Bridal Bumps - The Telegraph

Hilary Alexander reports on the increase of pregnant brides walking down the aisle.

Angelina Jolie may be prepared, apparently, to wait until after the birth of her latest child to wed Brad Pitt.  But many celebrities are so impatient to marry, they will walk down the aisle complete with bridal bump.  Ulrika Jonsson, 40, the television presenter, was five months pregnant with her fourth child, when she married advertising executive, Brian Monet, 39, in March.

Actress, Julianna Marguiles, the former ER star, was seven months pregnant when she wed her lawyer husband Keith Lieberthal in November.  Statistics show as many as twenty percent of all brides this year will be expectant mums.

The figures pales in comparison to the mid-19th century when, it is estimated, up to 60% of brides in rural England were with child.  Today's bride-with-a-bump, however, at least has the chance of wearing a wedding dress which has been specifically designed for both occasions.

Natalie Gladman, for example, set up Europe's dirst dedicated maternity wedding dress studio and website... and has dressed more than 1,000 pregnant brides from her premises in Farnborough, Hants... Last year Ms Gladman launched her own collection, Madeline Isaac-James (01252 377725) for even more choice... "There are still those tut-tutting traditionalists who believe it is wrong, but the women I see want to celebrate the fact that the most exciting things in their life are happening at the same time." she says."