Former Miss Universe Ireland ties knot with ode to her mum

Former Miss Universe Ireland Katharine Walker made a beautiful bride as she married her love, Melvyn Nicholls, over the weekend.

The pagent queen, who is also the former Miss World Northern Ireland, incorporated a sentimental nod to her mum on her special day. The couple tied the knot in the 18th-century Montalto Estate in County Down.

Katharine decided to wear the same lace top her mum had worn when she got married four decades earlier, working it into her wedding dress.

The wedding of Katharine & Melvyn. Pic: Iain Irwin | Wedding Photographer

The nurse gushed over her mum’s wedding dress, saying she had thought it was ‘the most beautiful dress’ she had ever seen, and knew she would wear it one day.

‘The dress of my dreams. The lace top is from my mum’s wedding dress 40 years ago,’ she wrote on social media.

The wedding of Katharine & Melvyn. Pic: Iain Irwin | Wedding Photographer

‘When I looked at pictures of my parents’ wedding as a little girl, I always thought it was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen, so I knew I had to incorporate it in some way to mine, the top fit like a glove…’

She shared side-by-side shots of her and her mum on their wedding days in the same top, saying: ‘We added longer sleeves with ribbon to update the look a bit (& my arms are longer than mum’s).’

The wedding of Katharine & Melvyn. Pic: Iain Irwin | Wedding Photographer

The Belfast woman was crowned Miss Universe Ireland in 2021, before going on to compete in the global contest.

Katharine joked that the rituals she performed before her special day (burying a sausage and paying an Etsy witch!) worked, as the sun shone down all day. The happy couple celebrated their nuptials outdoors.

The wedding of Katharine & Melvyn. Pic: Iain Irwin | Wedding Photographer