Christening Gown for Baby T

Christening dress in ivory lace and organza, made from the bride's wedding dress, by Felicity Westmacott

I made this gown using baby’s mummy’s wedding dress – which is a wonderful tradition going back hundreds of years that not many people know about now. A really good way to get another use from that dress! Simple bodice with lace over-lay and organza frill sleeves. The diamant? sash from mummy’s dress gave a bit of sparkle. Layered organza skirt, extra long as is traditional and pretty button back detail. Christening gowns from ?150 plus fabrics.

Christening dress in ivory lace and organza, made from the bride's wedding dress, by Felicity Westmacott

Christening dress in ivory lace and organza, made from the bride's wedding dress, by Felicity Westmacott

Christening dress in ivory lace and organza, made from the bride's wedding dress, by Felicity Westmacott: design sketch

Christening dress in ivory lace and organza, made from the bride's wedding dress, by Felicity Westmacott

Christening dress in ivory lace and organza, made from the bride's wedding dress, by Felicity Westmacott

Christening dress in ivory lace and organza, made from the bride's wedding dress, by Felicity Westmacott

I also made a sweet little bonnet in organza with matching lace trim.

Christening dress in ivory lace and organza, made from the bride's wedding dress, by Felicity Westmacott

Christening dress in ivory lace and organza, made from the bride's wedding dress, by Felicity Westmacott

Christening dress in ivory lace and organza, made from the bride's wedding dress, by Felicity Westmacott: thank you letter

My happy customer wrote:?Thanks so much for making the dress, Aly is delighted and I was very touched with the little drawstring bag – it’s beautiful! Many thanks, Julie.

felicity westmacott wearing a hat

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 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
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
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