Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Belfast Live
Belfast Live
Entertainment
Sophie McLaughlin

Newtownabbey bride goes viral on TikTok in stunning wedding dress transformation trend

A Co Antrim bride has gone viral on TikTok showing off her bespoke wedding dress - despite not even having the app herself.

Katie Gilfedder from Newtownabbey married her husband Des last month at their dream wedding at Galgorm Resort and Spa in Ballymena. In all the excitement of their big day, the 27-year-old could have never imagined that a bit of fun with her bridesmaids getting ready would result in millions of eyes on her gown.

Now 1.2 million views later, Katie has been left speechless by the outpouring of love and interest that her dream dress has garnered.

Read more: Belfast man on going from being homeless to viral TikTok creator

Speaking to Belfast Live, she said: "It was just an amazing day - anyone we have spoken to has told us it was the best day ever and we put a lot of attention to detail into it. Des and I used to work in the hospitality industry and would have run events for clubs so we wanted it to be special.

"We've known each other for around 10 years because we worked in the same industry but we've been together six years altogether - seven in September."

Katie bought her dress at Forever Bridal on the Lisburn Road and after trying on a number of dresses, she set her eyes on the one.

"The designer is Riki Dalal and he is an Israeli designer - the funny thing about the dress is it didn't come with sleeves," Katie explained.

"Whenever I first put the dress on, I loved it but I knew I really wanted sleeves and they got in contact with the designer and he made bespoke sleeves which is the first time they had ever done that. The girls in Forever Bridal were amazing.

"We did try a lot on - I couldn't quite describe what I wanted but I knew I wanted something kind of sexy but sophisticated. I didn't want it to be OTT and wanted traditional with the lace.

"The second they put it on me, I knew it was exactly what I had been picturing."

On the morning of her wedding, Katie, who was not even on TikTok herself at the time, decided to make a few short videos with her bridesmaids who wanted to partake in a number of viral trends. She said the reaction was "totally unexpected" by everyone.

She continued: "My bridesmaid was really wanting me to do one so I didn't think anything of it. I think she posted it at the reception and then came up to me during the night to tell me it had gone crazy.

"I didn't really take it in because I was just so busy enjoying the day and then a couple of days after, she sent me a screenshot of it and it had a crazy number of views, crazy saves and comments. I just wasn't expecting it at all."

Katie added: "Its a really lovely feeling and seeing people think it was gorgeous and wishing me a nice day was just so nice that people actually cared and enjoyed it. So many people were genuinely interested - other brides to be and things so that was really lovely."

Katie and Des are currently off enjoying their honeymoon in Ibiza, soaking up the sun as they reel in the excitement from their wedding and TikTok fame.

READ NEXT:

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here. To sign up to our FREE newsletters, see here.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.