A woman has shared her heartbreak as her dream wedding dress was set on fire just moments before she was about to walk down the aisle.
And Rachael Cuthbert is urging people not to make the same mistake.
She had been dreaming about the big day ever since she was a little girl.
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And when she found her “fairytale” dress, complete with a long train, buttons down the back and embroidery on the bodice, it all started to come true.
But on the morning of her nuptials with her now husband, Lee, 46, the disaster struck – and her gorgeous frock was left black and burned.
Not only that, the blaze left her sister, Katy, 42, also her maid of honour, in hospital with third-degree burns.
“I was already nervous to get married, but the several missed calls from my sister made my heart sink,” the patient services advisor, from Leicester, told Need To Know.
“When I answered, she blurted out that my dress had been set on fire.
“I thought she was joking, but then she showed me a huge gaping hole in the middle.
“I was heartbroken, as it was my dream dress.
“But all of those fears turned into extreme panic as she told me the fire had been put out with her hands.”
Rachael, 41, and Lee had been planning their wedding for 13 years before setting the date on 30 August 2025.
Katy, who also agreed to do the bride’s and bridesmaids’ hair on the day, had brought along a jar of sparklers to set off, as fireworks weren’t allowed at their chosen venue.
But, somehow, they had alighted, and the £1,480 dress was burnt to a crisp.
Katy was rushed to the hospital while Rachael scrambled to find a solution.
She said: “I urgently called my seamstress, though the only option I had was to cut it knee-length.
“It’s not what I wanted.
“Luckily, another bridal shop nearby was open, so I rushed over and found a dress that was almost as good as my original.
“But we were against the clock, and I didn’t know if everything would pull together in time.”
Just 45 minutes before she was due to walk down the aisle, her dress arrived, and so did Katy.
Rachael’s sister, Katy’s burns. (Picture: Jam Press)
Even though it’s not the fairytale wedding she had planned, it’s given her a truly one-of-a-kind story to tell.
She added: “My nephew requested our first dance to be to Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys.
“I couldn’t help but be annoyed, until I saw my sister smirk and I realised I had to laugh at it all.
“Who knew a jar of sparklers would ruin such a special day?
“Katy is healing well, especially given how badly she was burned.
“And I’m just glad it wasn’t worse.
“We expected sparks to fly, but not that kind.”
Katy added: “After driving off with the sparklers in my car, I got five minutes from my house when I could smell burning.
“I looked in my rear-view mirror and could see smoke, so I stopped in the middle of the road and jumped out of my car.
“Without thinking, I grabbed the sparklers and threw them out while they were still alight, then put the wedding dress out with my hand and threw that out of the car too.
“I couldn’t believe what had just happened and stood with my head in my hands.
“I was totally devastated by the fact that her dream dress had burnt, and on my watch.
I’m still gutted to this day and still having treatment on my hand for the scarring.”
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