Chinese inches For anyone puzzled as to why there are two kinds of inches, two measurements both called inches but not the same. You may have come across a tape measure with ‘inches’ that seemed a little off. These are most likely Chinese 寸 or cùn not a western inch, Though very similar a cùn...
My contribution to the gender upbringing debate: I believe the genders should have equal opportunities. I don’t believe the genders are ‘the same’, there are differences but these are differences that are evident over wide portions of the population and not to be relied on when comparing two randomly selected individuals. Therefore it is important...
If you have ever despaired of understanding sizing in the shops, rest assured, you are not alone. Why are you a size 14 in one shop and a size 18 in another? Unless, of course, you have just eaten A LOT of cake in a cafe in between the two shops my musings below may...
Until wash-fast chemical dyes were widespread (1940’s/50’s) most children were dressed largely in white, whether boys or girls, right up until the age or six or seven. Of course they did wear other colours too, but white was practical as the clothes and nappies could be bleached. As they grew up styles were chosen that...
Should we ban balaclavas because a few criminals choose to wear them? People have as much right to wear a bikini without being hassled as a burkha and I will defend their right to that choice.
Posts from Felicity Westmacott
For Zoe`s wedding dress alterations, I lifted the shoulders, reset and narrowed the sleeves, and made the cuffs smaller. I also added bust pads in the front for security and coverage.
It wasn`t that much compared to the work I do on some wedding dresses. Sometimes you just need to change a few things here and there, to feel comfortable and beautiful on your wedding day.
And, as a bonus, after working with Zoe on her alterations, her mum then also booked in for some bespoke work. It always feels especially lovely when I receive work through recommendations 🥰
If your wedding is coming up and your dress needs a little adjustment or a major change, drop me a DM and let me work my magic ✨️
Photography - Richard Galloway
#dressmaking #alterations #weddingdress #bridalalterations #surreybride #weddingdressalterations #bride #alteration #weddingalterations #dressmaker #sussexbride #weddingdressmaker
Come away to an intimate wedding in the countryside...
The wedding we wanted to evoke in this shoot is for a bride and groom who want to keep things simple and small.
The venue, Chafford Park, has just been newly renovated and is available for dry hire. Personally, I love a dry hire because it means you can treat it like a blank canvas, making it into whatever you want.
The wedding dress I provided is made of ivory silk georgette (or chiffon) and lace. The style feels both modern and vintage, with lots of lovely textures and a lace up corset bodice. Simple, yet effortlessly elegant. I also made a lace and tulle overskirt, to give more options when frolicking.
(top tip: make sure you scroll through to the hand-painted macaroons - I`m obsessed!)
Would you use a dry hire for your wedding?
Photography: @isobelwnphotography
Stylist: @halo_beautiful.xo
Venue: @chaffordpark
Dress: @felicitywestmacott
Celebrant: @madewithlovecelebrations
Food: @vinedinecatering
Cake & macarons: @bluebellkitchen
Jewellery @oliveandedenvintagejewellery
Stationery @simply.laura.calligraphy
Flowers: @baileyandblossom
When I signed up to do this Surrey based wedding photoshoot, I wasn`t expecting to find two of my dear theatre friends there as well! In fact, we had been having dinner together a few weeks before, and they mentioned they were modelling for a photoshoot, and I mentioned I was supplying a wedding dress for a shoot, and neither of us realised it was the same one! So it was extra lovely to spend some unexpected time with them.
It was also lovely to connect with other local wedding suppliers. Working in this industry as a wedding dress maker can be quite a solitary existence, so part of the reason I do shoots like these is to network with others, and also to revel in their creativity! There were so many gorgeous little details from this shoot, but those will be in my next post...
Follow along for more pretty wedding dress content!
Photography: @isobelwnphotography
Stylist: @halo_beautiful.xo
Venue: @chaffordpark
Dress: @felicitywestmacott
Celebrant: @madewithlovecelebrations
Food: @vinedinecatering
Cake & macarons: @bluebellkitchen
Jewellery @oliveandedenvintagejewellery
Stationery @simply.laura.calligraphy
Flowers: @baileyandblossom
#weddingdress #ukwedding #ukbride #bride2025 #bridetobe #bespokeweddingdress #surreyweddingdress #sussexweddingdress #englishwedding #barnwedding #surreybride #surreywedding #customweddingdress
I`ve been nominated for the 2026 Wedding Industry Awards 🥳
Recently I was looking through my emails, as you do, when I see one that looks a little bit more exciting than the usual spam. It was from the Wedding Industry Awards letting me know that one of my clients has put me forward for the "Independent Dressmaker/Designer" category. It was such a lovely surprise!
I previously entered these awards in 2016 and 2018. Both times I made it to the regional finals, but I never came away having won. So I thought this year I`d give it another try, spurred on by the kindness of a client 🥰
Which leads me to asking you all for a favour. If you used my services between Oct 1st 2024 up until now (all that way until Sept 29th 2025) then you are eligible to vote for me. Unfortunately, anyone I`ve made a wedding outfit for before this can`t vote.
Winning an award voted for by the people I work for is such a gorgeous feeling, so if you have a few minutes to spare, you can find the voting link in my bio 💜
If you do vote for me, let me know so I can give you a big virtual hug!
The second shoot I`m featuring for this week`s Pride celebrations includes a real queer couple and a dress with a rainbow on it - you can`t get more Pride than that!
Our two brides are looking absolutely gorgeous and absolutely in love in this slightly more subtly rainbow themed shoot. What else can I say? They just look so perfect together.
If you`re looking for a friendly, welcoming and open-minded seamstress for your dress, then look no further. I want to celebrate everything that you are on your big day - including making you the perfect outfit. Just drop me a DM, I`d love to hear from you 💜
Venue - @skitbyhouse
Photographer - @lucyalexandra_photography
Dresses - @felicitywestmacott
Hair & Makeup - @Clairealexandrahairandmakeup
Celebrant & Organiser - @ribeiroceremonies
Hair accessories - @nujewellery_byemma
Butterflies - @flutter2me
Jackets - @niamhdesigns
Florals - @fioredoratoflowers
Ribbons - @_lkdesigns
Model - @missjenaroo
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#lesbianwedding #queerlove #queerwedding #wlw #dipdyeweddingdress #sapphicwedding #rainbowwedding #leatherjacket #bridaljacket #romanticwedding #londonbridaldesigner #surreybridaldesigner #surreydressmaker #londondressmaker
This Pride month I`m featuring real LGBTQ+ couples I`ve had the pleasure of working with over the years 🌈
Nathalie commissioned me to dip dye her wedding dress with this fiery colour scheme and I love how it matches her hair.
This couple, armed with their swords, look like real life battle maidens. Or fantasy book characters...enemies to lovers, anyone?
Plus their cake topper also featured a tiny version of the dip dye dress 😍
Tempted by a dip-dye wedding dress but would rather not have your actual dress coloured? I can create a custom overskirt for you, with up to 5 colours - check out my Etsy page (link in my bio) for more info.
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Photographer: @bubblydeer.studio
