Carrie Symonds effect sees wedding dress rentals soar by 268 per cent after she married Boris in £45 gown
CARRIE Symonds tied the knot with Boris Johnson in a secret ceremony at the weekend, and her pulling power seems to be extending further than just her new husband.
The beautiful bride stunned in a £2,900 bohemian gown by fashion designer Christos Costarellos, which she rented for less than £45 – and it has caused a 268 per cent surge in rental wedding gowns.
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The PM, 56, and his 33-year-old bride had their top secret wedding at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday.
The couple welcomed a son together last year and Boris had popped the question in late 2019 but had put wedding plans on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The wedding over the bank holiday wasn’t the only wasn’t the only surprise, with Carrie choosing to hire her appliquéd embroidered tulle wedding dress.
Leading European fashion rental site HURR, which launched last year, saw a surge of over 268 per cent of bridal rentals over the weekend, some brides booking as far ahead as Autumn 2022.
Co-founder Victoria Prew commented: “We have seen a steady + increasing interest in Bridal, but the web traffic and booking accelerate notably over the bank holiday weekend.
“As an ideal time for planning, the long weekend gave brides a chance to plan a more sustainable wedding dress option.”
Carrie’s dress was a handmade gown with tiers of wispy ivory tulle spun with plenty of silk.
Latticework trims and hand-cut ‘Kopaneli’ corded lace appliqués, the designer’s signature, also set off the look.
The gown was made with a “woman who’s not afraid to shine” in mind, according to the website description.
Just a day after the ceremony, the dress has already sold out on both and .
PR guru Carrie, who is Boris’ third wife, opted not to wear a veil and chose a bohemian flower garland instead, perfect for a summer wedding in the Bank Holiday heat.
The historic wedding took place at Westminster’s tiny Lady Chapel at 2pm, in front of the couple’s one-year-old son Wilfred, and made Boris the first PM to marry while in office in 199 years.
No10 confirmed: “The Prime Minister and Ms Symonds were married yesterday afternoon [Saturday] in a small ceremony at Westminster Cathedral.
“The couple will celebrate their wedding with family and friends next summer.”
The event was six months in the planning but fewer than 30 guests were invited, thought to include Boris’ dad Stanley and sister Julia.
They were all told at the last-minute and even senior advisors at No10 were kept in the dark.
The reception was held at their Downing Street home, where a marquee was erected in the garden and guests were heard singing American Pie.
The ceremony was carried out by Father Daniel Humphreys, who baptised baby Wilfred last year.
Previously, a mum shared how she rents her kids’ clothes to save £2k a year and it only costs me £17.50 a month.
And you can now rent expensive designer wedding dresses for as little as £15 for your big day.