Dipdye colour for your wedding dress
Classic Phoenix dipdye colour on full tulle skirt.
This skirt was coloured using my spray technique for clear, well placed colour on all layers. Nine shades were blended to create the beautiful ombre fade.
Photo by Emma Cromptom
Choose your dipdye colour for your wedding dress service
I offer several types of dipdye colour for your wedding dress. Choose from my two different techniques, and whether to colour your dress directly or have a custom overskirt made. I also add colour to veils.
I am happy to offer guidance in making the right choice for your wedding dress if you fill out the enquiry form.
Or you can be prompted by the questions in the relevant order form when you are ready to book
I offer spray colour or wet-dye, which are each suitable for different fabric types and effects. See below for a brief outline of each technique and when they might be used.
The two Colour techniques i could use
Ombre Spray
An ombre spray colour technique suitable for tulle, net and lace fabric. Beautiful colour fades and rainbows, any numbers of colours, any height up your wedding skirt or train.
Most dresses are around £600 to colour with this technique but might be anything £400-£900 per dress.
Spray ombre colour applied to bought veils from £80-£300
The ombre spray technique is very controlled, colours can be applied in any order, vertically or horizontally or like mottled sunlight through the leaves. There is a very slight texture change to the coloured area of fabric which means it is not suitable for woven fabrics: only 'fabric with holes in' i.e. net, lace and tulle can be coloured this way.
Above: I coloured Celeste's custom tulle overskirt using my spray ombre technique in shades of blue and purple.
Photo by Jessica Slade Photography
Wet Dipdye
A true 'wet' dipdye technique in 1-3 colours for woven fabric dresses like chiffon, crepe and satin.
£300-£700 per garment.
Wet dipdye leaves woven fabrics as soft and flowy as before they were coloured but there are limitations on the number of colours and the order of colours possible. Colour theory comes into play!
I can colour natural or man-made fabrics. Most wedding dresses are either polyester or silk, check your dress label to find out the fibre content.
Above: Ella in her wedding two-piece dress by Catherine Deane. I used a wet dipdye technique to add a subtle colour fade of the softest primrose yellow, peach and warm orange to her hemline.
Photo by Sadie Penn Photography
Either of these techniques can also be used to add colour to bought or custom made wedding veils.
Full garment dyeing -sorry, No thank you!
Please note I DO NOT offer a 'full garment dyeing service'. I only colour the hem/skirt area of suitable wedding dresses. If you are looking to dye a whole wedding dress or other garment please feel free to read my blog posts as to why this is a tricky task and only to be trusted to the right person. Though I know a lot about dyeing, and could dye whole garments if I wanted to set myself up with the right kind of dye-room, I do not have that desire.
what would you like to colour?
I can colour your dress directly using the technique suitable to its fabrics.
My custom tulle overskirts are perfect if your prefer to leave your dress untouched, or have the coloured layers removable.
I can colour bought or custom veils.
Direct colouring
Any shape or style of dress can be coloured though there are limitations with fabrics and styles that mean usually only one of my two techniques is suitable for any given dress. And each technique as pros- and cons and risks involved which you must weigh up when deciding if direct colouring is right for you and your dress.
I can colour a dress you bring to me, or I can create a bespoke dress for you from scratch ensuring it is suitable for the dye method we need for your desired colour effect.
Costs vary from £400-£900 depending on the style of your dress, technique and number of colours required.
Most dresses cost around £600
I will very clearly explain all the risks before you sign your contract to go ahead. The possibility of colour landing on the dress outside the areas intended is very small. But due to the artistic and organic nature of this colour work they cannot be considered defects should they occur. Similarly, exact application of colour is not to be expected as the neither dye application technique is an exact method
Advancing to moves on the top of the hoop and in the 'strop' shows the progress I have made in three years practice. Below is a 'chest stand' and I am wearing a custom unitard by Shelley of Cirquewear by Shelley
Custom tulle skirts
Dipdye tulle overskirts. Each skirt is made bespoke to fit over your wedding dress with two layers of sheer tulle. Or with a lining to wear as a stand alone separate.
Custom sizes, made to order.
Any length with or without a train.
Prices include colouring £450-£900
The skirts can be sewn to your dress, above or below the top layer, or made removable for a different look later in the day.
