Plus size reception dress with stars for Melissa

bride in ivory plus size reception dress with her sister

Melissa had already found her wedding dress so came to me to have a reception dress made for later in the day. I designed her a plus size reception dress with stars on the tulle skirt

Melissa wanted a reception dress she could dance in and have fun. I designed a v-neck bodice with narrow straps. Curvy brides need a little support so I added light boning, just enough to make a difference but keep the relaxed vibe and not be stiff or restrictive. I sourced light ivory duchess satin for the bodice and swishy soft tulle for the layers of skirt. Melissa found the beautiful gold star tulle that was used for the top layer of the full circle skirt. I inserted a simple concealed zip for the back closure.

celestial wedding dress for plus size bride on staircase

Kind words from Melissa

Picking a wedding dress was something I had always dreaded. I found the day dress of my dreams and then was full of dread again at how i would enjoy the party. You solved that for me and made me feel the most glamorous I have ever felt in my life. I got changed after dinner with all my maids which was so much fun and then we did a “reveal” with Jim, it was amazing! I thought everyone would roll their eyes at me being a diva with two dresses but everyone was so lovely and I literally swished everywhere in my dress. You were a huge part of the best day of my life and I am eternally grateful xxxxxx

Love My Dress Blog Feature

Online wedding blogs are a really great way to find inspiration for your wedding day. I feel very proud when a wedding I have worked for gets featured. A little bit after the her wedding day Melissa sent me this message

Well I decided to be brave and message them because I felt so amazing last weekend and I want all plus size girls to know they can feel the same and so just told them my story and they had a look at my insta and then said they would love to feature me when the official pics come through.. so obviously I can then credit all of you! If I had to pick between dresses then obviously I will choose Felicity’s (albeit I loved my pink dress) but the Stars is a true representation of local talent and craftsmanship and girl power. WOOOOP! This wedding keeps on giving xxxxx

Head over to the blog to see Melissa and James wedding feature over on ‘Love My Dress

bride and bridesmaids in star tulle plus size wedding dress
Melissa with her bridesmaids, so gorgeous!
plus size bride selfie in bridal suite
Quick ‘just ready’ selfie
wedding dress with stars original design sketch by felicity westmacott
The Original design sketch for Melissa’s

Melissa’s gorgeous wedding day

Designing well for a curvy bride is important to me, everyone deserves to feel their best on their wedding day. Having a bespoke wedding dress made means anyone can feel sure their dress will fit perfectly and be everything they dreamed of. Laura of devinebride.co.uk helped Melissa plan and style her wedding and when Melissa said she wanted a different dress for the reception Laura put us in touch right away. It’s really lovely being recommended by previous clients and by wedding industry colleagues.

Melissa’s wedding was planned with impeccable taste and so much fun! Melissa had cinema themed table centres, balloons on the venue’s columns and a doughnut tower wedding cake. The blush pink wedding dress she wore for the first part of the day was a customised off the rack dress from Cambridge Bridal Studio.

Samuel George captured the essence of Melissa and Jame’s incredible day in this highlights video

A plus size bride dances in her reception dress

bride dances in wedding dress with stars

Making the plus size reception dress for a curvy bride

Fitting pictures from the making process. I always make a custom pattern for each client. Melissa came to my studio for a series of fittings including a ‘toile’ or practice run in cheap fabrics.

If you are looking for a reception dress, plus size or any size do get in touch to discuss your design ideas.

Official photography by www.samuelgeorge.org/

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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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⁠When Iram saw the ⁠custom Asian fusion wedding trousers and top that I had made for a bridal shoot, she decided she had to have them for her own London wedding – and I don’t blame her! This outfit looks perfect on her.⁠ It's the ideal look for a chic, modern, summer wedding.

The ‘Evie’ separates comprise of a beautiful wedding top and trouser set with beaded waistband for a bride who is not afraid to make a statement. And Iram was definitely not afraid! She exudes chilled, modern bride energy in this cool and comfortable combo. 

If you love this custom Asian fusion wedding trousers, you can find the Evie bridal separates on my Etsy 💜

Photography @saidigitaluk
Since 1753, when the Marriage Act first came into existence, UK marriage law has come a long way. Some things have taken much longer than they should have (I'm looking at you, 1991 and 2013, 2023). But there's still more than can be done. The association of @independentcelebrants is campaigning for the UK government to follow the recommendations of the 2022 wedding law reform report.

"At least 10,000 wedding ceremonies a year in England and Wales are led by independent celebrants. These ceremonies are perfectly legal to hold, but as it stands a celebrant cannot perform a legally binding marriage – that part must be done separately, meaning added inconvenience and cost for couples."

I'm all about supporting couples to have the wedding day of their dream, and that rarely includes having to find time and money to go to the registry office.

If you want to help with this, then you can spread awareness! Share this post, or make your own. Talk about it with friends and family. And once you've done that, you can always get in touch with your local MP. The Independent Celebrants website has a PDF guide to help you with how to go about doing that.

Is this an issue you're aware of? Is there anything I've missed out?

#ChangeWeddingLaw #SpeakUpForCelebrants #LegaliseCelebrantWeddings
I created this Regency-inspired wedding dress for a Bridgerton themed wedding shoot. I used modern fabrics like tulle, beaded lace and shantung, but with period accurate details like the empire line waist, square neckline and boned stays (corset). ⁠
⁠
I love to work with versality when it comes to my creations, so the dress was designed with multiple layers; the main dress has an embroidered tulle bodice and asymmetric beaded lace skirt. A lilac and pink dip-dyed tulle skirt can be added over the floral train of the main dress for some dreamy ombre magic. A lilac silk dupion 'spencer jacket' with hand appliqued beaded lace completes the ensemble. ⁠

 All these options make it possible to have lots of different looks throughout your wedding day. ⁠

Which Bridgerton character can you imagine wearing this outfit?

~
#regencyweddingdress #bridgerton #historicalweddingdress #periodwedding #colouredweddingdress #dipdyeweddingdress #surreydressmaker #londondressmaker #vintagebride #romanticbride #weddingveil #purpleweddingdress #bespokeweddingdress #fantasyballgown
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