The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle

In this touching book based on actual events, written by the bestselling author of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, three courageous ladies cheer up home-front newlyweds in wartime Britain, when there is little chance for pomp and circumstance—even at weddings.

After renowned fashion designer Cressida Westcott loses both her home and her design house in the London Blitz, she has nowhere to go but the family manor house she fled decades ago. She comes with nothing except the clothing she is wearing, hoping that her niece and nephew would be more welcoming than her brother had been. Unsure of how to restart her company while remaining in a charming rural community, she prays.

Violet Westcott, her niece, is overjoyed that her well-known aunt will be visiting since the hamlet has been quite boring while all the men have been at war. But Violet's conscription letter also comes at the same time as Cressida. It couldn't have come at a worse moment; if she has to spend her days working in the war and dressing in a dowdy uniform, how can she ever find a properly aristocratic husband?

Grace Carlisle, the daughter of the town vicar, is meantime attempting in vain to fix her mother's gown—her sole opportunity to attend a white wedding. Grace approaches Cressida Westcott for assistance when she shows up to the neighborhood Sewing Circle meeting, but Cressida has much more to offer the women than just basic sewing techniques.

The village group is soon spurred into action by Cressida's drive and ambition, and they find themselves sewing wedding gowns for brides not only in the area but all across the nation. And as the ladies commit to helping others experience love, they may just end up experiencing it themselves.