 When Victoria Fionda walked down the aisle last Saturday she was confident that she looked like a princess. The 22-year-old was not only wearing an haute couture gown but it's celebrity designer was also among her bridal party. Victoria of Ingleby Barwick is the niece of renowned fashion designer Andrew Fionda. Andrew forms half of the leading design partnership Pearce Fionda. Their evening and bridal gown range has been a best seller for Debenhams for several years. And they've also counted stars such as Celine Dion among their customers for their 'to-die-for' one-off creations. "The name is so unusual people often ask if I am related to the designer," says Victoria. "I enjoy being able to say that I am." Even though Andrew now lives in Brighton all the family remains close. So much so that when Victoria announced plans for her wedding to childhood sweetheart Michael Halliday her uncle made a grand gesture. He offered to make a gift of her wedding dress, bridesmaids gowns and even the pageboy outfit. Victoria was thrilled. "He rang to say I could go down and pick a dress from his bridal collection and choose a dress for all of the bridesmaids too," she says. "It was fantastic and so nice to know that I would be wearing a dress designed by someone from the family." Victoria headed to London with her mum, Maureen, and sister, Charlotte, where they were met by Andrew. The four of them made a bee-line for Oxford Street's Debenhams store, which showcases the Pearce Fionda bridal collection as part of the Designers for Debenhams range. Andrew, a former student of the Cleveland College of Art, says: "I wanted to sort out her dress if she would let me. I offered and she took me up on it. "This is the first time an immediate member of the family has been married in one of my designs. "I won't be doing it for everybody," he adds with a laugh. "This is definitely a one-off. "I've got about 20 nephews and nieces and if they all wanted to get married it would be a joke!" Andrew grew up in Middlesbrough, one of eight brothers and sisters so he has a large family. He loved meeting up with his sister and two of his nieces in London for the glamorous shopping trip. "I met them at Kings Cross and from that moment it was shop until we drop." The bride got the full Pearce Fionda treatment with Andrew's design partner, Ren Pearce, joining them on their shopping expedition. With the two designers in tow, it was no surprise that they got the very best VIP treatment. Victoria tried on every bridal gown from the collection before choosing the one. Andrew says: "The dress she chose is the most dramatic from the collection. "I knew she would look good in them all but she looked like a real princess in this one." Andrew describes the dress as an off-white organza gown with subtle gold embroidery on it. It is a strapless design with a full skirt. The bridesmaid dresses were long, slinky off-white evening dresses with diamanté buckles at the shoulders. Andrew says: "The bridesmaid dresses are really special. They look very 1930s. "They make a nice contrast because although they are all in white the bride really stands out because hers is so like a traditional fairytale dress." Andrew says the whole shopping trip made him excited about the wedding. "I don't get to Middlesbrough very often but this was a great excuse." Victoria says she had a fantastic time looking for her special dress. "I had my make-up done while we were there and it was lovely," she says. "Even when we were looking around we got to his section of clothes and just felt quite proud." Victoria says she and her two sisters Rachael and Charlotte have worn tops from their uncle's collection before but never a full gown. "I tried just about every dress from the collection and they were all lovely but I kept going back to the one I chose." Victoria and her new husband Michael have known each other from school days. They have two children, Bethany, seven, and Jacob, three. They married at St Francis Church in Acklam on Saturday and then headed off for a honeymoon in the Dominican Republic. Every bride wants her wedding dress to be the perfect, unique, gown. With this in mind many forget to take a look at those dresses available "off the peg". But designer Andrew Fionda reckons this is a mistake. "If you go in and try on a dress and it fits perfectly and you love it then you've got yourself a real deal at an affordable price," he says. "We've just presented next year's wedding range," adds Andrew, half of top design duo Pearce Fionda. "The price range starts at £150 for a simple slinky dress and goes up to about £700." The new Pearce Fionda Designers for Debenhams bridal range will be in larger stores from January. Check out www.debenhams.com | 
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