The inspiration for this blue wedding dress with sleeves was a little unusual. Some brides give me mood boards, and some brides give me the lyrics to the extended (8 minute!) version of Torch by Soft Cell.
The song, and especially these particular lyrics, have a lot of significance to the bride, Nicky, and her partner. Nicky wanted the dress to be a surprise – her husband-to-be had no idea that the lyrics were the inspiration for her dress. She hoped he’d guess when she walked down the aisle. And he did!
“When I first met you, you looked a lot like Billie Holiday, that blue backless dress, the one with the sequins and the single white gardenia.”
Nicky found me via a mutual friend, and became a friend herself. This was her second wedding, so she had clear ideas about what she did and didn’t want with her dress this time round.
The design we went for was an elegant and ethereal dress in layers of ivory and blue tulle. I used three different shades of blue, from the lightest icicle blue, through to periwinkle and sky blue. We also made use of some stunning sequined fabric, to add a subtle glittering effect throughout the design.
The dress had a corset bodice that was boned for support, with a lace up back and a sweetheart neckline at the front. I made (removable) balloon sleeves in a softer ivory tulle that draped beautifully into embellished cuffs with real loops and buttons.
The skirt made a soft A-line silhouette with many gentle folds. I cut a medium length train at the back with layered water falls of fabric from the top to hem, revealing the deeper blue layering. The lining and opaque layer behind the tulle is a silk satin in beautiful ‘marlin blue’.
Photography – Hazel Du Preez
“Utterly amazing, Felicity brought to life a bespoke wedding dress for me based around words in our first dance song! A true, creative professional with such fine attention to detail. Her dresses are glorious, unique works of art.”
– Nicky, the bride
Removable Sleeves
Can we have a moment for how lovely the dress looks both with and without the tulle balloon sleeves. Nicky looks so elegant in both versions. The sleeves give extra drama, whilst without sleeves there’s a beautiful simplicity to the outfit. I can’t decide which version I like the most!
And finally, I couldn’t resist featuring their adorable cake topper, complete with a little replica of the dress I made.
Making a Blue Wedding Dress with Sleeves
This dress went through a few different iterations, especially with the sleeve design. Nicky wanted to cover her arms, as brides often do, so we spent some time perfecting the feeling of the sleeves, so they looked graceful whilst not overwhelming the dress, or her.
The toile is a practice run of the dress in cheap fabric. This enables me to check the pattern I have drafted for the bride, and for them to check the various elements of the style before we continue. You can see how this neckline is different to what we went for with the final design. That’s why toiles are so important!
Once the base of the bodice was constructed, I began the process of ruching the tulle over top. Pleating isn’t a precise science – it requires both technical knowledge, but also the ability to go with the flow and understand where the fabric wants to naturally fold.
We couldn’t get the exact right shade of bluebell blue for some of the fabric. We found it in the silk, but the tulle wasn’t available in that perfect colour we were looking for. So, I dyed some tulle in a custom blend of Rit DyeMore synthetic fabric dye in sapphire blue and smoky blue.
That’s part of what makes the bespoke experience so special. Being able to spend the time adding those details that make the dress exactly how you want it.
And here is the final blue wedding dress with sleeves. As well as some pretty details, like the beaded cuffs with covered buttons, and the delicate beaded belt. The belt was an addition at the last fitting – Nicky wanted to accentuate her waist and I happened to have this beaded trim in my stash, which went perfectly with the dress. I think it looks like a dandelion head, so I call it my dandelion trim.
More Bespoke Wedding Dress Inspiration
Looking for more blue wedding dress inspo? How about this layered tulle periwinkle dress, also in layers of blue tulle. I love the cape-like train at the back.
Or if you enjoy to drama of a balloon sleeve, and a more fairytale feel, how about this floral blush-toned dress?
If you’re thinking of starting your bespoke wedding dress journey, then please don’t be afraid to reach out. I love hearing your ideas, and if you book a consultation with me, there’s no obligation to go any further, unless you want to. Let me turn your dress dreams into reality!
Suppliers
Florist – Flowerwise
Cake – Gorgeous Gems Bakery
Cake Topper – Topper the World
Caterer – Green Bean Catering
Drapery and Lighting – Bows Hire
DJ – Firebird Events
Bridesmaid Dresses – NABBD (dresses by Special Day Ireland)
Bridal Makeup – Victoria Chainey
Hair – Vickie Nimmo
Venue – Church of the Good Shepherd
