Red and black corset Goth wedding dress

faye 7 sweet heart strapless corset bodice alternative wedding dress bespoke

Faye commissioned an unusual red and black Goth corset wedding dress. I made it for her in black and red duchess satin. The inspiration for the design came from a dress worn by a lady in one of her favourite music videos! I created Faye’s dress as a two piece, bodice and skirt but with several different ways the skirt and train could be worn to give different looks for the ceremony and into the evening.

Design details

Faye’s dress has a fitted and heavily boned bodice with a sweetheart neckline edged with pleated black tulle and beaded lace to soften the line. It laced shut at the back over a contrast colour modesty panel. The skirt was fitted to her upper hip and then flared in an a-line over netting to the floor. A feature water-fall ‘pick-up’ was pinned up to her bodice with a beautiful brooch, connecting the two halves of the design, and revealing the contrast red underskirt. I finished the red hip sash with long sash ends at the back that flowed down Faye’s train. You can see pictures further down for how the skirt could be changed for day/evening looks. I also made Faye’s birdcage veil and her husband’s tie.

faye 3 church wedding not white red and black duchess satin
faye 2 alternative wedding dress with long black train and bridesmaids
faye 4 Goth wedding dress laced corset train and sash with confetti
Black and red satin Goth, corset wedding dress by Felicity Westmacott: original design sketch

Original design sketches

The smaller sketches show the ideas and options for Faye’s skirt. The front would hook up even further for the evening to reveal the black tulle and netting below the red underskirt. The back of the dress could have had any number of features, in the end. Faye choose that in the largest main picture of plain sash ends.

Bird Cage Veil

faye 13 bird cage veil lace and swarovski crystals goth wedding

Faye’s head-dress was specially commissioned to go with her dress. I used black twisted wire and a mix of red and black Swarovski crystals to create the piece. Fixed to a comb for easy insertion in her hair style the black bird cage veil could then be arranged to suit.

faye 14 detail of birdcage french veiling fascinator tiara for black alternative vintage wedding
faye 24 custom hair grips crystal sparkle goth black swarovksi grips wedding hair

I made three mini grips, each with a tiny black Swarovski crystal. These were for Faye to use when fixing the bird-cage veil across her face and into her hair.

faye 8 made to order wedding dress with waterfall split skirt and boned bodice

faye 12 red sash and hooked up train lace up back corset dancing

Faye in her black corset Goth wedding dress dancing the night away. The train is usefully bustled out of the way.

faye 20 hand sewn beaded lace and tulle trim to sweetheart neckline and boning channels

Detail of the pleated tulle edging and beaded lace

faye 1 dressing the bride goth wedding corset lacing

Dressing the Bride

faye 5 fascinator birdcage veil black and red french veiling punk wedding
faye 10 corset boned bodice wedding dress tulle trim and birdcage veil

faye 9 vintage car non traditional wedding red and back goth punk
faye 11 punk and goth wedding custom made wedding dress and tie
faye 6 plus size goth bride with punk groom in black wedding dress church

Making Faye’s red and black corset Goth wedding dress

faye 15 toile practice run of bespoke custom wedding dress boned corset

Fitting pics from Faye’s first fitting, the shell of the skirt and the toile of the bodice, only half boned.

faye 16 fitting picture in half made dress black wedding gown

Second fitting, the outfit progresses

faye 17 train laid out and hooked up bustle for dancing alternative black satin wedding dress

Back with train out and with train bustled up for the evening

faye 21 eyelet lacing holes corset lace up boned bodice custom made to order

Detail of the lacing holes and beaded lace

faye 18 detail of finished bodice eyelets and lacing on corset red modesty panel tulle and lace trim with sweetheart neckline

Detail of the back-lacing and sweet heart neckline

faye 19 fitting picture in finished bespoke wedding gown black satin mirror sash

Faye at her final fitting

faye 25 waterfall aline wedding skirt goth alternative duchess satin

The finished skirt front of the black corset Goth wedding dress, left as for the ceremony and right, with the red layer hitched up too, for the evening

faye 23 fitting picture birdcage veil vintage tiara fascinator swarovski red and black crystal

I also made Faye’s birdcage veil fascinator with black french veiling and wired Swarovski crystal highlights.

faye 22 wrist loop bustle up for train hidden something blue and red

‘Something blue’, hidden among more red roses next to the wrist loop for lifting the train

Official Wedding pictures by Allan Breeze (now retired)

Two more black wedding dresses for gothic brides

And I was lucky enough to have one of those dresses was published on a wedding blog, see more here

Add a comment...

Your email is never published or shared. Required fields are marked *

Felicity Westmacott

I write about all aspects of weddings, dressmaking, fashion history, and the human relation to clothing. I welcome comments and debate.

Recent Portfolio entries

Read More
follow me on instagram@felicitywestmacott

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