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...
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...
Madalie came to me for a vintage wedding dress upcycle. She had her mother’s beautiful 1970’s wedding dress and she wanted to wear it, made anew, for her own wedding day. The dress Madalie brought to our consultation meeting wasn’t the right size or style for her modern wedding day. We agreed to unpick and...
I get asked this question so often I thought it was time to write a few blogs to answer it properly; “Can my wedding dress be dyed another colour?”. The simple answer is Yes, but with risk and difficulty. If I explain the different processes below you can make an informed choice whether or not...
If knowing whether or not you can dye your wedding dress black (or any other colour) is a deciding factor please see my advice. Unfortunately dyeing an already made garment is very difficult. It’s not impossible but it is very risky and the chance of a ‘perfect’ result is low. I cover ways things can...
Danielle needed my help as a wedding dress designer near London to create her a custom long sleeve bodice that would fit perfectly over her wedding dress. Danielle’s wedding dress was beautiful even just ‘off the peg’ but it needed a little something extra to create a bit of drama on her wedding day. Working...
Sophie and I worked to restyle her Grandmother’s vintage wedding dress into a relaxed maternity wedding dress for a modern boho bride. The original vintage wedding dress Sophie’s wedding dress story is too perfect for words. At her first consultation she brought me the top of her Grandmother’s wedding suit. An exquisite creation in quite...
This is Hannah’s organza waterfall fishtail wedding dress which was a ‘restyle’ rather than made from scratch. She found the almost perfect dress in a bridal boutique but brought it to me to have the skirt changed to the organza waterfall loveliness she craved. Official photography by Adebayo Deru Whole circles of crisp pale ivory...
Posts from Felicity Westmacott
As a bespoke bridal designer, it`s my job to make sure your dress looks like it`s part of you.
For this bride, I designed a dramatic satin dress, with a statement bow and asymmetrical ruching across the front and back of the bodice. A more traditional bodice that might have a lace up back, or simple a concealed zip down the middle, but for this dress I didn`t want to break up the flow of the fabric going across the body, so I had to come up with an elegant (and easy to use) solution. Not only did the fastening need to impossible to spot, it also needed to provide support for the bride, so she felt secure in the dress throughout the day.
I created two panels of ruched silk dupion in this beautiful rose gold colour. The panels were secured at the side, not the back, with the top panel being firmly attached with poppers. The panel underneath had hooks and underneath that I made a built in corset behind a heavy-duty zip. Because of the weight of the dress, and how fitted it was, the zip had to work harder than usual, so it was actually very useful to be able to fully hid it. It meant the bride could be fully supported, without the zip interfering with the design.
All that work meant that this bride didn`t have to worry about hitching up her dress or any wardrobe malfunctions, she could just focus marrying her husband and having a gorgeous day with friends and family.
What detail in your wedding dress are you most excited to obsess over?
#bespokeweddingdress #rosegoldweddingdress #bridalboutique #smallbusiness
Down the Rabbit Hole...🕰️
A few months ago I was contacted by Amy, looking for a last minute seamstress replacement for her steampunk Alice in Wonderland themed wedding shoot.
I said yes, and with three and a half weeks before the shoot, I made complete outfits for both brides. Amy gave me free reign on the design, with the only request being I used traditionally steampunk colours; brown, beige, taupe, bronze, copper and gold.
To add to the last minute chaos, the original Alice bride model had to drop out the day before the shoot. We managed to find a new model, whose measurements were similar to the dress I had already finished, except she was 8 inches shorter and 2 dress sizes smaller than the previous model. This meant that even with last minute alterations, the fit on the day wasn`t perfect – it isn`t incredibly noticeable, but I can see it...
For our femme Alice bride, I made a wedding dress from pale gold taffeta, with a fully boned bodice, long skirt with a train and waterfall back. The petticoat is a cage crinoline with rows and rows of boning and tapes – tea-dyed to go with the colour scheme. Originally the skirt had two options, either down, or hitched up. But due to our new bride being shorter, we could only have it hitched, so she could move around safely.
For our more masc bride, I went for a White Rabbit meets Mad Hatter look, with velvet breeches, and a double-breasted waistcoat over cotton romantic sleeved shirt and matching cravat. She was styled with Victorian-style ankle booties and striped stockings. I also decorated a vintage top hat with bird cage veiling, cogs and peacock feathers, and we sourced a pocket watch to go into the specially made pocket watch pocket.
Which outfit is your favourite?
Content creation and creative lead: @reeldealsocial
Lead photographer: @nicolaashleaphotography
Celebrant: @stardustceremonies
Styling and flowers: @foxgloveandblack
Photographer 2: @candiceharrisphotography
Model 1: @rosy053
Model 2: @s.frosties
HMUA: @house_of_belles
Tea set: @teacupswishes
Cake: @thecakelabuk
Shoes: @houseofelliotlaceboots
Drinks: @bittersweetbartenders
Stationer: @calistaandbelle
Venue: @wortonhall
My goal this year is to use up as much of my existing fabric stash as I can. Having been a seamstress for several decades now, I have amassed a huge pile of fabric over the years. That, and I just can’t throw anything away. As a result, I have an island’s worth of gorgeous, unusual and tragically under-utilised material, begging to be used for its purpose – creating unique and beautiful wedding dresses.
