Made To Measure Wedding Dress in London

Made To Measure Wedding Dress in London bespoke custom south uk seamstress maker

For this made to measure wedding dress in London, bride Karah approached me looking to commission a layered gown in scrolling ivory floral lace, with a corset inspired by the late (and very great) Vivienne Westwood.⁠

The base layer is a floor length strapless column dress made of champagne-coloured silk dupion. I made the top layer from ivory lace, including the high collared neckline and long, slim fitting sleeves.

There are so many details of this dress I love; the lace up back, the visible boning channels of the corset, the buttons on the sleeves and of course that big, dramatic veil.

How effortlessly gorgeous is Karah? She looks like if Wednesday Adams grew up and decided to wear white to her wedding. And her husband looks like the perfect modern Gomez. This wedding dress is chic and gothic. Whilst taking inspiration from the Victorian era, but also keeping it thoroughly modern.

Photography – Story In Time⁠

“Everything was amazing and I can’t thank you enough.”

– Karah, the bride

Making a Made To Measure Wedding Dress in London

Step 1: Designing the dress (and getting the bride’s approval)

Step 2: Fabric selection (and getting the bride’s approval)

Step 3: The toile – the rough draft of the dress (and getting the bride’s approval)

Step 4: Fitting the toile (and getting the bride’s approval)

Step 5: Cutting into the actual fabric, followed by lots of fittings to perfect the fit of the dress (and, of course, getting the bride’s approval!)

After lots more steps, you can finally bask in the glow of the completed dress and a happy bride!

As you can see, it’s very important to me that the bride involved with every step of the process. Communication is so important in a process like this. It’s why, when Karah said she wanted to change up the design from the initial idea, I was more than happy to come up with new ideas.

If you’re for more inspo, here is another historically inspired wedding dress, this time using Edwardian era details. Or, if you like the classic column shape of this dress, have a look at another one I made, based on the art deco style of the 1920s and 30s.

If you’re looking for a made to measure wedding dress in London, then I might be your perfect solution. My shop is based in Dorking, Surrey, which is a short train ride (or drive) from London. I’ve made wedding outfits for plenty of London brides, as well as mothers of the bride/groom, bridesmaids and guests.

If you want to have a no-obligation chat, just get in touch. I would love to hear your ideas!

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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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Destination Vegas. Rockabilly bride. Halloween vibes. 
Sounds like the perfect wedding.

Gorgeous goth Ellie got married in Las Vegas on Halloween. She wanted something alternative, retro and a little spooky. She realised she was never going to find that with an off-the-rack wedding dress. That's where I came in.

I designed and made her white and purple wedding dress with a wonderful blend of 1950’s and 90's shapes, modern styling and subtle Halloween Vixen detail. Harkening back to when Halloween was a little more stylish - perfect for this gothic bombshell. Below the boned bodice, I ruched and layered white satin over sumptuous shot black/purple taffeta and layers and layers of white net. The white satin was spangled all over with hand sewn crystals, ready to sparkle under the Vegas lights. 

My favourite detail? The hand beaded spider web made from Swarovski crystals. Spooky but subtle.
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?
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