Isn’t it lovely to be transported into another era! An absolute joy to read about how ladies got together during war time to help dress brides in need of traditional wedding dresses. I loved following all the relationships as they developed, hoping they all had happy endings.

New author for me and loved the story line. Really nice read and loved all the characters, Cressida, Grace and Violet and can’t miss out Hugh,Ben and Landon . A good old fashioned love story with such an interesting subject. After reading the authors notes at the end I was interested to note that it was based on true events from that time and especially the input from a past 1st lady.
Highly recommend and my thanks to NetGalley and Pam Macmillan for the early read.

The events in this book are loosely based on events of World War Two. There are three main female characters, Cressida, Grace and Violet with their individual stories told in separate chapters. What brings them together in the small village in rural Kent is a sewing circle where they remodel old clothes to help with the rationing.
Cressida is the oldest of the three and is a famous fashion designer who after being bombed out of her London home returns to the village of her birth.
Grace is the daughter of the local vicar she helps him by visiting the needy of the parish.
Violet is the daughter of the deceased Lord of The Manor and the only thing that she really wants is to marry someone of the same status or higher. As the story unfolds they continue with the sewing group but start to remodel wedding dresses, they find there is a huge demand as material is in short supply and silk is almost impossible to get hold of. The three women have got different aspirations and dreams and they are a big part of the story. I found the book sublime, one of the best books of this genre that I have read.

A really lovely read. Set during WWII three women are brought together in the village of Aldhurst. Grace Carlisle, the local vicars daughter; Cressida Westcott, a successful London fashion designer who had turned her back on her aristocratic family and Violet Westcott, Cressida’s niece.
Grace is to be married and her father discovers his late wife’s wedding dress in the attic. The dress is in desperate need of repairing which sets in train the beginnings of the Wedding Dress Sewing Circle.
Cressida’s home, design studio and shop are bombed in the Blitz and swallowing her pride she returns to the family manor in Aldhurst where she takes refuge with her niece Violet and nephew Hugh.
The interweaving stories of the three women set against the backdrop of clothes rationing and the hardships of the war makes for a truly heartwarming read.
The three women become the best of friends while assisting the war effort in their own way.
If you love history, fashion, strong women and a good love story or two then you will love this book.

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is a definite feel good novel, We all know how this style of book goes but the journey getting there is the magical part, its a tale of unrequited love, friendship and hope amongst the adversity of rationing & bombs during WW2, deftly written by Jennifer Ryan this novel shows a glimmer of what it must of been like living and surviving during this time , it is uplifting & heartwarming & this book is a perfect read.

The Great British Sewing Bee meets the Second World War in this warm, charming and nostalgic novel. Exciting, engrossing, page turner. Keeps you involved even if you know it's fiction. This book was definitely a winner for me, thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend to all. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for providing me the opportunity to read this book in

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle is set during WWII, based on true events.

Famous fashion designer Cressida finds herself having to return to the family estate in Kent after her London residence is bombed, moving in with niece Violet and nephew Hugh. Here, she finds herself quickly caught up in village life, joining the women's sewing circle. She meets local vicar's daughter Grace, who needs helps with her wedding dress - it is moth eaten and needs adjusting to be brought back to a wear le state. From this an idea forms - with wedding dresses being so scarce, why don't they set up a borrow system, with donated gowns being lent out to brides so they can still have their dreamed of white wedding?

Lots of fabulous characters, all of whom have their own stories, but all are caught up within the wedding dress plans. Can Cressida, Grace and Violet get their happy endings in the depths of the war?

A lovely book, I'll definitely look out for more by this author.

Another really wonderful feel good book from best selling author Jennifer Ryan who wrote the amazing The Chilbury lady choir. Which if you haven't read I highly recommend too.

In this book we meet Cressida who is a renowned London Fashion designer who has lost her home, and her designer house in the ear. Cressida has nowhere to go but the family manor which she doesn't want to return to after she fled from it decades ago and hasn't been back too. But she has nowhere else to go but to go back and return to her past.

Cressida arrives with nothing but the clothes on her back. She doesn't know how to rebuild her business and it feeling at a complete loss.

Violet Cressida niece is really excited to have her aunt back in the village. After all the village has been completely full with all the men off busy fighting the way.

Grace is getting married and is desperately trying to fix her mothers wedding dress in order to wear it for her own, so that she can have the white wedding that she dreams off. Grace is so excited when Cressida joins the sewing circle. Hopefully that Cressida will be able to help fix the dress so that she can have the wedding of her dreams.

But before long Cressida hasn't just helped the ladies with their sewing but had also galvanized the village group into action, getting them to fix the wedding dresses not only for the local brides but also for lots of brides across the country. Helping others to celebrate love and also getting their own love lives off the ground too.

A really lovely uplifting feel good book.

Outstanding! I read on a night before sleep and was keen to get to bed each night to find out what was happening in the book!

The characters were all likeable and relatable too. Parts of the book I could see what was coming and other bits were a nice surprise!

Having recently taken up dressmaking and hacking up some of my own old clothes I could see how during the war this was not only necessary but also a design challenge for some. The wedding dress exchange seems such a good idea during the hard times.

The book gave good accounts of how it was during an air raid and how life was for individuals in the armed forces.

I'd love there to be a follow up as I liked the characters so much! I will be watching for more by this author in the future. Thank you for a great read!

Brilliant read. Set in London and Kent during the second world. Three love stories in one book. Told through 3 people which worked well. The idea of make do and mend does make you think. I loved how they shared the wedding dresses and how class began not to matter so much. A book you could not put down. I loved it. Lots to make you think..

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle , a story which shows us how fashion, wedding dresses made tough times somewhat bearable for the characters in this story. It is an atmospheric story highlighting the human spirit and resilience as the characters come into their own in the midst of WW2.

Jennifer Ryan at her best quite an amazing story teller, wonderful warm characters who take us on there journey with the wedding dress being centre stage can highly recommend.

What a fantastic thought provoking book this was, really enjoyed the characters and loved being part of their journey. This books starts and ends with a wedding dress but in between the story is well written, emotional and a fantastic read you won’t want to end.
Highly recommended