Bespoke Sheer Black Wedding Dress

Bespoke custom made to measure Sheer Black sequin bodycon Wedding Dress hollywood glam

Non-binary stunner, Stevie, saw this Addams Family wedding photoshoot where I made my Morticia inspired look. They knew it was the perfect vibe for them, so they ordered their own bespoke sheer black wedding dress for their own gothic wedding.

This dress is comprised of a simple bodycon fishtail, with a plunging v-neckline front and very low back. I made the dress from modern beaded and sequin sheer fabric, layered over a silver and black floral lace. The skirt flared out from the knee with chiffon godet panels that spread into points at the sides and back to create a statement train behind. And I finished each of the long sleeves with gothic waterfalls and padded shoulders.

This dress, and Stevie wearing it, looks like a combination of Morticia Adams, Vampira and the iconic Bride of Frankenstein. There’s something so sexy about it and I love it!

Scroll down for more gorgeous, vampy photos and a look into how I made the dress.

Photography – Giovanni Logrono Photography

Making of a Bespoke Sheer Black Wedding Dress

Stevie requested a few changes to the original design from the photoshoot. These included making an underlayer for the skirt of skin-coloured stretch fabric. We also made the skirt godets higher, so that Stevie would be able to move around with more ease.

Below, is early on in the process, where the outer part of the dress had been constructed. I still had a lot of work left to do, including all the beading work, the modesty layer and adding those dramatic tendrils (the godets) coming from the skirt.

Some of the work a seamstress does goes entirely unnoticed. In fact, if you’re doing your job right, a lot of it is so subtle that unless you’re into garment construction yourself, you’re not going to see it.

For this bespoke sheer black wedding dress, the bride chose to have a modesty layer underneath the dress. So I constructed a bodice out of a stretch fabric that matched their skin tone. The bodice had to fit Stevie’s body perfectly, so that it looked and felt like a second skin. An ill-fitting base layer becomes obvious by the folding and bunching that can be seen whilst it’s being worn, and can ruin any smooth silhouette you’re trying to achieve. This is when accurate measurements and fittings become essential.

I also added some skin-coloured tulle to the top of the dress, for some added support around the bust.

The back of the design featured a gothic arch, inspired by cathedral windows, fastening across the shoulders. From that arch hung a necklace-back made of faceted jet-black beads. I draped the strings of beads so that a pentagram star appeared where the loops of beads crossed. More beads hung around the top of each sleeve, as well as the high points of the skirt.

And here it is, finished and on the mannequin. Looking nowhere as stunning as it does when Stevie wore it!

If you love the idea of adding a bit of drama to your wedding dress, then I recommend having a look at this red feather masquerade wedding dress. It’s all things moody, dramatic and gothic. Or if you’re looking for more black wedding dress inspiration, there’s this one I made for a classic goth wedding.

And, of course, if you’ve decided this dress is perfect for you, then this design is available to order from my shop.

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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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⁠When Iram saw the ⁠custom Asian fusion wedding trousers and top that I had made for a bridal shoot, she decided she had to have them for her own London wedding – and I don’t blame her! This outfit looks perfect on her.⁠ It's the ideal look for a chic, modern, summer wedding.

The ‘Evie’ separates comprise of a beautiful wedding top and trouser set with beaded waistband for a bride who is not afraid to make a statement. And Iram was definitely not afraid! She exudes chilled, modern bride energy in this cool and comfortable combo. 

If you love this custom Asian fusion wedding trousers, you can find the Evie bridal separates on my Etsy 💜

Photography @saidigitaluk
Since 1753, when the Marriage Act first came into existence, UK marriage law has come a long way. Some things have taken much longer than they should have (I'm looking at you, 1991 and 2013, 2023). But there's still more than can be done. The association of @independentcelebrants is campaigning for the UK government to follow the recommendations of the 2022 wedding law reform report.

"At least 10,000 wedding ceremonies a year in England and Wales are led by independent celebrants. These ceremonies are perfectly legal to hold, but as it stands a celebrant cannot perform a legally binding marriage – that part must be done separately, meaning added inconvenience and cost for couples."

I'm all about supporting couples to have the wedding day of their dream, and that rarely includes having to find time and money to go to the registry office.

If you want to help with this, then you can spread awareness! Share this post, or make your own. Talk about it with friends and family. And once you've done that, you can always get in touch with your local MP. The Independent Celebrants website has a PDF guide to help you with how to go about doing that.

Is this an issue you're aware of? Is there anything I've missed out?

#ChangeWeddingLaw #SpeakUpForCelebrants #LegaliseCelebrantWeddings
I created this Regency-inspired wedding dress for a Bridgerton themed wedding shoot. I used modern fabrics like tulle, beaded lace and shantung, but with period accurate details like the empire line waist, square neckline and boned stays (corset). ⁠
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I love to work with versality when it comes to my creations, so the dress was designed with multiple layers; the main dress has an embroidered tulle bodice and asymmetric beaded lace skirt. A lilac and pink dip-dyed tulle skirt can be added over the floral train of the main dress for some dreamy ombre magic. A lilac silk dupion 'spencer jacket' with hand appliqued beaded lace completes the ensemble. ⁠

 All these options make it possible to have lots of different looks throughout your wedding day. ⁠

Which Bridgerton character can you imagine wearing this outfit?

~
#regencyweddingdress #bridgerton #historicalweddingdress #periodwedding #colouredweddingdress #dipdyeweddingdress #surreydressmaker #londondressmaker #vintagebride #romanticbride #weddingveil #purpleweddingdress #bespokeweddingdress #fantasyballgown
Now and again I'll take one of the wedding dresses I've made, and break down some of the elements. So, if there's something you love about a dress, but you don't know the 'proper words' to reference them, hopefully this will help you out.⁠
⁠
This beautiful 1950’s style wedding dress with delicate cream lace over golden-orange silk has lots of really scrummy details:⁠
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🧡 the opening at the back of the dress is called a keyhole (or you could call this a slit opening). This one is closed at the top with three covered buttons.⁠
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🧡 the base dress is made of a beautiful russet orange silk dupion, with dark ivory lace layered on top.⁠
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🧡 the base dress is essentially a halter neck, with a turn over collar at the front, with the ivory layer providing semi-sheer, full length sleeves.⁠
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🧡 the edges of the ivory layer are cut along the floral pattern of the lace, making a pretty scalloped edge.⁠
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🧡 this length of skirt is called 'ballet' or 'ballerina'.⁠
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🧡 the front of the dress has a line of false buttons (buttons that are just there for decoration), that match the buttons at the back.⁠
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Those are just some of the details of this dress. If you have any questions about anything else, just leave a comment. I could talk dress making all day!⁠
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