So, when Amy approached me about creating some looks for a steampunk Alice in Wonderland themed wedding shoot, it felt like the perfect opportunity to dip into my stash.
As a result, everything was made from fabrics in stock – nothing was bought new. In fact, some of the scraps of lace are from my mum’s stash, so parts of this dress are from the 50s and 60s. I trimmed the gown with scraps of vintage and antique lace, sequins and tulle, as well as torn blue silk for the very Alice bows. They had a long while waiting to be used, but finally these frabrics have their home.
Content creation and creative lead: @reeldealsocial
Lead photographer: @nicolaashleaphotography
Celebrant: @stardustceremonies
Styling and flowers: @foxgloveandblack
Photographer 2: @candiceharrisphotography
Model 1: @rosy053
Model 2: @s.frosties
HMUA: @house_of_belles
Tea set: @teacupswishes
Dress/suit: @felicitywestmacott
Cake: @thecakelabuk
Shoes: @houseofelliotlaceboots
Drinks: @bittersweetbartenders
Stationer: @calistaandbelle
Venue: @wortonhall
As you can see from the first fitting photo, when Mahri bought her dress to me, there was a bit of an issue with fit.
But not to worry, because that`s where I worked my dress alchemy magic ✨️
Mahri`s dress underwent a lot of changes. Over the course of several months we had lots of fittings, each time readjusting our plan of action. This is to be expected for a such a dramatic alteration.
Not only did I add about 8 inches to the body of the dress, I also reshaped the bodice, creating new panels from the fabric taken from shortening the hem. I used the rest of the spare fabric to make the lacing at the back, so that everything matched perfectly.
Originally at the back there were see-through panels with buttons, but we decided to get rid of those, and ended up with this elegant, flattering shape, using just a little bit of invisible skin-tone tulle for support.
As a final detail, I created a fabulous bustle up. I think it looks particularly beautiful with this style of dress.
Mahri looks absolutely stunning and I`m so glad she trusted me to work my magic and transform her wedding dress into something truly bespoke.
I have a few alteration slots per month, so if you`ve got some changes in mind, it`s better to get in touch sooner rather than later!
Photographer - @geocam.photography
The Venue - @thecruin (Loch Lomond)
Decor - @purplewillowweddings
It`s amazing how much a cape, jacket or bolero can add to a bridal outfit. It can be that finishing touch you didn`t even know you were looking for.
So, I wanted to share some of my favourite cover-up creations:
1. For this photoshoot, I spent a lot of time looking at Jenny Bevan`s designs from the recent Cruella film. From that, I came up with a series of looks, including this antique military-style black velvet jacket, to which I added lace cuffs for even more upcycling chic.
2. This wedding shoot was all about 1950s fun. As well as the dress, I really enjoyed creating a capsule collection of accessories, including this organza tie-front shirt, inspired by rockabilly and country & western.
3. I created this little capelet using layers of purple and lilac feathers. It`s such a rock n` roll vibe for an alternative bride who wants to make a statement. A small addition, but with maximum effect. (this feather capelet is part of my Etsy sample sale)
4. For this cool London elopement shoot I wanted a short, sweet 60’s/80’s retro vibes. I made the simple dress and then the cute bolero-shrug. It`s covered in sequins and pearls and fastens above a cut away back with matching pearls. So cute, so chic.
Which is your favourite? Cruella, Rockabilly, Alternative or Retro?
~
Shoot 1
Photography @lexflemingphoto
Planning and Styling @revelryevents
Venue @woolwichworks
Hair @makeup_in_orangeries
Necklace @moxhamstore
MUA @kayleighkmua
Bride @victoria_sirotyuk
Shoot 2
Concept, Planning & Styling: @4yaparty
Venue: @thelostvillageofdode
Photographer: @stevemulveytog
Florist: @baileyandblossom
Car: @veeduboccassions
Millinery: @follylondonmillinery
Jewellery: @bishboshbecca
Makeup: @scampbellbridalmakeup
Hair: @alexhairandmua
Models: @dawn_isobel @nnastia.photography
Shoot 3
Model emilygossip
Photographer @joannabongardphoto
Fascinator by @laney_jane_maccormack ⠀
Cake by @malarkeycakes ⠀
Hair and makeup by @lawsonmakeup⠀
Venue @sparkfordhall
⠀
Shoot 4
Models - @megsnmichael
Concept/Photographer - @jade_mariephotography
Florist - @hollyandtheivyfloristry
Make up/Hair Stylist - @emmaartismakeup
Jeweller - @cathysutherlandjewellery
This softly feminine bridal cape is made from delicate pale ivory tulle, with elegant guipure lace carefully hand sewn, asymmetrically cascading down the neckline and beyond. This cape is made with hidden wrist catches that ensure it stays placed correctly, with the lace delicately skimming your wrist.
There`s something so dreamy and nostalgic about this style, especially when paired with a simple satin silk shift. Perfect for a little cover up during a sunny, destination wedding.
Don`t you think the lace motifs at the back are reminiscent of angel wings?
This sweet little cape is part of my sample sale at an absolute steal. It`s free size, meaning it will fit sizes UK4-UK26 easily. Find it on my Etsy and make it part of your perfect day 💜
#samplesale #weddingdresssale #bridalboutique #weddingseason #smallbusiness
