Press articles and photoshoots published.....
"Michael and his company have been a mainstay alongside me through my whole career, spanning the last 20 years. Starting out with dreams of bridal design, fresh from university, I ordered my very first rolls from Michael’s to make bridal samples in 2004. His family run business made me feel like family, too. I got to know everyone one on the phone and, though I wasn’t a big name, they made me feel known and valued, too. The range of fabrics he stocked was exceptional and service always off-the chart. Michael once offered to drive out to meet me at a motorway services on a Sunday to deliver a short-notice emergency order of satin!
since 2004His family run business made me feel like family, too.“... Access to the huge choice of silk, lace, basics and accessories, and with next day delivery, has been central to my ability to serve my brides and help clients feel confident booking their bespoke dress with me. I even had a custom bookcase built to house the red covered sample books! Hearing of his well deserved retirement was a sad day, my stomach flipped at the idea of having to ’go it alone’ without Michael and his team backing me up. We expect great things from his son Barry who is moving forward with a new business, but Michael has left some very big boots to fill!"
Labyrinth dress photos by Lex Fleming
"We wanted to create an overall look of winter without any hint of Christmas.
The Colour palette was sage green with dusky and icy blues."
I made a delicate blue dipdye over skirt for this photoshoot. Worn with my classic art-deco satin dress.
"Lauren admits choosing the dress was never going to be easy, given her exacting standards. "I went to about eight boutiques and didn't find anything" she says. "Kate Middleton's dress was my inspiration and I didn't want ruffles, diamantes or anything too big, but I also didn't want anything plain! A local bridal shop gave me details of a dressmaker who lived nearby.
... She drew up a design that I loved, which consisted of a simple top and an amazing train and veil. When I put the dress on, on the morning of the wedding I felt so overwhelmed I burst into tears!"
"Choosing a wedding dress is probably one of the most important decisions a bride can make and having to have alterations is common. Dorking’s Felicity Westmacott is an expert in this field and has provided some amazing advice.... "
Alterations for Lisa Duffy, Photo by CGP Photography
... She drew up a design that I loved, which consisted of a simple top and an amazing train and veil. When I put the dress on, on the morning of the wedding I felt so overwhelmed I burst into tears!"
weddings are for everyonewe featured a mature model, a plus size model and two queer grooms“
I was interviewed by 'Your Surrey Wedding Magazine' with questions like " What can brides expect when they visit your store? " and "What designers do you stock? ". Of course as a bespoke wedding dressmaker I don't fit the mould of their usual questions for a normal bridal boutique. You can read what I did share by heading over to the your surrey wedding website to read the full article
"I stock everything and anything you can imagine, (metaphorically speaking)! As a bespoke dressmaker I don't have a collection you can try on, instead I make a one-off dress just for you from design to completion. My job is to create an expression of your personality in dress-form. So if you have already visited shops and just not found the one I'm your perfect match."
Moving House
My Surrey Wedding also reported on the news when I moved premises in 2022. My new shop/studio on Dorking high street was a big upgrade after working from hoe for 20 years!
Photo by Iris Visuals
Article by Paul Travers
From her home studio and workshop in Redhill, Felicity Westmacott makes beautiful bespoke wedding dresses that use every inch of her considerable experience: as a TV and Film costume designer; as a graduate in the history of costume; and as an alterations seamstress with years under her hemline. With an understanding of the different ways of cutting and shaping dresses through the centuries, Felicity can draw on hundreds of years of technical and design knowledge in creating unique and contemporary gowns.
One of Felicity’s pleasures is seeing her clients over the moon with happiness. Her customers generally fall into two main categories: those who have shopped out the stores and simply can’t find the perfect frock (but know the fit they’re looking for), and those who’ve done nothing at all. Felicity sends the second type off to try on a few dresses – some find exactly what they want, and those that don’t come back to begin the design process.
The key advice Felicity has is that every bride must dress to please herself, because no one else could pick the dress meant for her. When someone picks what makes them happy, it will show.
“A wedding dress is a costume,” she says. “It must say something special about this girl on this day, just as a costume tells you about the character and future of someone in a film. The wedding dress tells a story of what a bride wants her future to be. That’s why the dress is important, special, and unique.”
Article by Erin Balfour of Way Out Wedding
“Creating a dress design for a ‘City Burlesque’ theme was fabulous fun. The dress needed to have a vintage, showgirl feel and be really sexy, but still realistic as a bridal dress – not many people actually get married in a leotard and feathers! The wiggle skirt with a boned bodice hit all these marks, showing off our lovely model Vanessa’s curves and cinching her waist. I added a teal net petticoat that would show when the high/low hem moved, and delicate gold lace detail with Swarovski crystals for showgirl glamour!
