Rep Talk: A wedding invitation

Princess Beatrice wore her grandmother's Norman Hartnell dress at her wedding last year. It has since been on display at Windsor Castle. Photo / Getty Images

Yes! You're being invited to a wedding! Well .... sort of.

You see, as part of our Vintage Weekend Music Hall on January 23, we're having a fashion parade again because it proved so popular last year. People really enjoyed seeing the fashions of yesteryear so this year we've decided to use our lovely wedding dresses as the main focus of our parade.

We do have quite a collection of wedding dresses which are really beautiful but we'd welcome any new additions, so if you'd like to see your treasured wedding dress having an airing we'd welcome it with open arms.

Already, one of my friends has offered to lend her wedding dress and her mother's 1942 "wartime bride" dress which her granddaughter is going to model for us. Two of my granddaughters are going to model their mother's wedding dresses which look really super on them.

Our resident costumes expert Irene says it would be wonderful if people would be willing to lend their wedding veils too.

"They're treasured heirlooms," Irene said.

She'd like to have some bridesmaid's dresses to show as well. Does anyone still have their bridesmaid's dresses? If so, we'd love to borrow them — all care taken of course.

Queen Victoria set a trend at her 1840 wedding to her cousin Prince Albert, marrying in a white dress.

It was often believed the white resembled purity when it was simply a matter of the aristocracy copying the young queen with the other strata of society aping them in turn.

Likewise, the length of the bride's train indicated wealth and social standing. If you could afford that extra fabric you were obviously wealthy and the longer your train, the closer you were to the throne.

One recent bride who's close to the throne is Princess Beatrice who wore a vintage dress belonging to her grandmother Queen Elizabeth.

The Peau De Soie taffeta dress trimmed with satin and decorated with diamanté was made for the Queen by Norman Hartnell in 1961. Beatrice made slight changes to the dress, altering the hem and adding little capped sleeves and voila! She had a vintage wedding dress!

Perhaps Princess Beatrice has started her own trend by wearing a vintage wedding dress .... we do have some at Rep if anyone is interested.

Do come along to our Vintage Weekend Music Hall on Saturday, January 23 and see our vintage costumes. I can't guarantee that Princess Beatrice will be modelling them but we have our own, equally special princesses to show them off.

I look forward to seeing you there.