The image cella
The other pictures are from my most recent hoop shoot in July 2024 with the Image Cella. This shoot wasn't the first time I've posed for Simon as he started in wedding photography and has not only taken pictures of some of my client's weddings but also collaborated with me on wedding dress photoshoots.
The Path to making Bespoke Wedding Dresses
Sewing and fashion are threads that run deep into my life history.
My first memory of sewing is at just over four years old, on the floor of my mother's sewing room, making a doll's dress (which I still have). I sewed at home for fun, at Brownies for badges, at school for GSCE and A-level, fashion shows and for my friends' Leavers' Ball dresses.
2004 at the Henley Royal Regatta in a dress and hat I made myself
At the age of fifteen I joined the National Youth Theatre's costume department and sewed through six summer holidays in dusty theatre wardrobes and back stage. While I was at art college my mother and I ran a small shop on Reigate High Street called ‘Lothlorien’. We sold clothes and jewellery we made ourselves and craft items from other local artisans.
above: 'Lothlorien' in Reigate, Surrey 2000-2001
In my early twenties I designed and sewed hundreds of costumes for a Yorkshire based Youth theatre 'Livewire'. At university (Wimbledon School of Art) I purposefully took the design, not sewing, course to push my research and design skills. I felt I could already sew!
While at university I got the bug for bridal wear by working part time for a wedding dress shop in Reigate as their alterations lady. After graduating I worked briefly in film and television before concentrating on making bespoke wedding dresses.
above: on my last day at 'Amante' wedding dress shop in Reigate 2008, with Liz the owner who has been so supportive and encouraging during my career and is still a dear friend.
Moving into new premises
I have been working from home for most of my working life, but in 2021 we decided as a family we needed more space. With three children and my business (as well as ourselves) our three bedroom home was beginning to feel quite tight! We considered moving house but with the children settled at school it seemed a better idea to look to move my business to a new space.
Fittings in my previous space took place in our living room, with a lovely big mirror.
My sewing room was quite small, and difficult to keep tidy when I was busy.
Photography by @thealtweddingco and @rachelmillsphotography
I got the keys to my new shop premises on Dorking High Street in April 2022 and moved in six months later after extensive renovations.
I gained so much space. Not only a workshop area four times the size of my old workroom at home, but also a retail area with seating for consultations, two fitting rooms and a huge basement area where I keep my pride and joy, a 4m long cutting out table!
The same big mirror from my home is now in pride of place in my main fitting room. The mirror used to belong to my grandmother. She as a professional dancer and used it for dance practice at home.
Below: my new sewing room where I create all your beautiful dresses.
home, work and family life
I live in Surrey with my wonderful and supportive spouse who is a computer programmer. We have three delightful children who were trained young to bring me the pins they find all around the house. They are all very patient with my work making bespoke wedding dresses. With many fittings at weekends and in the evening it’s tricky sometimes to balance work and family life.
My splendid family. A portrait taken in 2018 with baby just 2 months old!
Photo by Kevin Day
costume history
My fascination with costume history began when colouring in photocopied pages from my mother’s costume history books. Books she’d enjoyed herself as a child. My mother made many historical costumes for her large collection of Barbie dolls, which my sister and I gained access to when we successively turned eight. My mother’s miniature Elizabethan and Tudor creations were truly exquisite. And the 1950’s and 60’s commercial doll’s clothes that came to us were so much more beautiful and well made than those sold in the shops at the time.
Historical barbie costumes made by my mother when she was a child. They are Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn and Queen Elizabeth I
above: 18th century costume designs for 'Our Country's Good', a university project.
The award winning and well known costume designer, Jenny Beavan is a family friend. I was lucky enough to live with her for 4 summers in my teenage years, while I worked at the National Youth theatre. I watched her work on designs for the films ‘Ever After’ and ‘Possession’ while I lived at her house in London. She kindly tempered my youthful arrogance with wise words of advice. Jenny helped me to think about my possible career in costume optimistically but with realism. And she has been supportive ever since!
theatre
My love of theatre extends far beyond the costumes. I love to watch plays and feel very lucky to live so close to the culture epicentre that is London. I am a member of a small but very prolific local amateur theatre in the nearby town of Horley. The Archway Theatre, built under the arches of Horley station’s railway bridge, produces 10+ productions a year on two stages. I have designed and made costumes on occasion but mostly participate on stage.
