Saying ‘yes to the dress’ is one of the most magical parts of wedding planning. In our new series The Dress we ask stylish real brides to share their journey to finding ‘the one’ to help inspire your quest.

Heirloom wedding dresses are making a very stylish comeback and we love to see it! Brides are embracing vintage gowns in creative ways to walk down the aisle in meaningful and unforgettable wedding looks. It’s such a sweet and sustainable choice and not only do they celebrate the history and love of the special ladies in their lives but they also create new heirlooms to cherish for future generations.

Here we are diving into real bride Sadhbh’s heirloom wedding dress journey. Find out how she reimagined her mother’s dress for her elegant Bellingham Castle wedding.

Bride Bio

Name: Sadhbh O’Kelly
Profession: Teacher
From: Blackrock, Co. Louth
Wedding Date: 20/11/2025
Wedding Venue: Bellingham Castle
Honeymoon: South Africa

The Love Story

Barry and I met for the first time at my brother’s wedding in June 2021. It was the second summer of lockdown, so my love life was non-existent. I certainly wasn’t expecting to meet anyone at my brother’s intimate 35-person wedding. However, Barry and my brother had been to university in London together, and Barry made the exclusive guest list. It was actually my mum who introduced us during the drinks reception. She shouted over at me to come and meet ‘Barry the Barrister from Belfast’ and I was absolutely mortified. Barry was ever so cool and calm and put me at ease straight away. It didn’t take many whiskey sours to know I was in trouble. Barry was still living in Manchester at the time, and lockdown rules were still in place.

We flew over and back, seeing each other as often as we could. After 18 months (and lots of money spent on Ryanair flights) Barry made the big decision to move home to Ireland and in with me. The proposal was wonderful and fun and in perfect Barry fashion. We went to Paris in summer 2024 to see the Olympic games.

The Vision

My vision for my bridal look was something timeless, modern-classic and really personal. My style is quite relaxed and a little tomboy at its core, so comfort and ease were really important to me. I wanted to feel like myself on the day, confident and able to move easily, rather than feeling overly formal or unlike how I normally dress. I’ve always been drawn to clean silhouettes with soft, romantic details, so I knew I wanted a look that felt classic but not overly traditional or fussy. I’ve always liked outfits that just work, with one interesting detail, and I approached my bridal looks the same way.

I really wanted something timeless. I have seen so many wedding photos that you can immediately tell the era; the style of dress, the puffy sleeves, the tight curly updo, the thick pink tie to match the bridesmaid dresses. I have spoken to so many brides who have regrets about following trends and regretting certain style aspects of their big day. I knew these pictures are something that I’m going to get to look back on for the rest of my life, so picking timeless and classic pieces was at the forefront of my decisions. Because I’m quite petite, I was conscious of choosing shapes that wouldn’t overwhelm me and that would feel balanced and easy to wear all day.

The Journey

We got engaged in August 2024, and visited a bridal boutique in early September, so I didn’t waste much time! We knew we wanted a fairly short engagement (15 months) and that some shops advise up to 12 months for ordering and alterations, so I didn’t want to waste any time. My dress journey was actually quite simple — my dress was in a box in the hot press the whole time! I always loved the idea of wearing my mum’s wedding dress, so I tried it on early in the planning process and it just felt right straight away. I mainly used Instagram, I found posts of dresses I liked and researched what shops I could find them in. I also didn’t want to visit lots of bridal shops and wanted to keep it fairly local. I also knew that my main purpose of dress shopping was mostly for the fun day out and to experience it with my mum and my bridesmaid Gráinne, and to eliminate any doubt about not buying a new dress.

The Decision

I only visited one bridal store and decided that I was fully set on wearing my mum’s wedding dress. We had a wonderful prosecco filled girly day out. Once I tried on other dresses, I realised how special it felt to wear something with so much meaning behind it, and that it suited my style and size perfectly. I’m also only 4’11, so being very petite, I knew her dress would work with my proportions. It felt like the perfect blend of something meaningful, classic and very ‘me’. When I decided to wear my mum’s dress, that really helped shape the vision.

The Alterations

Although my mum and I are very similar sizes, I needed to put some panels in the sides of the dress. Much closer to the wedding I decided to remove the ornate 90s bustle and add on a silk train. It already felt meaningful and timeless and this update made it feel fresh and modern while still honouring its history. That combination of sentimental and simple really set the tone for everything else. This was probably the most stressful part of the process as finding the matching Thai Silk proved extremely difficult. Eventually we found a wonderful shop in the North and they ordered it for us from Leeds.

During the alterations there were definitely a few moments where I wavered slightly and wondered if I should have explored other options more, which I think is only natural when you’re making such a big decision and I definitely had to ignore my Instagram algorithm! But each time I tried it on, I kept coming back to the same feeling — my mum’s dress felt timeless, personal, but I wanted to add something that meant it was ‘mine’. I collected the silk on 25th October, with our wedding on the 20th November, and it still had to be cut to length and attached. Thankfully my mum’s best friend Eithne is a seamstress in Ballybay and she was our knight in shining armour.

The Accessories

I kept the styling simple and polished so everything felt natural. We decided to add a cathedral-length train which gave me that full-length feeling that I was after and made it feel a bit more modern and fresh. Finding the right material for the train was definitely the most stressful, expensive and time consuming part of bringing this dress back to life. We started by buying eight metres of the wrong coloured silk… and the hunt to find the right colour took a lot longer than expected. I definitely thought a month before the wedding I wouldn’t have a train, which would’ve been fine, but looking back at the pictures I’m really glad I did! It was also quite difficult not to be able to discuss what I was stressed about with my husband-to-be! As my dress wasn’t full length, I knew the shoes really needed to tie everything together. I was delighted when I found the Jimmy Choo Lotta 100 Ruched Tulle Pumps as they were exactly what I envisioned for the finished look.

The Evening Look

For the evening, I changed into a minimal slip dress which leaned into that slightly more relaxed, modern side of my style. The goal was to feel like the best version of myself rather than a completely different version — just a little more elevated for the day that was in it.

The Advice

Try not to get overwhelmed by your Instagram algorithm – it will feed you thousands of dresses that will make your mind boggle and question your decision. Go with what feels right FOR YOU, not just what is on trend for the season.

A massive thank you to our fabulous bride Sadhbh, you can see even more pictures in the gallery below!

Check out our My Wedding Wardrobe series for more fabulous wedding style inspiration from real brides.