A bride travelled 10,000 miles from Australia to the UK to make a special surprise visit to her grandparents in her wedding dress after they were too ill to attend her big day.

Ameera Alsaady, 29, tied the knot to her long-time partner, Joe, 31, in Lake Como, Italy on August 24 this year.

Sadly, her grandparents, Syd, 85, and Joan Bailey, 83, were not well enough to attend the ceremony and were forced to stay at home.

So on August 19, Ameera surprised her grandparents by turning up in her wedding dress in their living room in Blackpool, Lancs..

Heartwarming footage shows how Syd burst into tears as soon as he saw the dress while emotional Joan was also taken aback.

Ameera, an aesthetics and emergency doctor, based in Sydney, Australia, said: "Seeing their response broke my heart that they couldn't be there on the day, but in the same breath, just made me feel absolutely showered in my grandparents' love. "

"I didn't know what to expect, I just knew I had to do it, and I'm so glad I did. "

"My grandad has always been quite emotional with me, but I think it still took my nana and me by surprise, and my nan was so sweet holding hers back to give him his moment. "

"You can see the love in her eyes as she watches him."

"Once my nan started crying, I was like a broken tap. They really are my world, and I'm so glad we could have that moment together. "

"I'll forever hold it close to my heart."

Ameera grew up in Qatar, but said she has always been "incredibly close" with her grandparents."

Now, living in Sydney, Ameera said she always makes time to Facetime her grandparents back in Blackpool.

Ameera said:

"We're incredibly close. "

"I grew up staying with them for months every summer, and my parents were sure to make up for missed time from us living in separate countries. "

"We always make sure to FaceTime and call lots despite the time difference in Australia. "

"Whenever I visit the UK, I stay with them, and when I was living in the UK, I did all I could to see them as much as possible, especially during COVID with the restrictions."

Ameera and her husband, Joe, had a small ceremony with close family and friends in Manchester, England in 2024 that her grandparents attended.

But when Ameera was planning her wedding day in Italy, it became obvious that her grandparents would not be well enough to attend the ceremony.

Keen to make them part of her special day, Ameera hatched a plan to show them her wedding dress days before the big day.

Ameera said: "My wedding was in Italy, and sadly, they're no longer well enough to travel, and my grandma had an operation two days ago. "

"So before I flew to Italy, I decided to have a special moment with them to remind them that they haven't been forgotten."

"I planned it in advance, but needed a bit of help executing it."

"My mum was with me and I had been sitting in the lounge to make sure they both were staying in there rather than having a lie down like they often need to."

"Once we had them settled, I quickly ran into the lounge and put my dress on as quickly as I could with the help of my mum."

On the day itself, Syd and Joan were able to be part of the celebrations from Blackpool.

Ameera Facetimed them and gave them a special shout-out in her vows.

She said: "We had a small ceremony last year in the UK that they were a part of, but it's a huge shame they couldn't be with us for our big symbolic ceremony in Italy."

"We did, however, make sure that one phone was allowed at our unplugged ceremony, and it had them on the other side FaceTiming, watching live from home."

"We gave them a shoutout in our vows and also in our speeches later in the evening."