It could be the plot of a Hollywood rom-com; a bride can’t decide who should be her bridesmaids – so includes all of the candidates.
For Sarah Hellyer, 37, from Poole, Dorset, this wasn’t a scriptwriter’s fiction, it was her reality. When the teacher said ‘yes’ to husband Matt’s proposal a decade ago, she warned him that she wanted ‘all’ of her nieces to be bridesmaids.
One of 12 children herself, Sarah’s already sizeable bridal party grew even bigger when the couple took ten years to actually walk down the aisle – adding a further eight tiny bridesmaids into the mix.
We’re going to need a bigger bus! When Sarah Hellyer, a teacher from Poole, accepted husband Matt’s proposal ten years ago, she warned him that she wanted her nieces at the wedding – what she didn’t anticipate was that the number of little girls in the family would swell by a further eight during their engagement
‘Luckily, Matt has a small family!’ The bridesmaids, pictured outside St Mary’s Church in Sturminster Marshall, Dorset, had to be transported to the wedding venue in a vintage double decker bus
Get us to the church on time! The red double decker that was used to carry the bridal party to the church. Right, the 28 bridesmaids gather outside of the church ahead of the bride’s arrival
When Sarah and Matt finally said ‘I do’ at St Mary’s Church in Sturminster Marshall, Dorset, this July, they did so with a train of 28 bridesmaids behind them.
The astonishing bridal party comprised Hannah, 25, Isabel, 25, Emily, 23, Joanna, 23, Abi, 22, Anya, 22, Fiona, 22, Molly, 21, Esther, 20, Chloe, 20, Jade, 20, Rachael, 20, Victoria, 20, Maria, 18, Anna, 17, Carly, 16, Naomi, 16, Ellie, 15, Rosa, 14, Lucie, 13, Miranda, 13, Daisy, eight, Maisie, six, five year olds Erin, Lily, Juno and Ella, and Willow, age two.
Sarah, 37, who works at the private school in Corfe Mullen, Dorset, explains: ‘Matt always knew it would be a big wedding, because I have an enormous family and they’re all so important to me.
‘Luckily, he has a small family, so we just had two groomsmen – his sons Josh, 27 and Jordan, 22 and two page boys, his grandsons Caleb, 12 and Zak, six.
‘We had my nephews John, 16, Steve, 12, and Isaac, seven, Luke, 20 and youngest brother Mike, 34, were ushers. I would have loved all 28 of my nephews but I don’t think we could have coped with all of them, too.’
The bride avoided going to a traditional wedding shop for her army of bridesmaids, fearing it would be too expensive. Instead, the older bridesmaids wore an off-the-shelf pink Grecian-style gown from Monsoon, with the younger guests dressed in
Wedding belles! The couple considered hiring a mini-bus for the bridesmaids but realised they wouldn’t all fit
After taking a decade to tie the knot, the couple had just four months to organise their extremely big day, as Sarah was offered the use of a marquee in the beautiful grounds of the school where she teaches, for her reception.
One of the biggest challenges was finding dresses to flatter the 28 different shapes, ages and sizes of her bridesmaids.
They included Matt’s daughter Jade, 20, her maid of honour, her best friend’s daughter and all her nieces and great-nieces.
Matt always knew it would be a big wedding, because I have an enormous family and they’re all so important to me.
The girls offered to pay for their dresses but Sarah was determined to buy a special gown for each of them – but she did ask them to wear their own shoes.
‘I knew I’d never be able to get their dresses from a proper bridal shop, as the cost would be excessive, but I wanted us all to have a day out together to find them,’ she said.
‘About a quarter of us looked around some bridal shops one afternoon, to investigate different styles, but then I was looking on the internet for ages.
‘My sister Mary, in the end, pointed out these dresses in Monsoon, which you could wear different ways.
Perfect day: Sarah was offered the use of a marquee in the grounds of the private school where she teaches for her reception – which was more than roomy enough for her enormous brood
Chapel of love: The bridesmaids are seen greeting Sarah as she arrives at the church for her wedding to Matt on July 8th this year
‘They were really versatile, but I needed so many that a lot of the sizes weren’t available.
‘Quite a few bridesmaids either had to stretch their dresses, or wear them a little bit big, but they still worked really well, felt comfortable and looked great.’
For the younger girls, Miranda, 13 and Daisy, eight, Sarah selected £50 Monsoon dresses.
And she chose gorgeous ivory gowns, costing £61.50, from Debenhams for and Maisie, six, Erin*, five, Lily, five, Juno, five, Ella, five and Willow, two.
Finally, for herself, she picked a white, fitted, lacy bridal gown, costing £950, from Minster Designs Bridal Boutique, in Wimborne.
On her wedding day on July 8, the bridesmaids got ready together at Sarah’s brother Phil and sister-in-law Emma’s house – using every room for different stages of their morning of preparation.
Sarah, however, relaxed in the quieter setting of her mum Ann, 79, and her 84-year-old dad, Peter John Brooker’s bungalow, Corfe Mullen.
She said: ‘I wanted Mum to be there when I got ready and thought it would be too much, with all the other girls.’
When it came to throwing the bouquet, Sarah said she didn’t want to give up her treasured posy of flowers – but the bridesmaids had other ideas and were all vying to catch it
Big family, big wedding! Snapping just Sarah’s family alone involved a staggering 120 people
Each bridesmaid carried a spray posy of pink and white flowers including roses and gypsophila
Meanwhile, for transport, Sarah hired an old vintage bus to drive the bridesmaids to St Mary’s Church in Sturminster Marshall.
She continued: ‘We’d considered all sorts – even a minibus.
‘My sister Emma spotted the vintage bus online and told Matt, who thought it was amazing. The girls loved it and were all singing songs on the way to church.
‘They had to come through Wimborne and the bus driver took them around the square twice. They were shouting and screaming and people came out on the street waving at them.’
Sarah and her dad travelled in a vintage Packard car, meeting the bridesmaids at the church. The massive bridal procession then took minutes to walk down the aisle to the traditional wedding march, with each of the older bridesmaids helping the younger girls.
Reaching the altar, they sat together in the choir pews, to watch Sarah and Matt exchange vows.
After saying ‘I do,’ the couple threw their reception in the magnificent school grounds, with so many guests, they lost count.
The bridal procession took several minutes as all the bridal party made their way down the aisle to the traditional wedding march
Each of the bridesmaids also received a traditional wedding gift – but one that wouldn’t break the bank, a personalised jar of sweets
Sarah said: ‘A group photograph, with just my family, involved over 120 people.’
When it came to throwing the bouquet, made up of pink and white roses, the bridesmaids – particularly the older girls – were all vying to catch it.
‘I was reluctant to let it go, because it was so beautiful,’ Sarah laughed. ‘Matt’s daughter, Jade, caught it in the end.’
Sarah, who believes her giant troupe of bridesmaids made her big day even more special, said the couple had another headache, when it came to finding them each a gift, without breaking the bank.
‘Matt insisted that we had to buy the girls something, as it’s traditional to,’ she said.
‘I said there were too many of them, but he bought jars of sweets with their names printed on, so they’d all have something special. They were the perfect gifts to round off the perfect day.’