1950’s short wedding dress

seaside bride white wedding dress made to measure

Aine commissioned a 1950’s short wedding dress made up in white taffeta.

Wedding photography by Michael Dillon

The dress has a fitted and boned bodice with square shaped neckline and invisible zip back closure. The flared, knee length skirt has soft white tulle peeking out below. I decorated both the waistline and neckline with white and silver lace and hand beading with Swarovski diamante details. Aine’s veil was also made to order.

wedding portrait square vneck boned bodice dress

Aine’s veil was a simple elbow length veil with two tiers, made from white tulle. It was finished with a plain cut edge and a thread of silver to match the silver detailing on her dress.

traditional wedding veil with blusher
short wedding dress and veil made to measure
aine19 silhouette kiss short knee length wedding dress
bride on the rocks short wedding dress

Hand beaded lace details for a 1950’s short wedding dress

I emphasised t he neckline and waistline of Aine’s dresswith delicate white and silver scalloped lace. I added tiny silver seed beads, bugle beads, Swarovski crystals and diamante stones by hand to really make Aine sparkle on her wedding day.

gathered tulle petticoat frill and kitten heel shoes
woodland bride demure tea length dress

Original design sketch

original design sketch by Felicity Westmacott

I have made 1950’s style wedding dresses for quite a few other bride as well. I made this dress in a traditional style, like a Grace Kelly dress. And this blog post includes a dipdye version of a 1950’s short wedding dress too

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Felicity Westmacott

I write about all aspects of weddings, dressmaking, fashion history, and the human relation to clothing. I welcome comments and debate.

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Let’s appreciate some of the details of this dress together…

This bohemian wedding dress was made for a vintage Romani Gypsy inspired wedding shoot, and since then it has been used for a few Edwardian and Titanic inspired shoots as well.

For this look, I chose beautifully lightweight ivory silk georgette (or chiffon) and lace, trimmed with ribbons. I spent a lot of time embellishing with hand sewn lace appliqué and tiny glass beads, to make the dress truly unique.

I always like to add versatility to my designs, and for this one I created a lace overskirt, decorated with red and black floral lace and a bold red sash around the waist. Then I made a ¾ length sleeve bolero in black velvet, lined with red satin for the chill nights.

This dress makes me want to dance around a fire, singing folk songs to the stars!

If this dress feels like the one for you, you can find it, ready to order, on my Etsy (link in the bio). Or, you can order it any size you like, completely bespoke to your body and taste. 

#weddingdress #vintageweddingdress #modernvintage #2025bride #2026bride #customweddingdress #bridalboutique #ukbride
Have you ever watched Strictly and thought "I would love to wear that"?

Alison wanted a wedding dress inspired by a gown she saw on Strictly Come Dancing. I love ballroom dancing - my grandmother was a famous dancer in her time, and as a result, I feel a real affinity with the culture of ballroom. So it was really exciting for me to work with Alison in creating her dream dress.

As with all my brides, before I started to cut into the beautiful guipure lace Alison had chosen, I made a toile. The toile is a rough draft of the dress, made in cheaper fabrics. It's a really useful way of checking the fit of the pattern is right, and it also gives the bride a chance to ask for any changes they might want. It's an invaluable part of my process!

The smile on her face during her final fitting says it all ☺️

I think this dress is perfect for Alison, who could easily dance the night away in this gorgeous, floaty frock 💃

#bespokeweddingdress #surreybride #sussexbride #kentbride #londonbride #ukweddingdress #maturebride #modestbride
emailme@felicitywestmacott.co.ukTEL 07762 543230TOUCHGet in
from design to completionbespoke wedding dressesFelicity Westmacott
Dorking, RH4 1RT241 High Street• Visit the Studio •
Dorking, RH4 1RT241 High Street• Visit the Studio •
emailme@felicitywestmacott.co.ukTEL 07762 543230TOUCHGet in