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“The coat is made in striking Cadbury purple silk dupion, with a vintage 1950s off the shoulder collar neckline. Demure, elegant and still very sexy. The sweeping skirt and train mean that even with a short dress, this bride gets to sweep into the ceremony and swoosh up the aisle. It also means she can do ‘the big reveal’ burlesque style without actually taking off her dress!
See more at wayoutwedding.com
Jessica Jill Photo MUA: Light Up Make-Up Flowers: Muscari Whites Model: Vanessa Asare Shoes: Marsha Hall Hair accessories | Jennifer Levet Millinery
All these brides have something in common...can you guess what it is?
All of them will be celebrating their 10 year anniversaries this year, since it was 10 years ago that I altered each of their dresses.
In 2016, I was still working from my own home - having a shop wasn`t even a twinkle in my eye. I had two children under four, so I was managing a family alongside work, and creating a lot less as a result. But each dress still got as much time, care and obsessive attention as they do now.
So thank you to Jade, Gemma, Nseko, Inese, Alex, Michaela and Tamsin, and all the other brides who trusted me 10 years ago. And thank you to all the brides who continue to trust me now.
Are you celebrating a milestone anniversary this year?
An upcycled 80s wedding dress?
Dyed pink?
And a Whistable wedding day with Buzz Balls and oysters on the beach?
Francesca is living proof that you can use your free will however you choose. 💃🏻💅🍸️💖
And shout out to the amazing outfit she made for her maid of honour. That deep pink bodice and skirt ensemble is gorgeous!
If you want to inject some fun into a vintage wedding outfit for your big day, drop me a DM. As you can see, the possibilities are endless!
Photography - @gedpeake_photography
Especially if it`s the bride`s mother`s wedding dress from the 80s, hand dyed to the perfect shade of warm pink, and restyled to evoke the iconic Vivienne Westwood.
There`s definitely a lot of happiness in that.
#bespokeweddingdress #vintageweddingdress #weddingdressalterations #weddingdressrestyle #bride2026
An ivory gown brought to me and transformed into an ethereal wedding dress.
Amongst the atmospheric woodlands, dramatic ruins and beautiful gardens of @ravenswoodvenue, Victoria looks every bit an elven queen, resplendent in purples and blacks.
Finished off with a @starandleafveil cherry blossom veil - a nod to Victoria`s love of Japanese culture, and where she went on her honeymoon.
Dreaming of a gown as atmospheric as your venue? Let`s create yours.
Photography - @Photoforrester
Veil - @starandleafveil
Venue - @ravenswoodvenue
#dipdyeweddingdress #colourfulweddingdress #purpleweddingdress #fantasyweddingdress #gothicweddingdress
This wedding dress took the most paint I`ve ever used for one of my dip-dye creations.
Victoria`s wedding dress is beautiful in part because it`s so full, and that fullness comes from layers. So before I could even get to the main event, I had two underlayers to spray, both with long trains.
When it comes to spraying, the best setup is one where you`re away from everything else, with good ventilation. Where better than outside? That does mean dressing to keep warm, and in clothes you don`t mind getting a bit painty.
But all that effort was so worth it. Victoria chose such a gorgeously unusual colour palette - deepening from lilac, through purple, into black. It`s regal, gothic, and has a real fantasy feel. And I think dyeing the full-length lace sleeves to match really finishes off the look.
What do you think of this colour combination?
This week is my wedding anniversary, so I`m taking a trip down memory lane.
A few years ago, my spouse and I had an anniversary photoshoot. In the run-up to my actual wedding, I`d had so much dressmaking to finish - not just my dress, but also:
🌸four bridesmaids dresses
🌸a flower girl dress
🌸waistcoats for the groom and three page boys
🌸plus three paying clients on top
On the day, my dress was finished and wearable, but not quite as it should have been.
The original concept for the dress included hand-embroidered fuchsias all up the train, and I just didn`t have enough time. Lockdown finally gave me the chance to finish it properly, and this anniversary photoshoot was, in part, to celebrate that.
It was only this year, going through old photos, that I found these two images side by side. And then more, all mirroring each other.
Almost 15 years apart.
Shot in the same location.
And with technically the same people - though I think it`s safe to say we`ve grown and changed in so many ways as individuals, and as a couple, during that time.
From two teenagers stepping out into the world together, to us now, with our family, our friends and our enduring love.
Maybe this is your sign to get your wedding photos out again and relive those precious memories 💖
Now photographer: @altweddingco
Then photographer: Chris Cormack
