Thelma Madine, the dressmaker known for My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, wore white to her daughter Katrina Armstrong's wedding, with her outfit closely resembling the bride's gown. Thelma, 73, chose an all-white dress with fur trimmings, matching Katrina's off-shoulder ensemble, which also featured fur, pearls, and crystals.
Thelma crafted three custom dresses worth £32,000 for Katrina, who married Michael Lazarus-Bhatti, 22, on Saturday. It took 22 staff over 300 hours to create the dresses—one for the ceremony, one for the evening party, and one for comfort later. Thelma said she felt 'added pressure' to make the perfect gown for her daughter.
More than 200 guests attended the £120,000 party at Holland Hall in Up Holland, Lancashire. Entertainment included a magician, hypnotist, singing waiters, indoor and outdoor fireworks, a medium, dancing mirror men, a casino, a 360 photo booth, champagne girls, two singers, and a string quartet. The families put £10,000 behind the bar, and a £3,500 seven-tier wedding cake was gifted by Gill Broadfoot.
Katrina, a trainee nurse from Liverpool, met Michael, a property developer, on Tinder. They dated for over 10 months before marrying. Katrina said: 'It has been a whirlwind romance but we both knew from the start that we were made for each other.' The couple honeymooned in Fuerteventura.
Proud mother Thelma said she and Katrina's father Dave Armstrong 'knew straight away' that Michael was 'the one'. The couple have bought a house near Preston, Lancashire. Katrina said of her dresses: 'I didn't have any idea what any of my three dresses would look like... I was completely blown away. I couldn't stop crying.'
