“Frost on the leaves” Autumn Bridal Photoshoot

falling leaves autumn bride

I made three bespoke wedding dresses for this frost themed Autumn bridal photoshoot.

From time to time I collaborate with other wedding professionals on styled wedding photoshoots. This one took place in November 2016 in leafy Surrey with the theme “Frost on the Leaves”. We wanted to explore the underrated beauty of the late English Autumn, a magical time of coloured leaves and silver frost. You can see photos of the making process and behind the scenes pictures from the shoot in my blog entries about this shoot.

Photography:JessicaJillPartridge,
Dresses made & designed by Felicity Westmacott
Styling by Jessica of www.foxandpartridge.com
Models: Katja Cemic, Keely Simeoni and Isabella Crighton
Hair styling by Very Bettie
Make up by www.charlottemuapro.com,
Bespoke Shoes by Marsha Hall
Jewellery by Vicky Forrester
Veil and headpieces by Jen Levet
Floristry by Michelle Knibbs of Muscari Whites
Garden wreath by The Girl who Gardens

I designed three dresses for this shoot, a white and silver dress layered that could be worn in three different ways. Plain underdress only, both layers, or for the daring, the lace layer alone! I also created a dip-dye dress that soaks up the colours of autumn in the hem and a flower-girl dress to compliment them both, in rose-gold silk lame and georgette.

styled shoot with gold leaves red hair bridal inspiration

‘Sylphide’ Frosty silver sheer lace dress

I designed a sheer lace dress with antique silver floral accents and silk georgette flutter sleeves. It can be worn alone as below, with with the custom underdress or that was made to go with it.

low back mermaid beaded lace wedding dress bespoke waterfall train
flutter sleeve waterfall wedding dressy scallop edge lace neckline

Here is the lace dress, for the daring only, worn without the lining!

winter sun on shear metallic wedding gown silver beaded slim
flutter waterfall sleeve modest wedding gown
Juliette cap vintage veil custom to order by Jen Levet

This lace cap veil was created especially for our shoot by Jen Levet and compliments the dress perfectly.

vneck wedding dress matt satin straps winter sun

The under dress or lining layer in pale ivory duchess satin makes an understatedly elegant dress all on it’s own.

Here is the silver lace dress, worn with all it’s layers. The main dress is beaded antique-silver lace and the lower skirt is silk chiffon.

heart cut out wedding shoes custom

Romantic Ivory shoes with lace and heart shape peep-toe, by www.marshahall.com

Lace edged veil by Jen Levet

ivory mermaid v neck chiffon lace custom gown in the woods

This dress was used for another photoshoot a few years later. Seeing how the same dress works differently for different figures and wedding themes can be very interesting. See the Tuscany wedding photoshoot here.

slimline wedding dress bespoke to order winter bride
peeptoe lace shoes autumn winter bride

flowergirl with bride holding train rosegold chiffon and beaded lace

This dress is for sale, made to measure for each bride from my Etsy shop, or direct from me for the full bespoke experience.

blush and copper make-up for wedding with hair garland

Make-up by www.charlottemuapro.com

Rose gold Flower Girl Dress

child bridesmaid dress custom made with long sleeves for winter

I made a flower girl dress in layered silk georgette in shades of rose-gold with beaded lace detail and long sleeves.

Silk Lily band headdress by Jen Levet

Hair garland by Muscari Whites

mix metallic lace and beading custom dress design

Make-up by www.charlottemuapro.com

Hair styling by Very Bettie

Ombre fire Dipdye Dress for Autumn Bridal Photoshoot

Model Keely Simeoni wears ‘Phoenix’ a silk dupion and tulle dress dip-dyed with the colours of autumn as if the season is creeping up her skirt. Creating this dress, took 7 hours on the colours alone, see more detail of how this was done in my blog entry on the shoot.

ombre bridal gown red yellow orange and ivory train
bespoke ivory tulle wedding dress silk roses corset laceup back

Hair by Alex Sadler of Very Bettie

Silk Lily band headdress by Jen Levet

This dress is for sale, made to measure for each bride from my Etsy shop, or direct from me for the full bespoke experience.

phoenix dip dye wedding dress made to order
velvet wedding boots autumn winter wedding

Autumn red shoe-boots by www.marshahall.com

bespoke velvet wedding boots stilettos roses on bed of leave
ombre bouquet pussy willow rainbow roses

Rainbow rose bouquet by Muscari Whites designed to compliment the phoenix dress.

Flame Fantasy Styling

snowflake fire bride ombre wedding dress

Lastly some images of the dip-dye dress with a little Bowie-homage: daring make-up and fairytale styling.

