Maybe the problem is that I don’t want a brand-new dress, Mirren. Perhaps a vintage one would be more me?’

Mirren smiled. ‘I always think the idea of vintage wedding dresses is so romantic. They have a story to them. History. I think it would be a lovely idea to try on some vintage dresses.’

Olivia found a vintage clothing shop close to where they were having coffee on Edinburgh’s Grassmarket and butterflies set about fluttering inside of her. The paved area outside was humming with chatter and Christmas music and was busy with Christmas shoppers loaded down with their purchases.

They left the coffee shop feeling refuelled and ready to tackle more shopping. They walked across the paved area and into the vintage shop and were immediately thrown back in time by the sights and sounds of bygone eras. ‘I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire’ played in the background and Olivia found herself humming along.

Rack upon rack of brightly coloured dresses from the forties, fifties and sixties surrounded them. Mannequins resembling Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell posed in the most magnificently crafted outfits, covered in hand-sewn beads and sequins, and suddenly Olivia felt at home. Wall-mounted books had been used to create shelves on which mannequin heads displayed jewellery, sunglasses and hats, and old clothing advertising signs adorned the walls.

‘Hi there, can I help you?’ the assistant asked with a smile. Her hair was glossy and black with a red spotted scarf tied in it and her fringe was cut short and curled under. Her lips were a bright scarlet, and her knee-length black dress was nipped in at the waist and flared out at the hips, complete with a bright red net underskirt. Tattoos covered her arms, and her eyeliner was winged and thick. She brought to mind a fifties pin-up girl with a modern twist and Olivia loved her look.

‘Oh, hello. I’m looking for vintage wedding dresses. I’m getting married in April, and I don’t want to buy brand new.’

The assistant’s face lit up. ‘That’s fantastic. And it’s really bizarre too because we have just had the most stunning piece donated. How do you feel about seventies dresses?’

Olivia’s heart skipped. ‘I absolutely adore seventies styles. What’s it like?’

‘Hang on, let me get it. I think it may be a tad too big for you but hopefully it could be altered.’ The shop assistant walked through a door at the back of the shop and a few moments later reappeared with a long dress bag. ‘There’s a story to it, if you’d like to know?’

‘Oh, yes, please,’ Olivia replied eagerly.

‘Okay, so, the lady who brought the dress in said it was her mother’s. She got married in Inverness in the seventies and she had the dress made to mimic one she had seen someone famous wearing. The lady who brought it in was going to wear it for her own wedding, but it didn’t quite suit her, she said. Anyway, it’s been really looked after and stored well so it’s in almost pristine condition.’ She hung it up on a hook above the cash desk and unzipped it.

As the dress was revealed, Olivia gasped.

The dress was floor-length with a deep V-neck, but not so deep as to appear immodest. There was a satin underskirt and a lace overdress, and it had bell sleeves like her mother’s wedding gown. It was the closest thing she could ever imagine to what her mother wore without being the actual dress itself.