Butterfly wing wedding dress

Butterfly wing dress with pale blue green edging and hand beading.

Official Wedding pictures by Kate Bellinger Photography

I made Katie a simple ivory satin dress with sweetheart neckline and halter strap. The bias-cut skirt flows from the underbust line with silk georgette ‘wing’ panels laid over the top. I created the wings to extend onto the train at the back. All the beading was applied by hand. I used a mix of Swarovski crystals, natural quartz and turquoise stones, seed beads and sequins. The beading was thickly applied around the neckline, fading away over the bodice and applied in informal scatters on the coloured wing edges.

Katie designed the look and detail of her whole wedding day to perfection. She is a designer herself and knew exactly what she wanted!

Visit Katie’s website to see more of her work. See how she can help with the concept and design of your big day!

couture wedding dress with aqua blue silk trim and edging

Thank you letter

Katie Wrote: I want to thank Felicity for making me the most wonderful wedding dress! I tried on quite a few ready made ones and had an idea of what I wanted but nothing was quite right. It was very easy taking my ideas to Felicity who designed and then made the perfect dress for my special day. I was able to incorporate my colour scheme (Aqua) and theme (Butterflies) by having the dress made specifically for me and of course it also meant that it fitted beautifully. The cost worked out at no more than buying a shop bought one too!
>>>>I had so many compliments on the day itself and am still getting them now when people see the photos- I would highly recommend using Felicity’s services to anyone who is getting married…. Many thanks, Katie.

butterfly and orchid wedding

I was also privileged to make a wedding dress for Katie’s mother who was married the same year. You can see pictures of her tea length wedding dress here.

Menswear for Katie

butterfly wing wedding dress handmade to order

Katie commissioned tie and hankie sets for her groom and the groomsmen. I made them in silk to match the pale green edges of her dress

Photoshoot

photoshoot silver blue and ivory silk ethereal wedding dress

After her wedding Lauren booked a ‘treasure the dress’ photo-shoot. She came back with this (and other) wonderful fashion-spread style images. Similar shoots can be booked via The Image Cella . Packages start at £500

Making Katie’s beaded butterfly wedding dress

fitting picture bespoke wedding dress with blue trim

Pictures from Katie’s last fitting before the beading was applied.

creating applique panels for hand made wedding dress

Working out the wing edge shapes by cutting them out of paper and pinning them to the dress.

I applied all beading by hand. I used a mix of Swarovski crystals, natural quartz and turquoise stones, seed beads and iridescent sequins. The beading is thickly applied around the neckline and fades away over the bodice. Lower down it is applied in informal scatters on the pale green wing edges.

butterfly wing wedding dress train hooked up and down

The train spread out and buttoned up for dancing.

To see another example of a hand embellished butterfly wedding dress visit Karen’s purple wedding dress . And another hand beaded dress here in red gothic fantasy.

Or to talk to me about having your own wedding dress designed and hand beaded head over to my contact page.

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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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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! 🐌
I found this sheet music in my house, and I was so surprised by what it was 🎹🎵

There’s a music stand in my childhood home, and when I was having a look, I found this: “Three Songs composed by Ethel M. Lightfoot”. And my curiosity was peaked. So I sat down at the piano.

When it comes to reading music, I can play piano and sing a little. Nothing outstanding but enough that I could put the music in front of me and have a go at playing it. And I was surprised to discover that I found it was really easy to sightread and sing. Ethel liked the same key signatures, melodies and intervals as me. The things I wrote in my teens (usually quite a bit more angsty) were really similar in terms of structure. Her themes were different, of course, like “Cradle Song”, where a mother sings to her child about their father being away at war.

Ethel, as it turns out, is my great grandmother. Ethel was a musician, and it was so wonderful to find some of her published work, play it and somehow feel connected to her through our similarities. Somewhere in my blood is Ethel’s love for music, and it was so special to find her sheet music flowing so easily from my fingertips.

I love learning about history generally, but there’s something extra special about learning about your own personal history 💜

Is there something from your family history that you’re particularly proud of?
With leaves starting to change to colour, my thoughts have turned to autumn. So I'm sharing my process for this autumn inspired dip dye wedding outfit;
🍁 deciding I wanted to layer a dip dye overskirt on top of the bridal playsuit
🍁choosing lots of warm, rich colours that make me think of autumn leaves carpeting a forest floor
🍁 cutting the tulle of the skirt to the right length 
🍁 gradually blending each layer of colour, using an ombre of yellow, orange, brown and just a little bit of gold at the end
…and then the finished product!

Doesn't this bridal outfit look right at some in the woods?

If you love the idea of an overskirt for your wedding dress, drop me a DM and let’s talk colour palettes!

~
Photographer: @charlymaephotography
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