Hair styling by Very Bettie

Make-up by www.charlottemuapro.com

sleeping princess bride ivy autumn flowers


The Leaf Pendant is an ideal choice for an Autumn wedding. The green stone is a piece of Moldavite. The rippled texture that gives the leafy appearance is entirely natural. It’s a type of tectonic glass, created in an explosion of energy over 14 million years ago, when an asteroid collided into Earth. This notion of ‘heaven-and-earth’ makes it a perfect symbol for the magic that marriage inspires.

bespoke wedding dress ombre hem tulle silk ivory veil

Styling for an Autumn Bridal Photoshoot

gold cobweb cuff and jewellery custom to order

Bespoke jewellery by www.vicky-forrester.com

autumn photoshoot table setting inspo gold flowers and candles

Styling by Jessica Jill Partridge of www.foxandpartridge.com

Flowers by Muscari Whites

winter inspiration crockery gold cups leaf plate and tea set
bridal bouquet rosegold and orange vase arrangement
wedding garland november wedding leaves and berries

Garden Wreath by The Girl who Gardens

gold leaf bridal peeptoe shoes handmade with love
gilded bouquet autumn wedding inspiration

bespoke wedding rings with leaves

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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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follow me on instagram@felicitywestmacott

As a wedding dressmaker, one of my favourite things to do is add colour to my designs. Whether making the dress from scratch, or dying an already bought dress, the colours a bride chooses tell me a lot about who they are as a person. 

The most common colours I get for dip dye overskirts and wedding dresses are blues. Followed by purples and pinks. I love getting green commissions, although they happen a lot less often.

Tell me if you think your colour choice is true to you?

~
#weddingdress #colourfulweddingdress #dopaminedressing #uniqueweddingdress #uniquebride #altbride #alternativebride #alternativeweddingdress #ukweddingdress #surrey #dorking #bespokeweddingdress #customweddingdress
One final little sneak peek before I show the fabulous photos from this fabulous day!

1 sewing machine
2 bride outfits
3 bridesmaid dresses
21 talented wedding suppliers
and lots of stage smoke!

Make sure you're following me to see what I'm so excited to share. Photos coming this weekend!

~
Dresses @felicitywestmacott
Photography @jessicajillphoto
Video/content @weddingstorytellerco
Venues @theoldtimberstore_se1 @malt.maltby
Florals @jemimainthewoods
Event Equipment Hire @cohire
Bride Models @michele_and_graziella
Bridesmaid models @Lisaeggy3 @Boobzylou @oleksanacoaching
Choreography @oleksanacoaching
Hair and Make-up lead @melindabridal @melinda_grant
Hair and Make-up @beccibrushes

Celebrant dave_the_celebrant
Guitar @shanetheojoseph
Stationery @theinkmoth
Jewellery @CatherineMarche
Cake @gwynethjohnsoncakedesign
Neon Sign @thisisasignuk
Headdress @Creationsbylivfree
Millinery @beverleyedmondsonmillinery
Shoes @shoesbylarisa
Confetti @proper.confetti

#bespokeweddingdress #weddingshoot #weddingdress #ukwedding #ukbride #ukweddingsupplier #londonwedding
“My detachable skirt was the best. So many people were very impressed with your work. Thank you so very much, I LOVE MY SKIRT!”⁠
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For real bride Christina, I created one of my iconic dip dye overskirts. Christina went for a beautiful monochromatic ombre, going from bright sky blue, all the way down to a deep, rich navy.⁠
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Whether it's matching your bouquet, your groom's pocket square or your bridesmaids, having an overskirt really helps tie the colour palette of wedding together.⁠
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If you want to add some colour to your wedding, but don't quite feel brave enough to dye directly onto your wedding dress, then a dip dye overskirt is the perfect solution. Have a look at my Etsy (link in the bio) to find out more.⁠
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What colours would you pick?
Sometimes dressmaking lingo can feel a bit overwhelming, so I like to spend time breaking down various elements of a wedding dress I've made in... Anatomy of a Dress!⁠
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▫️for the fabric I used a beautiful, ivory floral lace (layered on top of silk dupion)⁠
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▫️the back of dress has a keyhole opening, secured with covered buttons at the top⁠
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▫️the corset bodice is fully boned with visible boning channels⁠
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▫️the dress fastens with a lace-up back, with ribbon and eyelets, and a modesty panel behind (so no skin shows through beneath the lacing)⁠
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▫️the skirt is cut straight with a very slight flare near the hem and scalloped edging used all around, including onto the small train⁠
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Did you find this little breakdown helpful? Hopefully it means that when it comes to your bridal outfit, you have a better idea of how to talk about what you want 🥰⁠
⁠
If you want to see what this dress looked like on the day of the wedding, have a look at this week's earlier post.
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