A BRIDE-TO-BE had her big day rescued by a boutique owner who is offering help in the wake of the Berketex Bride collapse.

The well-known bridal fashion firm folded earlier this month, going into administration and leaving women across the country without dresses for their big day.

Bowburn woman Holly Sherwood had just paid a £200 deposit for her dream dress, a quirky two-piece number she reserved with the firm after spending months looking for the perfect outfit.

Fearing she would be left without a suitable alternative, Ms Sherwood turned to the internet and appealed for help.

She was thrilled when seamstress and boutique owner Rebecca Lombard-Earl stepped in and offered to source a heavily discounted alternative and provide any necessary alterations.

A subsequent visit to the Bex Brides’ studio in Hurworth saw Ms Lombard-Earl present the 30-year-old nurse with a dress practically identical to the one she had painstakingly picked out with Berketex.

However, the array of unusual and vintage gowns in the shop caught Ms Sherwood’s eye and she picked out another design, “even more perfect” for her.

She has now thanked the boutique’s owner for helping her through a worrying time, saying: “I was so stressed and I still don’t have my £200 back. I thought I was never going to find a suitable dress, I’d been looking everyone and finally found one at Berketex but then was thrown back to square one and was getting so worried.

“Bex saw my appeal on Facebook and offered to help out, saying she had exactly the same one.

“I had to break with tradition a bit and take my fiancé with me to try it on – when I got there, she had an even nicer one and it was as though it was meant to be.

“I was over the moon and it was even nicer to find that the dress was named Willow because I lost my friend in July and she had a dog called Willow. When I found out it was called that, I broke down crying, it was like my friend had sent me in the right direction.”

Ms Lombard-Earl has extended her offer of help to all brides affected by the Berketex closure and will give discounts to anyone with a receipt from the firm.

She said: “I just feel really sorry for them and if I can help them, I will – it would be so lovely to see other independent boutiques come together and do the same."