Edwardian lace wedding dress

 ivory and pink flowers wedding dress with train

Being an older bride does not mean you have to conform to anyone’s idea of how a ‘mature lady’ should dress and I love that Barbara lived her dream! I made an Edwardian lace wedding dress made from duchess satin and beaded Guipure lace. The dress is trimmed with gathered lace flounces and groups of pink flowers. Made in three pieces the lace over-bodice has long sleeves and a high collar. The removable presentation train attached with poppas and was trimmed with matching lace flounces

Photography by Michelle Bean

 lace bolero bodice with collar

Although this dress was Edwardian inspired Barbara opted to leave it unboned for comfort. Luckily Barbara has a naturally small waistline which meant the s-curve shape an Edwardian corset would have created was there anyway.

frills and furbelows Edwardian historical wedding dress

Details matter

The train came with a wrist loop so Barbara could carry it easily when walking outside.

 presentation train edwardian wedding dress duchess satin
mature bride wedding dress made to measure
Miss Havisham bride mature wedding
long sleeve wedding dress modest
original design sketch edwardian bride wedding dress

Original design sketch for the Edwardian lace wedding dress

wrist loop for train bride made to measure
guipure lace sleeve and cuff frill

A detail of the gathered lace and pink flower trim I sewed to her sleeve cuffs.

mature bride edwardian dress
bride and bridesmaid
dancing bride with train hooked up

Making Barabara’s Dress

1900 bride inspiration picture

This is the image that Barbara brought to her design consultation as a basis for her Edwardian lace wedding dress.

toile dress fitting edwardian dress

Pictures from the ‘toile’ fitting, or practice run in cheap fabrics. As you can see the frill on the lace over bodice was too much for Barbara’s petite figure and we omitted it from the final dress.

fitting picture satin wedding dress costume

Final fitting pictures of the Edwardian lace wedding dress

fitting picture dressmaker presentation train victorian

Final fitting pictures showing the detachable train spread out and the lace peplum that is revealed when it is remove

To see more historically inspired wedding dresses you can head to my blog post showing each one I have made for real brides. Or this post dedicated entirely to mature brides.

To talk to me about having your own wedding dress made, in any style, you can get in touch.

Add a comment...

Your email is never published or shared. Required fields are marked *

Felicity Westmacott

I write about all aspects of weddings, dressmaking, fashion history, and the human relation to clothing. I welcome comments and debate.

Recent Portfolio entries

Read More
follow me on instagram@felicitywestmacott

⁠When Iram saw the ⁠custom Asian fusion wedding trousers and top that I had made for a bridal shoot, she decided she had to have them for her own London wedding – and I don’t blame her! This outfit looks perfect on her.⁠ It's the ideal look for a chic, modern, summer wedding.

The ‘Evie’ separates comprise of a beautiful wedding top and trouser set with beaded waistband for a bride who is not afraid to make a statement. And Iram was definitely not afraid! She exudes chilled, modern bride energy in this cool and comfortable combo. 

If you love this custom Asian fusion wedding trousers, you can find the Evie bridal separates on my Etsy 💜

Photography @saidigitaluk
Since 1753, when the Marriage Act first came into existence, UK marriage law has come a long way. Some things have taken much longer than they should have (I'm looking at you, 1991 and 2013, 2023). But there's still more than can be done. The association of @independentcelebrants is campaigning for the UK government to follow the recommendations of the 2022 wedding law reform report.

"At least 10,000 wedding ceremonies a year in England and Wales are led by independent celebrants. These ceremonies are perfectly legal to hold, but as it stands a celebrant cannot perform a legally binding marriage – that part must be done separately, meaning added inconvenience and cost for couples."

I'm all about supporting couples to have the wedding day of their dream, and that rarely includes having to find time and money to go to the registry office.

If you want to help with this, then you can spread awareness! Share this post, or make your own. Talk about it with friends and family. And once you've done that, you can always get in touch with your local MP. The Independent Celebrants website has a PDF guide to help you with how to go about doing that.

Is this an issue you're aware of? Is there anything I've missed out?

#ChangeWeddingLaw #SpeakUpForCelebrants #LegaliseCelebrantWeddings
I created this Regency-inspired wedding dress for a Bridgerton themed wedding shoot. I used modern fabrics like tulle, beaded lace and shantung, but with period accurate details like the empire line waist, square neckline and boned stays (corset). ⁠
⁠
I love to work with versality when it comes to my creations, so the dress was designed with multiple layers; the main dress has an embroidered tulle bodice and asymmetric beaded lace skirt. A lilac and pink dip-dyed tulle skirt can be added over the floral train of the main dress for some dreamy ombre magic. A lilac silk dupion 'spencer jacket' with hand appliqued beaded lace completes the ensemble. ⁠

 All these options make it possible to have lots of different looks throughout your wedding day. ⁠

Which Bridgerton character can you imagine wearing this outfit?

~
#regencyweddingdress #bridgerton #historicalweddingdress #periodwedding #colouredweddingdress #dipdyeweddingdress #surreydressmaker #londondressmaker #vintagebride #romanticbride #weddingveil #purpleweddingdress #bespokeweddingdress #fantasyballgown
Now and again I'll take one of the wedding dresses I've made, and break down some of the elements. So, if there's something you love about a dress, but you don't know the 'proper words' to reference them, hopefully this will help you out.⁠
⁠
This beautiful 1950’s style wedding dress with delicate cream lace over golden-orange silk has lots of really scrummy details:⁠
⁠
🧡 the opening at the back of the dress is called a keyhole (or you could call this a slit opening). This one is closed at the top with three covered buttons.⁠
⁠
🧡 the base dress is made of a beautiful russet orange silk dupion, with dark ivory lace layered on top.⁠
⁠
🧡 the base dress is essentially a halter neck, with a turn over collar at the front, with the ivory layer providing semi-sheer, full length sleeves.⁠
⁠
🧡 the edges of the ivory layer are cut along the floral pattern of the lace, making a pretty scalloped edge.⁠
⁠
🧡 this length of skirt is called 'ballet' or 'ballerina'.⁠
⁠
🧡 the front of the dress has a line of false buttons (buttons that are just there for decoration), that match the buttons at the back.⁠
⁠
Those are just some of the details of this dress. If you have any questions about anything else, just leave a comment. I could talk dress making all day!⁠
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