Blog - Musings from the mind of a bespoke dressmaker.

Wedding advice, fashion, history, photoshoots and behind the scenes.

 

See lots of pictures of previous clients on my portfolio pages

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Marie Antoinette Wedding Dress Photoshoot

Marie Antoinette Wedding Dress Photoshoot Kirsten Dunst red head bride soft pastel Versailles

For this Marie Antoinette wedding dress photoshoot, we took inspiration from the aesthetic of Bridgeton. I think we ended up with something slightly different, but equally wonderful, don’t you think? Our colour scheme was pastels; blush, pinks, coral, creamy ivory and hints of baby blue and gold. We wanted to evoke something romantic and ethereal...

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Modest bridesmaid’s alterations and bolero

modest purple bridesmaids dresses with bolero

The work I did for Ellie included modest bridesmaid’s alterations and helping to make a bolero for each maid. Ellie found bought her bridesmaids dresses from the high street. And then had the necklines extensively altered to meet the modesty standards that were important to her. The gorgeous little boleros were actually finished by Ellie’s...

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Bespoke modest lace wedding dress

modest modern bespoke wedding dress with lace

I created a bespoke modest lace wedding dress for Ellie. In fact it was a dress created from the base of a shop-bought dress but with a major re-design. Ellie found a Pronovias dress in a high street shop with lace and detailing she loved but some elements of the style and particularly the neckline...

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Custom Wedding dress UK fishtail with lace

chapel train fitted wedding dress seated on a bench

Madeleine commissioned a slim fitting custom wedding dress uk in ivory lace over duchess satin. The dress has a fitted and boned bodice with scooped, strapless neckline. The skirt is very fitted over the hips before flaring into a dramatic fishtail over netting to support the shape. The back of the dress has a low...

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Bespoke Wedding Dress Horsham

custom wedding dress horsham with lace

Kate needed a bespoke wedding dress for her wedding in Horsham. She commissioned a soft floaty gown in ivory silk satin and silk georgette with touches of Nottingham lace. I made her dress with a simple bias-cut skirt in satin with the georgette as an overlay. Above the high waistline the bodice I designed a...

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Green Wedding Dress Coat

light Green olive sage bronze iridescent colour shifting duochrome silk dupion Wedding Dress Coat

For real bride, Rae, I created this gorgeous green wedding dress coat to fit over her other wedding dress. That way she had a more dramatic look for her ceremony, and then a lighter option during the reception. I made the dress coat in a stunning shot silk dupion that colour shifted from green to...

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Wedding dresses for Black and dark skin brides

just married bride and groom illusion guipure lace bodice

I have had the privilege of working with many brides who come from black heritage or have darker skin tones. When wearing western wedding dress styles, a fashion first evolved to suit white skin women, different choices can be made to ensure the dresses flatter darker skin tones. Often this includes ensuring any sheer or...

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Bespoke Bias cut wedding dress with embroidery

bespoke bias cut wedding dress in the garden

Safiya commissioned a bespoke bias cut wedding dress made up in white silk satin. The skirt was bias cut and cut slim to the hips but with more fullness at the hem and a medium length train. The backless bodice featured cross-over straps with chain embroidery. Official Wedding pictures by Indigo Images Original design sketch...

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Illusion wedding dress for a Black Bride

corded lace illusion wedding dress for black bride

I made this illusion wedding dress for a black bride with a lace bodice and full silk skirt. It has a button back fastening and organza train the scalloped lace edging. Vanessa’s dress was truly a game of two halves, with a full, silk skirt to be supported from the waist and a delicate illusion...

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Bespoke Regency Wedding Dress

bespoke regency wedding dress

Amanda came to me in 2009 to have a bespoke regency wedding dress made. I designed her a dress in pale gold silk satin with an ivory/gold beaded lace top layer. I created a lightly boned bodice with square neckline and high waistline seam with contrast band. The softly draping skirt spreads to a train...

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follow me on instagram@felicitywestmacott

As a wedding dressmaker, one of my favourite things to do is add colour to my designs. Whether making the dress from scratch, or dying an already bought dress, the colours a bride chooses tell me a lot about who they are as a person. 

The most common colours I get for dip dye overskirts and wedding dresses are blues. Followed by purples and pinks. I love getting green commissions, although they happen a lot less often.

Tell me if you think your colour choice is true to you?

~
#weddingdress #colourfulweddingdress #dopaminedressing #uniqueweddingdress #uniquebride #altbride #alternativebride #alternativeweddingdress #ukweddingdress #surrey #dorking #bespokeweddingdress #customweddingdress
One final little sneak peek before I show the fabulous photos from this fabulous day!

1 sewing machine
2 bride outfits
3 bridesmaid dresses
21 talented wedding suppliers
and lots of stage smoke!

Make sure you're following me to see what I'm so excited to share. Photos coming this weekend!

~
Dresses @felicitywestmacott
Photography @jessicajillphoto
Video/content @weddingstorytellerco
Venues @theoldtimberstore_se1 @malt.maltby
Florals @jemimainthewoods
Event Equipment Hire @cohire
Bride Models @michele_and_graziella
Bridesmaid models @Lisaeggy3 @Boobzylou @oleksanacoaching
Choreography @oleksanacoaching
Hair and Make-up lead @melindabridal @melinda_grant
Hair and Make-up @beccibrushes

Celebrant dave_the_celebrant
Guitar @shanetheojoseph
Stationery @theinkmoth
Jewellery @CatherineMarche
Cake @gwynethjohnsoncakedesign
Neon Sign @thisisasignuk
Headdress @Creationsbylivfree
Millinery @beverleyedmondsonmillinery
Shoes @shoesbylarisa
Confetti @proper.confetti

#bespokeweddingdress #weddingshoot #weddingdress #ukwedding #ukbride #ukweddingsupplier #londonwedding
“My detachable skirt was the best. So many people were very impressed with your work. Thank you so very much, I LOVE MY SKIRT!”⁠
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For real bride Christina, I created one of my iconic dip dye overskirts. Christina went for a beautiful monochromatic ombre, going from bright sky blue, all the way down to a deep, rich navy.⁠
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Whether it's matching your bouquet, your groom's pocket square or your bridesmaids, having an overskirt really helps tie the colour palette of wedding together.⁠
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If you want to add some colour to your wedding, but don't quite feel brave enough to dye directly onto your wedding dress, then a dip dye overskirt is the perfect solution. Have a look at my Etsy (link in the bio) to find out more.⁠
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What colours would you pick?
Sometimes dressmaking lingo can feel a bit overwhelming, so I like to spend time breaking down various elements of a wedding dress I've made in... Anatomy of a Dress!⁠
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▫️for the fabric I used a beautiful, ivory floral lace (layered on top of silk dupion)⁠
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▫️the back of dress has a keyhole opening, secured with covered buttons at the top⁠
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▫️the corset bodice is fully boned with visible boning channels⁠
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▫️the dress fastens with a lace-up back, with ribbon and eyelets, and a modesty panel behind (so no skin shows through beneath the lacing)⁠
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▫️the skirt is cut straight with a very slight flare near the hem and scalloped edging used all around, including onto the small train⁠
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Did you find this little breakdown helpful? Hopefully it means that when it comes to your bridal outfit, you have a better idea of how to talk about what you want 🥰⁠
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If you want to see what this dress looked like on the day of the wedding, have a look at this week's earlier post.
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