A BLUSHING bride broke down in tears on Friday morning when her dream wedding dress was revealed on TV.

Sam Lilley, who with fiance Darren Foster, won the chance to feature in GMTV's wedding of the year, had shortlisted three wedding dresses following visits to London's top designer boutiques.

But it was up to viewers of the breakfast TV show GMTV to decide which one she would wear on her big day -- and in a telephone poll they chose award-winning designer Ian Stuart's gold strapless dress with a train.

It was referred to as Dress B. Dress A was ready-to-wear and came from Debenhams, designed by Pearce II Fionda while Dress C was by Donna Salado and was in ivory silk.

Sam, aged 23, from Hollins, Bury, said: "I really had a special feeling about dress B."

To ensure barber Darren, aged 31, from Radcliffe, did not see the dress before the big day, he was put in a special room at the studios to watch television.

When the moment of truth came, Sam broke down in tears.

Mr Stuart was delighted his dress had been chosen.

He said: "It really suits her. It matches the venue where she is getting married. It is a summer dress and will suit the hot weather.

"We will now have to get her measured up and do the fittings."

Sam said: "I really liked it because it is different. I would like to thank the other designers because their dresses were beautiful."

Viewers have been asked to vote on all aspects of the wedding and have already chosen Paphos in Cyprus as the venue.

The wedding will be shown live on TV in September.

WINNER: Ian Stuart's gold strapless wedding dress

Next week it will be Mr Foster's turn. He will be going on a shopping trip to choose his outfit from a selection which is set to include a kilt.

The couple's wedding plans are being followed by GMTV and the big day is being featured as the ITY1 show's Wedding of 2004, with viewers voting on every step of the process.

They will tie the knot live on GMTV on September 3. Viewers have already voted for Darren and Sam to marry in Paphos, Cyprus, where they will enjoy a traditional Cypriot wedding, with Sam arriving at the intimate St George's Chapel on horse and cart and the best man balancing glasses on his head instead of reciting a speech.