I feel as though bride Alex and I are birds of a feather. I also had a period-inspired, unusually coloured wedding dress for my wedding. Alex wanted to meld 1950’s and Tudor influences to create something unique. Taking inspiration from history, but not being limited by having to be completely accurate, is my ideal design atmosphere. So I had a wonderful time creating this dusty rose, historically inspired, wedding dress.
I also made Alex her cathedral length veil in soft grey to compliment the muted tones of her silk dress.
Alex’s wedding date was originally planned for winter and we would have made the dress in a beautiful red velvet. When plans changed to a summer wedding we simply lightened the colour and fabric weight to this luxurious dusty pink silk dupion to keep all the elements Alex wanted.
She looks amazing in this gown, set to the backdrop of the stunning Hever Castle. This is what castle wedding dreams are made of! She looks like a queen from the pages of a fantasy novel.
Photographer: Teri V Photography
Location: Hever Castle
Flowers: Emmy Lou Floristry
“Thanks for making the dress of my dreams! You are truly the dress alchemist.”
– Alex, the bride
Making a Dusty Rose Historically Inspired Wedding Dress
As with all my dresses, I started with the toile. First I have a consultation with the bride. Then I draft a pattern based on our agreed design and make it from an inexpensive fabric. The toile is essential for making sure the design and the fit are right before I cut into our chosen material. I would much rather make three toiles from cheap cotton than have to waste any of this beautiful silk dupion!
Let’s talk about some of the details of this design.
With this dress, we emphasised Alex’s waist with a lace up corset. The lacing was actually hidden, having been built into the base later of the garment. This kind of lacing gave the potential to pull in Alex’s waist up to 4″. The bodice had real button and loop closures all the way down the back. Long, slim fit sleeves fastened with more real covered buttons and loops to echo the dress back.
The skirt was cut in a full circle with a small train sweeping behind. For added drama, I added a big statement bow with ‘sash ends’ extending beyond the dress. Both the dress train and the sash ends had wrist loops and bustle hook-up for dancing, of course!
There are a lot of quiet details I included in the design of this dress, to elevate it without looking busy. One of my favourites is the under bust, the fabric of which I gathered for a bit of texture. I also designed the off the shoulder neckline to sweep to a slight point at the front.
More Wedding Dress Inspiration
It was such a delight to create this dusty rose historically inspired wedding dress. Making this gown represents what I love doing – designing and sewing something beautiful and unusual, that perfectly reflects the bride who will be wearing it.
If you’re looking for more dramatic dresses perfect for a castle wedding, have a look at this bespoke bronze gold wedding dress I made for a similar setting.
Or here’s another long sleeved silk dupion bridal gown, this time in ivory.
If you have something a little bit ‘out there’ in mind for your wedding dress, then drop me a message. Or you can book a free consultation with me. I’m always excited to hear the beautiful, creative ideas that my brides bring to me.
