BRIDE Nicola Goodwin had the ‘old’ and ‘borrowed’ bit well sorted when she married fiance Ben Moss on Saturday – as she wore her mum’s wedding dress.

Not that anyone would have known, mind you, after her friend Carol Powell spent 30 hours recreating her dream outfit from the remnants of her mother Julia’s 1970s frock.

Nicola, who wed Bulmer’s employee Ben at St Andrew’s Church, Dinedor, was low on ideas until Julia came up with her own.

“I wanted the wedding to be as sustainable and ecofriendly as possible,” said Nicola.

“But I didn’t really have a clue what sort of dress I wanted so mum got hers down from the attic and suggested that I tried it on.”

Fortunately it fitted – while Carol also happens to combine her wedding dress business with running recycled clothing firm Rejigged – and a plan was hatched.

All that was actually added to the original dress was a silk lining and a bit of chiffon, even though it looks completely different.

Carol said: “It was very exciting because I could see the potential. Now it’s got a nostalgic feel to it and it’s highly sentimental, which is something dressmakers can overlook, and is something really quite invaluable to Nic.”

Julia first wore the gown in 1970 to marry farmer and businessman Tracey Goodwin at St Mary’s Church in Kentchurch.

But, apart from wearing the same dress as her daughter, the pair shared little else in terms of their overall big day.

Julia and Tracey had a Brockhampton Court reception and honeymooned in Cornwall, while Nicola and Ben had a big party and have delayed their honeymoon while Nicola prepares for a triathlon in Finland and Ben awaits the apple harvest.

There is one thing they will always have in common, of course – but perhaps even that remains to be seen.

“Mum could still get into her dress 41 years on,”

Nicola added.

“I doubt I’ll be able to do the same.”