Handmade wedding dress Surrey

vneck back wedding dress countryside wedding

Reeta commissioned a hand made wedding dress surrey wedding day. I made her a plunge back dress in buttermilk silk satin and ivory lace.

Official photographs by www.photofactorysite.com

I designed a fitted bodice, softly boned with a sweet-heart neckline. The lace extends higher to just below the collar-bone with narrow straps set wide on the shoulders. I made the back of the dress plunge in a deep v-neck of shear lace. The pretty scalloped edge from the lace has been used to edge and soften the neckline at front and all down the back. I emphasised the underbust line with a band of exquisite diamante trim, finished by hand at the sides and back to fade away to nothing. The dress was very fitted to the waist and hips before flaring very gently to the floor. The satin under-layer had only a puddle train while the lace will extended longer so there was a wide band of shear lace beyond the satin. The lace hem was also all edged with the same pretty scalloped edging as the neckline.

bride and groom on grass cream lace dress

Reeta wrote: “Everyone was blown away by the dress! I did not want to take it off!!! I look at her (the dress) hanging and I want to wear her again! Hope you like the pics. I tried choosing pics that would show the dress off as much as possible but the pictures sometimes don’t do her justice!

Wedding Dress by Felicity Westmacott, buttermilk silk and ivory corded lace, backless with diamante detail at underbust, design sketch

Original design sketch. The narrow underbust ribbon was later changed to the beaded trim you see in the official pictures

happy couple civil ceremony slimline lace wedding dress
round lace train spread out

I made lining of the wide, round train shorter than the lace. This allows the beautiful lace pattern to show up against the floor.

Indian bride in western wedding dress dancing

Detail of the underbust beading: We used a bought trim in Swarovski crystal diamante stones for the front. This was finished by hand at the sides and back to fade the design away to nothing.

corded lace and silk finished dress hanging up before wedding

Making Reeta’s Handmade wedding dress Surrey

Toile fitting pictures, the practice run in cheap fabrics.

Intermediate fitting pictures. Reeta’s hand made wedding dress Surrey took many fittings to get just right. I like to ensure we end up with everything smooth and sitting correctly, backless dresses are always tricky.

something blue wrist loop

Wrist loop and a hidden ‘something blue’

Pictures from the final fitting in the finished handmade wedding dress Surrey. Above shows the back of the dress with it’s lace plunge. The train held up on the wrist loop with the little ‘something blue’ peeking out.

The back of the dress with the train spread out and bustled up for dancing

If you’d like to talk to me about having your own wedding dress custom made you can read my FAQ here Or just get in touch to book a time to visit.

And you can find more pictures of lace wedding dresses in this blog post

My wonderful supplier, Michael’s Bridal fabrics, has a wide range of lace fabrics to choose from. I have their sample books in my studio to look through at our consultation.

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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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As a seamstress there are certain things that give me the ick. Usually they're pretty specific and unless you're also a dressmaker it might be something you're completely unaware of.

I've always had a ‘thing’ about language generally. I find it really interesting. I've noticed how strong a reaction I can have to people using language differently to what I’m used to. And when I notice that I often go on a bit of a deep dive to understand where that difference stems from. I think coming from a historical costuming background also means I love to know the history of things (and despite my instinctive language-conservative leanings, I do actively work on being accepting and open minded, trying celebrate the differences).

That said, please don’t say your dress has a trail!

Snails have trails - dresses have trains! 🐌
I found this sheet music in my house, and I was so surprised by what it was 🎹🎵

There’s a music stand in my childhood home, and when I was having a look, I found this: “Three Songs composed by Ethel M. Lightfoot”. And my curiosity was peaked. So I sat down at the piano.

When it comes to reading music, I can play piano and sing a little. Nothing outstanding but enough that I could put the music in front of me and have a go at playing it. And I was surprised to discover that I found it was really easy to sightread and sing. Ethel liked the same key signatures, melodies and intervals as me. The things I wrote in my teens (usually quite a bit more angsty) were really similar in terms of structure. Her themes were different, of course, like “Cradle Song”, where a mother sings to her child about their father being away at war.

Ethel, as it turns out, is my great grandmother. Ethel was a musician, and it was so wonderful to find some of her published work, play it and somehow feel connected to her through our similarities. Somewhere in my blood is Ethel’s love for music, and it was so special to find her sheet music flowing so easily from my fingertips.

I love learning about history generally, but there’s something extra special about learning about your own personal history 💜

Is there something from your family history that you’re particularly proud of?
With leaves starting to change to colour, my thoughts have turned to autumn. So I'm sharing my process for this autumn inspired dip dye wedding outfit;
🍁 deciding I wanted to layer a dip dye overskirt on top of the bridal playsuit
🍁choosing lots of warm, rich colours that make me think of autumn leaves carpeting a forest floor
🍁 cutting the tulle of the skirt to the right length 
🍁 gradually blending each layer of colour, using an ombre of yellow, orange, brown and just a little bit of gold at the end
…and then the finished product!

Doesn't this bridal outfit look right at some in the woods?

If you love the idea of an overskirt for your wedding dress, drop me a DM and let’s talk colour palettes!

~
Photographer: @charlymaephotography
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