Hastings couple left 'devastated' after bride's wedding dress stolen in middle of night as couple packed bags for wedding in New York

Anna McGrath, 38, and Michael Watson, 44, were inside their house in Nelson Road briefly to lock up before heading to the airport when the theft happened.

The couple’s satin wedding dress, together with a blue woollen suit and white suitcase were taken from their car in Nelson Road outside their house at around midnight on Thursday, October 26.

The theft occurred after the couple had endured a nightmare journey earlier that day from the Lake District when their car broke down and had to then hire another one to get back home.

Michael said: “We had had a wedding ceremony with our family in the Lake District on the Tuesday that week before heading back to Hastings the next day (October 25). But our car broke down just outside Wetherby. It was a write-off and had to be towed away.

“We then had to get an Uber to Harrogate, as we were stuck without a car in Wetherby service station. We picked up a hire car at Enterprise Car Hire in Harrogate in order to drive back to Hastings.

“We got back home at midnight, unloaded the car and loaded it up with our suitcases to go to New York. At some point, probably a three-minute gap, when the car was unattended as we were inside the house, someone literally emptied the car of our luggage, which contained my suit, shoes, Anna’s wedding dress and my wallet, containing my cards and driving licence.

“The one thing they did not take was my rucksack, which contained my passport.

“It was very disappointing, as it had been a long and stressful day for us and we still needed to get to Heathrow. We got to Heathrow at 3am after only having one-and-a-half hours of sleep.

“It was devastating for us. Anna was very upset about her wedding dress being stolen. I think it’s especially galling as the emotional and financial cost to us was so great.”

He said the couple, after arriving in New York, spent all day buying a new wedding dress, suit and other clothes, so they could tie the knot the next day as planned.

Anna said: “I was gutted. We had been planning the wedding for months. I was so excited and I had tried so hard to find a dress that I felt good in and had had it tailored to fit.

“To lose it and all my favourite clothes that I had packed for New York was so upsetting. It also affected the first couple of days in NYC because I had to try and find something else to wear - when we were looking forward to relaxing. I was running around shops trying to find something I wanted to get married in.

“I couldn't find anything quite right so ended up wearing a plain black dress. We were still very happy to get married but the hangover of the upset, the stressful start to the trip and the fact that it wasn't the vision we had did have an impact.”

Friends of the couple are calling for anyone who saw something suspicious, captured anything on a video doorbell or have any other leads that could help them find their wedding dress and luggage again.

A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: “Police received a report of a theft at an address in Nelson Road, Hastings at around 12am on Thursday, October 26. Anyone with any information or relevant doorbell footage is asked to report it online or via 101, quoting 005 of 26/10.”