My favourite roles with Archway, and at other theatres, have included Elaine in ‘The Graduate’, ‘Lotty’ in ‘Enchanted April’ and Sybil in ‘Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime’. I also regularly appear in Shakespeare plays with The Polesden Lacy Shakespeare Company. Until 2019 they produced outdoor, traditional but groundbreaking productions of well loved Shakespeare plays.
Below you can see me in
Home I'm Darling -as Judy 2024 Archway Theatre
Sunset at Villa Thalia -as Charlotte 2022 Archway Theatre
Love's Labour's Lost -as Moth 2019 Polesden Lacy Shakespeare
Enchanted April -as Lottie 2017 - Archway Theatre
The Winter's Tale -as Paulina 2012 Archway Theatre
The Taming of the Shrew -as Biana 2010 Polesden Lacy Shakespeare
Passing out Parade -as Jenkins 2009 Archway Theatre
A Midsummer's Night's Dream' -as a fairy. 2009 Polesden Lacy Shakespeare
Lord Arthur Saville's crime -as Sybil 2008 KADDS, Kingswood
Saucy Jack and the space vixens
In 2023 I directed 'Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens' at the Archway Theatre. This is a musical I saw in one of it's original productions at tne Edinburgh festival in the late 1990's. I fell in love with it's sexiness and vibrant score. It was a wonderful fulfilment to bring my own version to life and to have such a wonderful cast and crew help me do so.
Photos below by Mark Dobson
Costume design
Though I actively prefer treading the boards myself as my main hobby, I am occasionally persuaded to help design and make costumes for shows I am involved with. Below are a few creations worn by wonderful characters from shows across the years. These include, Dracula, Hamlet (In Japan), Much Ado ABout Nothing, The Importance of Being Ernest, Private Lives, King Arthur, Pride and Prejudice and Twelfth Night.
teaching
In 2016 I taught a summer course at London School of Fashion. The project was run by ‘The Muslin Trust’ a charity seeking to raise the profile of traditionally woven cotton muslin fabrics called ‘Jamdani’ from Bangladesh. The course ran for 10 weeks with young people aged 15-21 learning about the history of Regency fashion, historical construction techniques and the continuing production of the muslin fabrics. The students designed and produced, entirely by hand, two Regency dresses using Jamdani fabrics. The dresses were showcased and exhibited around the world.
In 2017 I started running small sewing classes with colleagues Sarah Fenn and Beth Moody. Under the name ‘Reigate School of Sewing’ we run 6-8 week dressmaking courses for beginners and improvers. We also run stand alone ‘Learn to use a Sewing Machine’ classes for total newbies and for those needing to gain confidence again after some time away from sewing.
If you're new to dressmaking and looking to buy a suitable sewing machine check out my blog post on 'Sewing Machines for Beginners'
From these two small forays into teaching I find I have a real love of, and some skill at, imparting my own knowledge to others. I hope one day to take on an apprentice and be able to pass on my knowledge of making bespoke wedding dresses.
teaching
In 2016 I taught a summer course at London School of Fashion. The project was run by ‘The Muslin Trust’ a charity seeking to raise the profile of traditionally woven cotton muslin fabrics called ‘Jamdani’ from Bangladesh. The course ran for 10 weeks with young people aged 15-21 learning about the history of Regency fashion, historical construction techniques and the continuing production of the muslin fabrics. The students designed and produced, entirely by hand, two Regency dresses using Jamdani fabrics. The dresses were showcased and exhibited around the world.
In 2017 I started running small sewing classes with colleagues Sarah Fenn and Beth Moody. Under the name ‘Reigate School of Sewing’ we run 6-8 week dressmaking courses for beginners and improvers. We also run stand alone ‘Learn to use a Sewing Machine’ classes for total newbies and for those needing to gain confidence again after some time away from sewing.
If you're new to dressmaking and looking to buy a suitable sewing machine check out my blog post on 'Sewing Machines for Beginners'
From these two small forays into teaching I find I have a real love of, and some skill at, imparting my own knowledge to others. I hope one day to take on an apprentice and be able to pass on my knowledge of making bespoke wedding dresses.
