Last year, Carlie and her mum came in for her first consultation. Her mum started to feel dizzy during the appointment and she left early because she began to feel really unwell. When Carlie came in for her second appointment, I asked after her mum, and Carlie explained that her mother had been in and out of hospital and still wasn’t well.

Carlie came in for a fitting last month and when I again asked after her mum, Carlie burst into to tears and said she wasn’t good at all. Her dad was bringing her mum in to see the dress fitting, and when they arrived I was shocked at how much weight she had lost. She had an oxygen bottle and nasal tube, and Carlie’s dad pushed her in a wheel chair.

When Carlie walked out in her dress, it was a really beautiful moment. I could see the pride and love in her parents’ eyes. But Carlie’s mum struggled with every word, and I didn’t have a very good feeling at all. I made sure that we took some lovely pictures of the two of them together, and I am really glad that I did because she passed away on the 20th February. I rarely suggest we take photos during a fitting, but it felt important to me that Carlie had a record of that moment.

Carlie is got married on the 11th March 2017, to the man of her dreams. It will be a bittersweet day for Carlie, but I know that her mother will be there in spirit.

Connie xxoo