Tragic Coleshill bride to be buried in her wedding dress
Nov 8 2010 by Anuji Varma, Birmingham Mail
AS BRAVE Debbie Marston clutched her fiancé’s hand she whispered her dying wish – to be buried in the wedding dress she would never wear.
And on Wednesday that wish will be fulfilled at her funeral when the former Birmingham pub landlady is laid to rest in the gown.
The mum, aged 50 and from Coleshill, lost her ten-month battle against cancer on November 2, days before she was due to walk down the aisle to marry the love of her life Ray Swift.
But her instructions were clear to her groom-to-be and her close family before her life was cruelly cut short.
He, along with the rest of the congregation, were to wear their wedding outfits so she could still have her big day.
“It’s exactly what she wanted,” said Ray, aged 60. “Her wedding day was taken away from her but she wanted to make sure she still had her special day somehow.
“When she said she wanted to wear her dress, it was typical Debbie.
“She was always about glamour and showbiz. After she died, me and the rest of the family decided we would make it the occasion she had wanted.
“So on Wednesday, everyone will wear exactly what they were going to on the day. I will wear my suit, with my cowboy hat, and the rest of the congregation will dress in their outfits for our special day, or wear the colours matching the theme of the wedding that Debbie had chosen.
“We have arranged for the coffin to be carried in a white carriage pulled by four horses of the same colour and the family will travel behind in a white limousine.
”Fighting back tears, Ray, who was with Debbie for 16 years, added: “I haven’t seen the dress and won’t until the funeral.”
The grandmother-of-four, who was also stepmum to Ray’s children, was diagnosed with lung cancer in January, and after two failed operations, the disease spread to her brain.
