Cinderella’s: Yorkshire bridal shop owner inspired to host wedding dress modelling sessions for women of all ages and sizes after social media post goes viral

Mandy Abramson, 52, a self-taught seamstress, initially set up an alteration shop called Stitches in 1999 based in Skipton before expanding her business and changing the shop to Cinderella’s after being asked to make bridal outfits.

In February 2022, Mrs Abramson’s friend Lucy Lawson, 48, from Settle, introduced her to her friend Molly Fuchs, 58, who is battling stage four breast cancer and wanted to tick things off her bucket list.

She wanted to wear a wedding dress as she has never been married before.

She modelled 12 dresses at Cinderella’s.

To the pair’s astonishment, the post went viral with over 200,000 views on Facebook.

“We had an hour appointment where Molly came in and put these dresses on,” Mrs Abramson told The Yorkshire Post.

“Obviously we had a few tears initially, it was very emotional, but then after that it was a fantastic appointment, we had such a good time.

“Molly has got an absolute joy for life. We asked her if we could share the photos on Facebook to which she agreed.

“When we posted her photo on Facebook, we didn’t even boost it and for a little independent shop like mine, it went absolutely viral - it got seen by over 200,000 people.”

Comments came in with many girls wishing they could have done this.

This inspired Mrs Abramson to host a bi-annual event where ordinary girls and women of all ages and sizes visit the shop and try on a wedding dress and take pictures.

“The joy that was shining out of her in these photographs was absolutely evident,” she said.

“Molly, like myself, is a curvy girl, she’s not a size 10 and she looks amazing in these dresses.

“Molly’s message to everybody is don’t wait until you’re dying to start your bucket list and she’s quite right.

“She’s an inspiration to me. I really admire her for it.”

Many girls come into her shop for various reasons.

“We do encourage ladies of all ages or sizes or shapes to come in; we do have samples from a size eight to a size 26,” she said.

“It’s phenomenal. I get just as much enjoyment out of these weeks as these girls do.

“The number of people that message me afterwards going ‘I had the best day, I’ve been buzzing all day. I’ve been smiling doing my Morrisons shopping’. It gives people a real boost and that’s why we do it.

“It is body confidence, this is what we’re trying to promote. If I can spend an hour of my time making somebody feel amazing, that’s brilliant.”

Molly Fuchs described her feeling modelling the wedding dress.

“I have been engaged twice but never married and the nicest thing was that my mum who was in her eighties got to see me in a wedding dress,” she said.

“I am a jeans and sweatshirt woman and before being diagnosed with secondary breast cancer I worried what I looked like, if others thought I was fat.

“That seemed less important in the grand scheme of things and being in Mandy’s shop for a few hours with new friends takes my mind away from everything else - just for a bit. But the overall feeling I get is joy, pure joy.”

Two other friends of Mrs Abramson modelled her dresses and shared their experiences.

“I originally got married 23 years ago and back then I had my wedding dress handmade in Indian Silk as I had fallen in love with the fabric,” Lucy Lawson said.

“So being able to try on and model a beautiful white dress was like a dream come true as I'd never originally done that.

“Myself and the three other ladies had a great time, we felt like Disney princesses.”

“It was inspiring to put the dress on. It did not matter our age, shape or size and where we came from - Mandy makes us look amazing. No make up, nothing,” Laiza Menezes e De Souza said.

Mrs Abramson has been married to her partner in life and in business, Doug, 49, for 19 years. He designs the website.

She said that she often wears wedding dresses whenever she is having an off day.

“I get to try on wedding dresses whenever I want - and I do,” she said.

“At the end of the day, if you’re having a miserable Monday, get it out and put it on. What’s wrong with it? I have absolutely no problems with that.

“You do get days when you feel a bit down, you feel a bit fed up, you feel just yuk, we’re women it happens, and I just come to the shop and put a dress on and it soon cheers me up.”

Despite never being a ‘girly girl’, Mrs Abramson has always loved wearing dresses.

“I’m not a girly girl, I don’t own any makeup, I don’t own a handbag,” she said.

“I am fully aware I’ve got the girliest job in the world but I absolutely love dresses.

“I love everything from completely plain, slim and slinky to oh my god that’s huge and I love ball gowns in particular.”

Mrs Abramson explained why girls and women feel so empowered in a wedding dress.

“We usually wear jeans and t-shirts, stretchy outfits,” she said.

“Generally girls don’t dress up on a daily basis because we’re just too busy but put a wedding dress on and it’s not only a special outfit and it does feel different when you put one on.

“But they’re structured, they make the most of your figure and they make you stand a bit more upright because of the structure in them and at the end of the day they [make you feel gorgeous].

“You shouldn’t have any boundaries, nothing should hold you back. Life is not guaranteed, you should just enjoy yourself.”

Mrs Abramson is not the only talented seamstress in her family, as her dad owns a menswear shop called Time and Time Again in Ilkley and her aunt was also a wedding seamstress in Leeds.