A couple who first married as man and wife both donned wedding dresses to renew their vows as women after the husband came out as transgender.
Midwife Denise Taylor, 44, first tied the knot with her wife Kristiana, then known as Stephen, in 1996. In 2012, just days after renewing their vows for the first time, Kristiana, 49, told her wife she wanted to start living as a woman.
Kristiana, a radiographer and former Royal Navy sailor, explained how the transition could have torn them apart but instead brought them ‘closer together’.
Yesterday the couple, from Sittingbourne, Kent, reconfirmed their commitment to each other in front of their 14-year-old son, Stephen, and 60 guests at Judd’s Folly Hotel in Ospringe, Kent.
Lasting love: Denise and Kristiana, then known as Stephen, renewed their vows in 2012, above, after 16 years of marriage. Just days later Kristiana told her wife she wanted to live as a woman
Special ceremony: The brides renewed their vows in front of 60 guests in Kent yesterday
Wedding: Denise married her partner Kristiana, then known as Stephen (centre), in 1996
Making her commitments, Denise said: ‘We came together as friends, you listened to everything I said and we went from friends to lovers.
‘Fourteen years had passed and on Christmas Eve you bought me a dress – I didn’t know you liked it yourself.
‘You are my love, my life and my wife. Together we stand hand in hand.’
Young love: The couple, from Sittingbourne, Kent, on board HMS Raleigh in 2001
Renewing their vows: Days after the 2012 ceremony Stephen came out as transgender
Road trip: Kristiana, left, and Denise, right, with their teenage son Stephen, seen behind
Close bond: The couple, who have been married for more than 20 years, with son Stephen
The brides, who looked radiant in floor-length white gowns, beamed as their son Stephen walked them down the aisle, accompanied by a violinist.
Kristiana read out an emotional poem she had written about how she used to be a caterpillar, but is now a butterfly.
The couple and guests also took part in Marryoke, filming a wedding music video to Let Your Love Flow by the Bellamy Brothers, before enjoying an evening meal, cocktails and bouncy castle.
Family: Kristiana, left, and Denise Taylor with their 14-year-old son Stephen at their wedding
Radiant: Kristiana looked beautiful in a strapless gown, left, while Denise wore an embellished frock
Committed: The couple celebrated the occasion with family and friends yesterday
Kristiana, formerly a Royal Navy sailor and now a radiographer at Tunbridge Wells hospital, said: ‘We renewed our vows and we both got to wear the dress this time.
‘It was a blessing and a celebration of the 60-odd people that are invited, saying thank you for the support as we’re so thankful.
‘Something which could have torn us apart, actually brought us together.’