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THOSE LUCKY ENOUGH to have electricity last night got to see the first episode of Ireland’s version of Say Yes to the Dress.

It follows the same formula as the original American series and was filmed in a new Irish bridal store, where staff bend over backwards to give brides-to-be an experience they’ll never forget.

For some viewers, eyes began to water when the mother of the first visitor to the shop, Eimear Duffy, announced that the budget for the wedding dress was €3,000.

Considering the average cost of a wedding in Ireland is now €24,500, it’s guaranteed that there’s going to be people later in this series who will take it above and beyond this figure.

Things took a more emotional turn when Cora Anne from Kerry began to discuss her father’s death.

Cora Ann RTÉ RTÉ

Trying not to cry, Cora Ann explained that her father would be in her thoughts for the entire day while she was wedding dress shopping.

I’ll be thinking of my dad today. He was very special to me, I was the only girl and we were best friends.

Cora Ann’s mam recognised how hard it was for her daughter.

It’s been hard for her to overcome. She’s going to miss him, but we are thinking of him. We’ll soldier on as we have done.

Cora Ann's father. RTÉ Player RTÉ Player

There was a bit of conflict between Cora Ann and her mother when it came to picking out her dress. Cora Ann loved the first dress she tried on, but her mother said it looked like it was on backwards. The second dress was more traditional and didn’t appeal to Cora Ann at all, but her mother was mad about it.

On round three, Cora Ann was certain about her dress and her friends all agreed. Even her difficult mammy agreed that this was the perfect dress for Cora Ann and struggled to hold back her tears.

When Peter ‘Franc’ Kelly brought her attention to the price of the dress, which was €2,000, Cora Ann joked that she was not going to ‘Say Yes to the Dress’, despite it being her dream dress.

Immediately her mother stepped in and told her “You know Cora Ann… You won’t be paying for the dress. Your dad will be paying. Dad will be paying for this dress today.”

The pair broke down as Cora Ann’s mam told her that “He’d love to be here saying ‘Christ, ’tis beautiful’.” Franc said that this gesture took everybody by surprise, but more importantly made Cora Ann feel like her dad was there with her.

Cora Ann got emotional afterwards:

I’m never going to see him again or have him be a part of anything… but for him to be a part of the big day is very special to me.

Cora Ann’s mother Goretti just had one request – that Cora Ann didn’t dirty the dress by crying.

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