I made a bespoke ballerina length wedding dress for my lovely bride, Amy. Amy had a very specific brief for her wedding day, she wanted to feel like a Russian ballerina. So I designed a dress with ankle length layers in lightweight tulle. This style was popular in the 1950’s, it has elegant vintage style elements fit for a graceful dancer or film star.
Official Wedding pictures by Nathan Horner
I made Amy’s dress with a fitted and boned bodice. It has a square neckline and straps that narrow to just half an inch at the shoulders. I cut the skirt from no less than twenty-one layers of tulle, netting and duchess satin. I covered the bodice and straps in pretty guipure lace and highlighted Amy’s waist with a silk-dupion ruched sash. The lace also extends over the skirt in shaped petals that seem to drip down the tulle. I hand embellished all of the lace panels with more appliqué lace motifs. These are extra lace shapes cut from the original lace and beads (glass and pearl) and sewn on top for a fluttering 3D effect. The back of the dress closed with silk covered rouleau loops and buttons.
Amy’s ankle length wedding dress was very unusual but I think you’ll agree absolutely stunning! Amy wanted the dress to reveal her shoes and ankles, but still feel like a long dress. A ballerina length wedding dress creates a feeling of grace and elegance, like a Russian beauty of another era.
Amy with her Dad and Flossie, the campervan.
I also made Amy a silk satin stole for her shoulders in a soft green colour. Many brides want an extra layer for different parts of their wedding day. It might be for modesty in a Church ceremony or to keep off the chill later in the day. As wedding dresses are often sleeveless or even strapless providing an easy cover-up means you can be comfortable all through the day. When I advise about the best accessories for your wedding dress we can discuss options like boleros, shrugs, capes or stoles and wraps.
Here is Amy’s finished dress hanging up in it’s dress bag. When I prepare a ballerina length wedding dress for collection I will steam it to perfection and air it out.
I added three tiny blue swarovski crystal, hidden in the lace under Amy’s arm for a subtle ‘something blue’.
I was lucky enough to be invited to Amy’s wedding and here I am dressing Amy on the wedding morning. Using an antique Victorian button hook makes doing up all the little loops and buttons much easier.
Detail of the buttons and loops at the back of the dress.
Detail of the lace bodice. I added extra hand appliqué lace and beading onto main guipure lace fabric.
I made Amy’s skirt with full circle cut layers of soft tulle. Then I cut pretty pointed shape ‘petals’ of the guipure lace and overlaid them from the waistline.
The original design. sketch from Amy’s quote letter.
Here is Amy waiting to enter the church with her bridesmaids, each in a different dress. Her ballerina length wedding dress looks ethereal in this light!
Another advantage of Amy’s ankle length hem is that changing her shoes for the evening didn’t cause the usual problems. Many brides want to wear higher heels for the ceremony and photos and then change into lower, more comfortable shoes for the later part of the day. It is often much easier to dance in flat shoes! But your dress cannot very easily be two different lengths. So if you have two different heel heights to wear it’s always a bit of a decision on what length to make your dress hem. Most brides choose to have their dress the correct length for the higher shoes, and manage with lifting the dress a bit later in the day. Of course I always add a bustle hook-up for your train regardless the height of shoes!
A Dressmaker of a Ballerina length wedding dress
Me in my outfit for Amy’s wedding.
My husband particularly wanted to take ye picture at this moment as he said the background was so incongruous!
Pointing to my dressmaker: And here is a very sweet moment captures, Amy is pointing at me, behind the camera when someone has asked ‘who made your dress?’
Amy and her bridesmaids each carried the most amazing bouquets made of vintage brooches.
More lovely details of Amy’s wedding, mini camper-vans, knitted cakes, paper flowers and converse for the boys
Thank you letter for a Ballerina length wedding dress
Amy’s parents wrote: We hope you and Peter will enjoy a meal out as our thank you for the love you put into every stitch on Amy’s beautiful wedding dress. It is such a gorgeous dress and everyone loved it – we have had dozens of compliments about it.
We are so grateful that you were able to make Amy’s dress and for your incredible talent. We wish you every success for the future of your business and happiness in your life together.
With much love, Beverley and George Simpson xx
I also made Amy’s bespoke veil. It was a simple, cut edge veil in soft tulle. I made the veil with two tiers gathered to a comb and hanging to fingertip length.
A couple of pictures from Amy’s fittings at my studio.
Amy’s ballerina length wedding dress was a joy to make. It’s not often I’m lucky enough to make a dress for a friend but it does add to the delight I have in the work.
If this dress was beautiful you might like to see another tulle skirt wedding dress or more dresses with guipure lace!
If you would like to know more about the bespoke dressmaking process you can read my FAQ page Or get in touch to book your own design consultation.
