The St Paul’s Flower Festival and Wedding Dress exhibition was designed to increase the sense of community and shared history in Rusthall. It was also to appreciate the beauty and significance of weddings and to reconnect and celebrate with those who had their marriages at the parish church.
Twenty wedding dresses, some designer, some handmade, all well-loved, were loaned along with photographs and mementos dating from 1920 through to recent years. ALL the dresses were worn by brides at St Paul's.
Two of the dresses were from weddings at our Church Centre where special permission was granted where the brides Julie Kerr and Helen Goddard were regular worshipers.
The flowers on display were designed based on the bride's original bouquets and filled the church with fragrance and colour.
Designer and team leader, Jill McAllister, said "We had great fun putting this together and meeting people, it was quite an emotional event. Many visitors shared their stories of their wedding day at St Paul's in Rusthall and told us how visiting had brought wonderful memories flooding back".
St Paul's is now working on gathering lots of photographs and stories of weddings over the years to create a special record for the website. If your wedding was held at our parish church, please contact us if you'd like to be included.