JOHN GALLIANO’S NIECE WEDS IN GIBRALTAR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) August 2, 2010 -- Saturday 31st July 2010 – the Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned was the venue of the elegant wedding ceremony of Elizabeth Husband and Oliver Hawksley. Elizabeth is the granddaughter of John and Anita Galliano, who were married at the very same Cathedral in 1954, where their three children, Rosemarie, John, and Inmaculada were also baptized. The couple, both doctors, reside in England, but with this strong family link to Gibraltar the decision to hold the wedding here was a foregone conclusion!

Another element of the wedding that was going to be a “sure thing” was the designer of her wedding dress – none other than her maternal uncle and godfather, and head designer at Christian Dior - John Galliano. Created exclusively for his niece, Elizabeth’s magnificient dress was the “piece de resistance” of the wedding.

We asked Elizabeth for the story behind the creation of this couture masterpiece. With a smile that never left her face, the bride told us how her uncle had asked her to produce a scrapbook with all her ideas and inspirations behind her dream wedding. “The Book” contained magazine cut outs, photos of people, flamenco dancers and sketches. Using the scrapbook as his guide, Galliano designed 2 dresses for her to choose from, and the first design captured everything she had hoped for. A sweetheart neckline with a hand embroidered bodice, sparkling crystals all over the dress. The skirt, a tribute to the flamenco dress, with its many layers and a trail. The veil – in itself a work of art – was a 5 metre long full cathedral veil, delicately hand embroidered. A priceless creation inspired by the love of an uncle for his niece. He created every aspect of the final “Look”, including the choice of accessories. Elizabeth flew to Paris for three fittings, and eventually the dress was sent to Gibraltar in two giant wardrobe sizes boxes complete with its own mannequin!
Not forgetting the mother of the bride, Galliano also produced a beautiful creation for his sister Rosemarie. The deep red knee length dress with a hand embroidered rose detail was also created in the designer’s Paris atelier and delivered to Dior’s flagship store in Sloane Street, in London where the mother of the bride was invited to choose the handbag and shoes of her desire, courtesy of her little brother John!

The relationship with the designer and his family is clearly a deeply respectful and loving one. “He is always generous to his family”, says his goddaughter. And they are in contact with each other as much as possible, given how busy he is. This is not the first dress Galliano has made for her; in fact her First Communion dress was also created for her by her uncle – and, in the past, that dress has been loaned to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London as part of an exhibition.
The guest list at the wedding included fellow doctors and army officers from all over the world who flew over especially for the wedding. The wedding ceremony, which was presided over by Monsignor Paul Bear, was followed by a solo rendition of “Ave Maria”, sung by Gibraltarian singer Andrea Martin. A Guard of Honour awaited them at the doors of the Cathedral – comprised of Officers of the 40th Regiment Royal Artillery. The Royal Gibraltar Regiment had generously loaned the swords for the Guard of Honour which ended the wedding service in such style.

The wedding has been over a year in the making, with the assistance of Gibraltar wedding and event planners – Hour Weddings. With over three years’ experience helping couples get married in Gibraltar and Spain, Hour Weddings’ owner, Monica Coumbe has served as the main contact point for the UK based couple, ensuring that all the elements of this wedding were in place. Working with her team of professionals including local florist Gibralflora, who produced a wedding bouquet that complemented the dress perfectly, make-up artist Sheetal and hair by “The Look” in Gibraltar, the bride looked beautiful in her John Galliano wedding dress. The groom Oliver was equally resplendent in full ceremonial military attire – a navy blue uniform, white gloves, red sash and sword. Thrilled with their decision to hold their wedding in a place that meant so much to her family and which has such a great military history, the couple said of Gibraltar “It ticked all the boxes for us!” They are now honeymooning in Morocco. And the dress? Well, that will be packed away in its box for now, and one day you may see it at an exhibition somewhere in the world! A gift from a loving uncle and a world renowned designer.

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