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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Bespoke Wedding Dress Photoshoot in Hampshire

For this bespoke wedding dress photoshoot in Hampshire, we wanted to evoke the feeling of a fairy tale. Of a princess being whisked away by her prince, of magic, whimsy and romance. The colours we wanted to focus on were blush pink, various shades of green and deep burgundy. All inspired by the colours found...

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Blue halter neck wedding dress

blue halter neck wedding dress

Angie wanted a blue halter neck wedding dress for her special day. As a mature bride I encouraged her to have whatever she wanted and I love that is had the confidence to live our her fantasy wedding dress dreams. Choosing a colour instead of white can be more flattering to the mature figure and...

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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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Destination Vegas. Rockabilly bride. Halloween vibes. 
Sounds like the perfect wedding.

Gorgeous goth Ellie got married in Las Vegas on Halloween. She wanted something alternative, retro and a little spooky. She realised she was never going to find that with an off-the-rack wedding dress. That's where I came in.

I designed and made her white and purple wedding dress with a wonderful blend of 1950’s and 90's shapes, modern styling and subtle Halloween Vixen detail. Harkening back to when Halloween was a little more stylish - perfect for this gothic bombshell. Below the boned bodice, I ruched and layered white satin over sumptuous shot black/purple taffeta and layers and layers of white net. The white satin was spangled all over with hand sewn crystals, ready to sparkle under the Vegas lights. 

My favourite detail? The hand beaded spider web made from Swarovski crystals. Spooky but subtle.
As a seamstress there are certain things that give me the ick. Usually they're pretty specific and unless you're also a dressmaker it might be something you're completely unaware of.

I've always had a ‘thing’ about language generally. I find it really interesting. I've noticed how strong a reaction I can have to people using language differently to what I’m used to. And when I notice that I often go on a bit of a deep dive to understand where that difference stems from. I think coming from a historical costuming background also means I love to know the history of things (and despite my instinctive language-conservative leanings, I do actively work on being accepting and open minded, trying celebrate the differences).

That said, please don’t say your dress has a trail!

Snails have trails - dresses have trains! 🐌
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