Ordering your bespoke wedding dress
Enquiries for weddings in 2025 and 2026 are welcome.
I start just one dress per month, and each dress takes 6-12 weeks to complete.
At present I have bespoke commission start dates available from mid February 2025 onwards, suitable for weddings in spring 2025 and beyond.
I take on a limited number of bridal alterations per month. I am now fully booked on alteration slots mid March to mid May with spaces prior and after readily available.
HOW DOES MY bespoke DRESS GET DESIGNED AND MADE?
A free design consultation appointment begins the process where we will discuss what you require covering elements such as style, materials, the budget and time-scale. A design sketch and cost quotation will then be posted or emailed to you for your consideration.
An individual pattern will be drafted to your measurements and series of private fittings will ensure a perfect fit and finish. The process of a bespoke bridal dress will usually include the making of a toile, which is a mock-up of the design in cheaper materials, allowing the maker to perfect the cut and the wearer to check the style.
All consultations and fittings take place in my own home and so will be completely private and you will have my full attention during your appointment.
For a more in depth exploration of the design and making process click here
Four to six months notice is usually required for bridal work though I do get booked up for the summer more quickly than the winter months. Once your booking-in fee is paid your sewing time is booked into my schedule and your dress will be made in the time we have reserved for you.
Most wedding dresses take me between 30 and 70 hours of sewing to create. The actual timescale is very flexible, we can spread the work over many months or begin and finish inside a few weeks.
I have made dresses with less then 3 weeks notice on occasion, please ring or email to see if I have space for your rush order.
What if I lose or gain weight?
This should not be a problem, though ideally you have reached your target weight before we begin work. The final fitting would normally be in the last few weeks before the wedding anyway to ensure a perfect finish.
If you lose more weight or gain after we have started, the dress can be altered to fit, within reason, as we go along. However if the change is more than 2 inches (a whole dress size) in either direction I cannot make the same promises about perfection that I can when I am able to measure and make for a stable body size.
Maternity: I have also made dresses for expectant mothers and new mothers without any problems. We can make plans to measure you and create the dress at appropriate points in your pregnancy or after the birth. Having worked with such body shapes before (and having had a few kids myself) I know roughly what to expect and will make sure the dress allows for your changing shape.
Yes, I can, but no I don’t. I would usually be capable of re-creating a dress for you but if it is a design that is still available from the actual designer it is illegal for me to copy it. I am happy to use other people’s designs as inspiration and I actually encourage you to bring along pictures from magazines or the internet which we can use as a basis for designing your dress. It’s useful to have some idea of the kind of thing you would like.
I have made people near copies where the original was nearly right but not quite, with changes to the style, detail or colour to create the exact dress they wanted . If you really love a dress exactly as it is by another designer it’s best to buy it from the original source.
wedding dress alterations
I will sometimes undertake alterations on off the peg dresses if I have space in my schedule. I usually advise that wedding-dress alterations are made about 3-6 weeks before the big day but you can visit much earlier for a quote and then reserve time by paying a booking deposit.
I have altered more than 1000 wedding dresses during my sewing life and there is very little I cannot manage. If you are unsure whether your dress can be altered the way you would like I am happy to offer advice and help at a consultation appointment.
Most dresses cost £50-£400 depending on what needs doing and how the dress is made.
For more information visit my alterations FAQ page.
today consultationBook a Bespoke ConsultaTions
The start of the bespoke process is personal a consultation.
We look at fabrics, sketch out ideas and talk about timescales & budgets
At present I have bespoke commission start dates available from mid February 2025 onwards, suitable for weddings in spring 2025 and beyond.
I`ve still got Valentine`s Day on the brain, and with Valentine`s comes a lot of talk about love and loving other people, naturally. But I wanted to talk about a different kind of love, about loving yourself. It`s still kind of a slightly taboo subject for us brits (and beyond), but isn`t it just as important to love yourself, as it is to love others?
This photo came to mind. I often don`t like how I look in photos but I actually like this one.
And much like a relationship with someone else, even on dark days, you can find the angle to look at yourself that makes you feel good. Or at least, okay with yourself. Like, a photo you like, a small act of kindness you can offer to someone, or who someone offers you. Being open to change, finding the motivation to do something hard, or accepting today is a day you can`t do more than exist and that it`s okay. It`s okay to have those days.
It`s so important to find an angle that allows you to look at yourself with love, every day, even in the harder times.
(a big shout out to my sister, who provided me with the inspiration for this post during a conversation we had going to the theatre together recently 🩷)
I want to know...what small acts of love do you show yourself?
~
Photography @altweddingco
Happy Valentine`s Day!
What better day to give some love to a shoot that summarises everything me and my business are about!
Vibrant colour! Unique silhouettes! Sparkle! Fun!
(and some queer love to boot)!
