Flower Girl Dresses with Kanzashi Flowers

Flower Girl Dresses with duochrome gold bronze silk dupion Kanzashi Flowers

Whilst I was working on this stunning bronze gold wedding dress, the bride also commissioned me to create two bespoke flower girl dresses for her daughter and her maid of honour’s daughter. She wanted two simple, pretty pre-teen dresses in ivory duchess satin.

I especially loved incorporating the same rose gold silk from the brides dress into the dresses of the girls, giving the wedding a beautifully cohesive look. As well as experimenting with a new technique of making kanzashi flowers.

Photography – Duncan Ireland

It was so lovely that the flower girls designed their own dresses, and using leftover pieces from my dress was a great idea. I hope you have more brides who decide to do that – from my point of view it was worth every penny to have such happy flower girls.

– The Bride

If you want to see the bride’s gorgeous golden dress in more detail, you can here.

The Making Of The Flower Girl Dresses

felicity westmacott design sketch flower girl

The original design I sent to the bride. She was happy with it as a starting point, and in the end, we didn’t change much when it came to the final dresses.

Here you can see part of the process of making these pretty embellishments; kanzashi flowers. Kanzashi is the traditional Japanese art of folding and stitching fabric petals.⁠ This is the tutorial I followed, choosing a 5-petal design. I opted for pearls for the centre – I think pearls look beautiful paired with the shot silk dupion.

Here is the finished dress on the stand. Adorable, don’t you think?

The final dresses had round neck bodice with a natural waistline. I added sashes made of the bride’s beautiful silk dupion, with a neat little bow at the back. I made sure the sweet puff sleeves had a cuff to match the width of the sash – after all, it’s the little details that matter. The skirts were full and hung in folds over netting to give a slightly puffed silhouette, resting at around mid-calf length.

The dresses were fully lined and closed with a concealed zip at centre back.

If you look closely you’ll see that we opted not to have kanzashi flowers on the sleeves, as per the original design. Like Coco Chanel said, “Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.”

Trying on the Dress

With the bride and her daughter standing together, you can see how using the same fabric for the details of flower girl dress is a really lovely way of outwardly showing the beautiful bond between mother and daughter.

If you want your flower girls to feel extra special on your big day, I think giving them creative input into their own outfits is so lovely. And the imagination of children is often really inspiring. ⁠

If you’re looking for more ideas, you can find further examples of my bridesmaid and flower girl dresses here. In particular these dresses that were made using similar orange gold silk. And if you’re already excited to get started, you can book a no-obligation consultation with me.

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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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I'm a bespoke wedding dress maker, of course I made my own wedding dress!

When I first designed it, I wanted something that was completely 'me'; colourful, historical and a little dramatic. I had ambitions of covering the train with embroidered stems and flowers. At the same time, I had three other wedding commissions I was working on, as well as my own bridesmaids' dresses, some waistcoats for the best men and page boys. Although I managed to get it to a point where I could wear it, I didn't quite achieve what I wanted to by the time my wedding day came around.

I got married in 2007, and it wasn't until lockdown in 2021 that I managed to finish what I had started. I finally completed all the intricate embroidered details I wanted. The fuchsias, the vines and little bees and butterflies. It was so satisfying to see my visioned, fully realised, at last!

Since then I've been luckily enough to have lots of embroidery-centred commissions, and now I've learnt how to manage my time far more efficiently 😂

#2026bride #bespokebridal #bridalboutique #embroidery #ukbride #alternativebride
These are my ladies 💖 working in a bridal boutique can sometimes take you to strange places...

Can you tell I don't like Teresa?😒

#thesearemyladies #dorking #bridetobe #shoplocal #bridalshop #seamstress #weddingdressmaker
With wedding dress alterations, usually it's about making the dress the right fit for the bride. Bringing up the hem, adding in cups for support, making the bodice smaller or bigger. That sort of thing.

But sometimes, when I'm very lucky, I get to play!

Inspiration: a wild meadow of flowers by the sea
What do you think of the end result?

Photography: @sbyrnephoto

#weddingdress #weddingdressalteration #ukbride #ukseamstress #surreybride #sussexbride #londonbride #bespokeweddingdress
Here’s my handy guide to bridal veil lengths! When it comes to your wedding, a veil is such a lovely accessory to have – it can really elevate a bridal look. Some veil lengths have different names for the same thing, so let's clarify the different lengths can be called: 

Shoulder - 16" 
This one is two tiers, bubble style, in vintage tulle. Cute and fun, it has a retro vibe to it. 

Elbow length - 28" 
I chose a 3-tier style, giving this veil a bit more volume. Again, made in vintage tulle with a cut edge.

Fingertip length - 36" 
I’ve notice this length is one of the most popular for brides, so I’m showing a few versions. The first is a single tier with a corded edge, and the second has a lace edge instead. (dipdye, cut edge, with blusher ) 

Waltz (or calf) length – 58”
I made this wedding veil from vintage tulle with a diamante sparkle. This is a good choice is you want something long, but you’re a little clumsy. 

Floor (or puddle) length - 72" 
For this video I went with a floor length veil with a blusher (2-tier) and a cut edge. This one is extra wide as well, for extra drama.

Chapel length - 90" 
This one is in a cowl (or draped) style, meaning it’s placed on the head in a different way to a usual veil. I made this one from a super soft English tulle, which floats so beautifully.

Cathedral - 115" 
If you’re looking for maximum drama, then this is the length for you. This is the length used in the weddings of royalty. With a metallic corded edge, I also made this one extra wide, because if you’re going to go big, you might as well go all the way.

Which is your favourite length of wedding veil? Do you plan on having one for your wedding?

#2025bride #2026bride #bespokebridal #bridalboutique #weddingveil
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