Hard-up groom Edward King wooed his bride to the altar - after hand-making her beautiful white gown in just 14 days!

Romantic Edward followed a book he borrowed from the library to make his step-by-step creation.

The last touches were made to the gown just hours before the pair were due to say "I do".

Pregnant Lamya Hachicho, 16, was so desperate to marry her partner of eight months she said she would have worn jeans at the ceremony.

But, romantic Mr King, 25, of Robinia Close, Laindon, had other plans. Just two weeks before the planned date, he announced he was going to turn his hand to dress-making.

He said: "We had been around a few wedding dress shops and the prices were well out of our range.

"We were told a dress would take 16 to 20 weeks to prepare - we only had 14 days. I jokingly suggested making the dress myself and Lamya agreed! Outwardly, I was confident - inside I was panicking.

"The only thing I had made before was a tool belt at school."

Mr King set off with his pattern to the library to work out what the sewing terms meant. Senior librarian at Basildon Library Madeleine Emmerson showed Mr King where to look.

She said: "While I was helping him, I asked what he was doing. He told me about the wedding which was in two weeks' time. He came in a few weeks later and they had got married. That is job satisfaction!"

The pair got married in Scotland on February 12 with their two pals as guests. Mr King was adding the finishing touches to the dress in the car on the journey up. It was finished at 1am and they were wed at 12pm on the same day.

New bride Mrs King, who has fallen out with her parents over her relationship, said: "I was so shocked when Edward suggested making my dress. He made me a beautiful big white dress.

"We were thinking about spending our life savings on it. This one cost just £130! We could not afford a sewing machine so the whole thing was hand stitched. Edward just wanted our wedding to be extra special.

"I am ecstatically happy!"

Dressmaker - Edward King makes the final alterations to Lamya's DIY gown

Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL

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