These two dresses show that a colourful wedding dress can mean either a pop of colour (like the dip dye) or leaving out the white all together. Both look fabulous, and both never fail to make me smile 🥰
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Organiser & hairstylist @bighair.energy
Model couple @michele_and_graziella
Wedding dress @felicitywestmacott
Photographer @magpie.eye.weddings
MUA @joannehook_mua
Accessories @thelucky6pence
Styling/floristry @ashdownevents
Streamers @streamadelica_uk
Coordinator @dani.singam
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#queercouple #queerwedding #cabaret #cabaretwedding #wlw #lesbianwedding #lesbiancouple #lesbianbride #queerbride #redweddingdress #altwedding #alternativewedding #altbride #alternativebride #bespokeweddingdress #bespokebridal #bespokebride #bespokedressmaker #rocknrollbride #weddinggown #surreydressmaker #londondressmaker
It`s Valentine`s Day week, so of course I`m going to feature some red and pink wedding dresses 🩷❤️🩷
I will never tire of brides asking for the dresses that their hearts truly desire. Brave brides (and it does take courage) who decide that traditional isn`t for them. And that they want something a little different. That they want something colourful!
Choosing to add colour is just one element of designing a dress that reflects who you are on the inside. All these dress are so different more ways - the fabrics used, the eras they reference, the techniques etc.
It`s so exciting to discover who a bride is, through the choices they make during our time together 🥰
Out of 1-6, which of these dresses is your favourite? Let me know in the comments, and tell me why.
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Photography
1 - Ellen J - @ellenj_photography
2 - Teri V Photography - @terivphotography
3 - Zara Davis - @zaradavisphoto
4 - Bel Burton
5 - Thomas Frost
6 - Georgina Piper Photography - @georginapiperphotography.co.uk
Over Christmas I wanted to make something to combat the darkness of December and add a bit of razzle dazzle to my bridal shop. And so the Poinsettia wedding dress was born!
I love to make dresses for my brides, but once in a while it`s very fun to make something from my own imagination and see where I end up.
The first thing I knew I wanted was sparkle! And lots of it! I wanted to make something dramatic and showstopping. I went with a deep plunging neckline, and a semi-sheer bodice. To compliment the sleek silhouette of the base dress, I also made a big overskirt (removable, of course). But the crowning glory of this dress are these gorgeous oversized flowers! And they match perfectly with the white and silver sequins of the material of the dress and I think they`re a stunning feature of the dress.
Although the intention of this dress was to be for a winter bride, I think there`s something very Hollywood glam about it. And the fact it`s sleeveless means you won`t overheat, even in the summer.
What do you think - does this dress suit a winter or a summer vibe?
If you`re looking for a bespoke look for your wedding, drop me a DM. I love to create completely unique and beautiful bridal pieces, so let`s chat!
#bespokeweddingdress #sparkle #surrey #dorking #weddingdressmaker #seamstress #bridalboutique
As a wedding dress maker, I would say the fitting process is when I need my brides to trust in me the most. It`s all well and good showing them beautiful drawings and fabrics, but when it comes to those first fittings, things can look very different to what you imagined. And that`s fine!
All art goes through a process, whether it`s layering oil paints on a canvas, or refining the clay of a sculpture...but an artist knows, it will all be worth it in the end.
I think the finished result looks absolutely beautiful, and that’s thanks to those fittings, where I could refine, check and double check, and make sure this bride’s dress fitted her perfectly!
If you want to see photos from Laura`s wedding day with this dress in action, on a beautiful, snowy day, then have a look at my earlier post.
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#weddingdress #wedding #bride #bespokeweddingdress #customdress #weddinggown #londonbridaldesigner #surreybridaldesigner #surreydressmaker #londondressmaker
"I’m not sure I can put into words how brilliant Felicity is and how grateful I am to her.
It’s a difficult thing to trust someone with making your wedding dress from scratch, but with Felicity I needn’t have worried for a second. Having searched high and low for ‘the one’ off the rack and not had any luck, I found Felicity by chance and from our very first conversation I knew I wanted her to make a bespoke dress for me due to her extensive knowledge, experience and affability. I couldn’t really articulate what I did and didn’t want in a dress, and yet Felicity managed to somehow take what was in my head and make it a reality.
Everything about the dress was perfect - I’ve never felt as confident or happy wearing anything as I did walking down the aisle that day. Felicity is extraordinarily talented and practised in what she does, as well as being hugely creative, friendly, and approachable.
If you are considering a bespoke dress or alterations - look no further. She is beyond compare."
What a lovely thank you note from a lovely bride 💜
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Photography - Mark Shaw
Flowers - Go Wild Flowers
Venue - Old Gore Barn
Makeup - Sasha Brown Make Up
#winterwedding #winterbride #ukwedding #ukbride #snow #snowywedding #snowwedding #countrywedding