Early connections with the Wedding Industry
I grew up with parents who changed jobs and moved house every 3-5 years throughout my childhood. Though we were always living in and around the Reigate/ Horley/ Gatwick area. My father loves setting up new businesses and making plans, but not so much the everyday slog of running them. So there was always a new project on the horizon and another reason to move on!
The Parks Young family in 1991, I am bottom right.
One of their enterprises was running a country house hotel, just outside Charlwood, in Surrey. The 16 bedroom house was owned by my grandfather, and had been built by his grandfather, truly a family mansion. My parents started out running the house as a bed and breakfast but quickly progressed to hoteling. They found weddings were the best way to make the house financially viable.
Stanhill Court in the snow 1987. My bedroom was the third upstairs window from the right which was always traditionally the nursery.
Unfortunately this discovery could not prevent the 1991 financial crash from pulling the rug from under their feet. As a result the business collapsed and the house was sold out of the family.
above: Inside Stanhill Court when I lived there, view from above the stairs to the minstrels gallery
But the years I spent from age four to nine in a big, beautiful house, surrounded by English woodland and handing round cake at weekend weddings, were very formative. You can still visit my family house, Stanhill Court (Hotel) in Charlwood. It is still a hotel and wedding venue, though now much changed and modernised by the current owners. Very occasionally I make a bespoke wedding dress for someone who is going to be married there and that always brings me much happiness.
If you feel a connection with me and my interests enquire today about starting the design process for your bespoke wedding dress.
I`m so happy Ella chose me to elevate her already lovely @catherine__deane bridal skirt from @the_little_bridal_boutique.
For this subtle dip dye, I used a wet dye technique, instead of my usual spray approach. The two colours blended so beautifully together 💛🧡 I think the skirt looks like the petals of a flower, but I can`t put my finger on which one.
Photography - @sadie_penn_photography
I loved adding a creamy pale yellow and sorbet orange dip dye to this beautiful silk skirt, by @catherine__deane (via @the_little_bridal_boutique).
Aren`t these colours so lovely?
I`ll be posting the beautiful photos the bride sent me of this wedding dress in action soon!
#bespokeweddingdress #weddingdress #bridetobe #customweddingdress #dipdyeweddingdress ombreweddingdress
All these lovely words are from my Google reviews. I received some of the most gorgeous feedback in 2025, and every one made me feel so warm inside 🥰
If we worked together last year, then I`d love to hear what you thought of the process and the outcome. You can find my Google Business page just by googling `Felicity Westmacott`.
Make a seamstress happy and a leave me a little review 💬
Photography:
Bryony - @alexandra_weddings
Marina - @liebe_rockt
Karen - @sbyrnephoto
Ashley - @copper_squirrel_photography
2026 is going to be the most whimsical year yet ✨
To be clear, this isn`t me. But I did make the dress, and I did insist on the lovely Lauren twirling in it for me. She`s a brilliant twirler, I think we can all agree 💃🏻
(This 16th century costume dress is now available sale just get in touch for details 🤫)
The cusp between the old year and the new year is always a time for reflection. For me, at least. Looking back at the things achieved, and looking forward to what else might be in store.
One of my favourite projects this year was costuming again at the Archway Theatre. The play was Nell Gwynn, which is set during the Restoration period. Some plays allow for some artistic license when it comes to historically costuming, but for this one, my aim was to be as period (and class) accurate as possible.
My original training was in costume design for theatre, and even though it isn`t a huge part of what I do now (although I often use the same skills when creating a wedding look), I do love it when I get to stretch those muscles. A gift from the past, still making itself useful to me now.
Much of my time was spent coordinating outfits, with the use of incredible costume store of my good friend, Elizabeth Callow. Due to most garments being varying degrees of old and worn, I spent many hours altering and mending too. In total I had about thirty costumes to put together. But I also found the time to make a few pieces, including Nell`s pink raw silk gown.
I had a lovely time working with all those sumptuous, brocaded fabrics 😍 which costume is speaking to you the loudest?
Photos by @rubysienauk
Just replace fashion house with bespoke bridal boutique, and you get the idea.
(I also hate being filmed like this, but my social media elf, Elle, told me it was a good idea 😅)
