After renowned fashion designer Cressida Westcott loses both her home and her design house in the London Blitz, she has nowhere to go but the family manor house she fled decades ago. Praying that her niece and nephew will be more hospitable than her brother had been, she arrives with nothing but the clothes she stands in, at a loss as to how to rebuild her business while staying in a quaint country village.

Her niece, Violet Westcott, is thrilled that her famous aunt is coming to stay—the village has been interminably dull with all the men off fighting. But just as Cressida arrives, so does Violet’s conscription letter. It couldn’t have come at a worse time; how will she ever find a suitably aristocratic husband if she has to spend her days wearing a frumpy uniform and doing war work?

Meanwhile, the local vicar’s daughter, Grace Carlisle, is trying in vain to repair her mother’s gown, her only chance of a white wedding. When Cressida Westcott appears at the local Sewing Circle meeting, Grace asks for her help—but Cressida has much more to teach the ladies than just simple sewing skills.

Before long, Cressida’s spirit and ambition galvanize the village group into action, and they find themselves mending wedding dresses not only for local brides, but for brides across the country. And as the women dedicate themselves to helping others celebrate love, they might even manage to find it for themselves.

Clothes and WWII stories are two of my very favorite things. So it’s no surprise I ate up The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle with a spoon, a deliciously warm and heartrending tale with a fabulous vintage wedding dress at its tender heart.

Based on the true stories of brides being lent wedding dresses during the war, this story is set in lovely Aldhurst, the kind of quaint English village you never want to leave. I settled in with this delightful escape to a kinder, gentler time and loved discovering fascinating things about the rationing of sewing supplies and cloth and the page-turning tension of the war. But it’s the characters who bring the book to life: charming and modest Grace Carlisle, who is pledged to marry a passionless vicar. Chic couturier Cressida Westcott, head of a fashion empire, whose life changes so unexpectedly. And entitled Violet Westcott (sister to the wonderfully brooding Hugh, a childhood friend of Grace), who is forced to come face-to-face with the realities of war.

Before long, inspired by Grace’s mother’s wedding dress, Cressida rallies the local sewing circle to mend and recycle wedding dresses to help wartime brides. It’s empowering to see women helping women, taking charge of their own happiness. I was sad to leave Aldhurst but it was healing to visit this charming place where good things happen to good people, a lovely reminder that helping others is one of the things that makes life so satisfying.