Wedding in Cyprus saved by airline after bridesmaid forgets dress

A bride-to-be who was getting married in Cyprus has thanked an airline which came to the rescue after one of her bridesmaids forgot to pack her dress.

Gemma O’Shea, a charity manager from Gateshead, put out a mayday after her bridesmaid, Lauren Fernandes, realised her mistake.

And holiday firm TUI stepped in after a member of staff spotted the online plea for help and arranged for the dress to be flown on a Newcastle to Larnaca flight ahead of the bride’s big day on the island of Aphrodite, when she married her fiance Michael, 32, a support worker.

Cabin crew regional manager Sue Peak knew there was a flight leaving Newcastle in a few hours and the race began to get the bridesmaid’s dress to the airport.

The dress was treated as precious cargo and was delivered to the cockpit, flown to Cyprus and then driven to the wedding couple’s resort.

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Gemma, 31, explained: “Lauren said she started to get a paranoid feeling on the flight that she may have forgotten the dress, but she only knew this was definitely the case when she unpacked in the hotel room around midnight.

“Michael and I are a very laid-back couple, however, I’d put so much effort into planning the wedding and finding a bridesmaid dress that all four of my bridesmaids loved – so it’s safe to say I was disappointed.

“I was overwhelmed by the amount of kind individuals who offered to go out of their way to help someone they had never met.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to each and every one of them and a massive thank you to TUI and their staff who went above and beyond to make sure I had the perfect wedding day I had planned.

“When the dress arrived, I felt like a weight lifted and I could start to enjoy my holiday without the worry always being at the back of my mind.”

She said the couple were now looking to book their honeymoon with TUI.

Lauren travelled to the wedding with her husband and their three-month-old child Alice, and explained her slip-up on being a new mum.

Ms Peak said: “We know how incredible our TUI staff are and this heart-warming operation is testament to that.

“We are so happy to have been a part of this magical day, and we’d like to congratulate the bride and groom on their marriage.”