Wedding dress made of bubble wrap

Bride Rachael Robinson shows off her dress made of bubble wrap with her husband Duncan Turner. In a further break with tradition he is taking his wife's name

Traditionally a bride wears something old, new, borrowed and blue.

But when Rachael Robinson got married it was simply a case of something recycled.

For the 30-year-old primary school deputy headteacher wore a dress made of bubble wrap when she tied the knot with Duncan Turner, 32.

As well as not costing her anything, anytime she got nervous during the ceremony she could pop a few bubbles to release the tension.

The dress used up 13ft of the packing material and was put together last month by pupils and parents at her school for a fashion show featuring recyclable materials

When Duncan popped the question a few days later while they were on holiday in Canada she decided there and then there was only one dress she could wear on her big day.

The dress - complete with a 3ft bubble wrap train - is made from sheets of carefully stitched bubble wrap, attached to an inner cloth lining, and finished off with white foam packaging material and Haribo sweets.

Rachael, of Toft, near Bourne, Lincs, said the dress drew many admiring glances at the service in Stamford Register Office last month.

She said: 'There was quite a lot of popping as I walked up the aisle, I was very nervous but having the bubbles to pop at hand really helped.

'It's a fantastic dress and very comfortable. The parents put so much thought into the design, it was a real surprise when I first saw it.

'When I wore it for the school fashion show I had no idea that I would end up wearing down the aisle for real, but when Duncan proposed it just seemed the perfect idea.

'I would recommend it to any bride-to-be.'

After the civil service the couple had a second humanist ceremony a few days later on her parent's farm.

The eco-friendly couple walked down an aisle of grass matting with planted flowers in front of 120 guests with Rachael wearing a more traditional dress.

But even that didn't last long as it has now been chopped up and recycled into a cocktail dress.

Scaffolder Duncan, who met Rachael seven years ago, wore a suit and tie for the registry office ceremony but kept up the green theme with a pair of recycled trainers.

He said: 'She looked incredible. It's an amazing dress and just goes to show what can be done with unusual materials.

'We're both very keen on the environment and wildlife, and this felt the right thing to do to show our appreciation of important they are.'

In another break from tradition, Duncan has taken his wife's name with the couple planning a honeymoon in Papa New Guinea in a few months' time.