Sky blue bespoke wedding dress

aqua blue coloured bespoke wedding dress

Ailsa commissioned a sky blue bespoke wedding dress in silk satin. I designed it with proportions to flatter her petite figure.

Official photographs by www.oxford-photography.co.uk

I made the dress with a fitted and boned bodice with gentle sweetheart neckline and integral straps. I added ruching over the bust which is balanced above asymmetric draping on the lower bodice. The skirt hangs straight down from the hip line, flat in front with soft pleats at each side. The dress fastens at centre back with flat lacing in loops above a flared godet train.

sweetheart neckline custom order wedding dress sky blue
country wedding coloured wedding dress
blue wedding dress silk satin bespoke made to measure
 thank you letter

Thank you letter

Ailsa wrote: I was absolutely delighted with my beautiful dress! I really appreciated the time you took to explain the different options and the effort you went to in order to make sure it looked perfect, including an extremely useful set of instructions for my bridesmaid on how to make the dress look its best on the day. Your patience, enthusiasm and skill made the whole process a pleasure!

and later: Thank you once again for producing such a beautiful dress, and the time you took to make it look exactly right (including the veil!)

Ailsa’s mum wrote: Thank you so much for all the work you put into getting the dress just right for Ailsa and the helpful advice with accessories etc. She looked lovely on the day and felt very comfortable and happy with the dress. The dress fittings became a firm part of the wedding preparations and thank you for your welcome when we visited. Ian was especially pleased that he could join us for the final fitting. With best wishes, Christine

ailsa2 long veil with blusher traditional church wedding

Ailsa’s veil was made to order, a simple two tier style in pale ivory tulle to go with her sky blue bespoke wedding dress

bride and maid of honour alternative wedding dress

Ailsa’s sister was a lovely bridesmaid and we made a long blue silk hair ribbon so she would tone-in with Ailsa’s colour scheme.

 original design sketch sweetheart bodice and straps
aqua blue wedding dress made to order
blue wedding dress with straps ruched bodice
something blue bespoke wedding dress petite

Ailsa using her wrist hook-up to hold her train off the floor while walking in her sky blue bespoke wedding dress

printed shoes with ribbons

Ailsa had matching silk ribbons made to tie up her lovely shoes. I loved her shoes so much I got myself a pair too!

walking with her groom bespoke silk tie to match the bride

Making Ailsa’s Sky blue bespoke wedding dress

toile fitting with dressmaker wedding dress

Pictures from the ‘toile fitting’ or practice run in cheap fabrics, and below at her first fitting with the real dress, here just the under layers, boned ready for the silk satin to be ruched on top.

boned bodice duchess satin fitting picture made to measure
ruched bodice on the stand custom made to order

Ruching in progress on the stand

pleated ruched bodice sweetheart sewing
dress fitting blue wedding dress silk satin
 train wrist loop with ribbon roses finished wedding dress fitting

Pictures of the finished dress at her final fitting: Detail of the wrist loop provided so Ailsa could pick up her train from the floor when walking. Usually I sew on a ‘something blue’ here but as Ailsa’s whole dress was her something blue I chose three pretty pastel coloured ribbon roses instead, to match the floral pattern on her shoes.

train spread out and hooked up for dancing

The train bustled up and spread right out. As The train was so long, and Ailsa so petite the bustle up did not get the train right off the floor, as I would usually aim for, but it did make it much smaller and manageable for later in the day.

 lace up corset back wedding dress ribbon and loops

Detail of the back fastening with flat lacing through loops above a modesty panel

finished dress in the mirror fitting room
something blue wedding dress all finished and ready to go

Here is another pale blue bespoke wedding dress, that I made for Isabelle’s wedding

If you would like to know more about commissioning your own wedding dress with me, you can head over to my FAQ page or contact me directly.

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

I'm a regional finalist for the Wedding Industry Awards! ⁠
⁠
Not only that, but in both my categories; Best Designer/Independent Dressmaker and Best Seamstress/Tailor. So thank you to everyone who voted for me. Your time and effort is not only appreciated, but has also paid off 💜⁠
⁠
And well done to my fellow regional finalists; @alexandersharpebridal, @harrietchristelow, @shell_stitches_kent, @stitchesbykristine, @nicolaleverington.⁠
⁠
There are a few finalists outside of my categories that I wanted to give an especially loud shout out to - well done @alexjaggermua and @lushcurvebridal!⁠

Thank you to the organisers and Damien at @twia_official
⁠
Wishing everyone the best of luck! 🪡✨️⁠

Photo by @altweddingco
This is what a bespoke veil with almost 400 flowers looks like.

On top of some other alterations, @katiepigden wanted a chic, modern bridal veil. We chose a length a little longer than her dress and I got to work.
Her wedding dress already had these beautifully delicate 3D flowers on the bodice, so we echoed this design element in the veil. I hand embellished almost 400 satin flowers, selectively scattered at the hem of the veil and gently creeping up. I wanted it to look as though Katie had been standing underneath a blossoming tree and some had happened to fall onto her veil.

A veil is such a perfect way of finishing off a bridal look, and I think Katie looks stunning. If you're looking for something completely custom for your wedding day, then get in touch 💜
Spooky season has arrived!

I love Halloween, but maybe not for the reasons you might think. For me, Halloween gives people permission to be a little more wild, a little more 'out there' with their bridal choices. And as a seamstress who loves to makes bold and beautiful wedding dresses, there's nothing wrong with a little more wild!

Take these three wedding photoshoots, for example. The first one was inspired by Morticia Addams. It's a black wedding dress! You can't get less traditional than that. And it's now one of my most popular designs. Although all these dress designs are based around a fictional character, they're still the furthest thing from a costume. They're pieces of haute couture art, taking the essence of the character and then elevating it to something truly unique.

The second dress used the designs from the live action Cruella, and I love how the model nailed her character. The final dress used Jim Henson's Labyrinth as a starting point, in particular that iconic ballroom scene (*swoon*). They were all such fun projects. So if you're looking for a wedding dress maker to embrace your wild side, I might be the perfect choice.

If you could base your wedding dress on a fictional character, who would it be?

~
Photography - @lexflemingphoto⁠
Sometimes it can be difficult to be true to yourself. The world can feel really judgemental (even if it's just the voices in the back of your head saying it). But, you might be worried about being 'too much' or worried of what people might think if they saw how vibrant and colourful you really are on the inside. How big and sparkly your thoughts and feelings are!

Well, guess what? There's no such thing as 'too much'. Not in my books! As a wedding dress maker (and honestly, a fellow big, sparkly person) I'm here to encourage you to listen to what your heart is telling you. Ignore those voices telling you should be anything less than 100% yourself, especially on your wedding day.

There is nothing that makes me happier than a bride bringing me their ideas - the crazy ones they've barely voiced to anyone else. The ones they shyly mention, usually followed by "but if that's not possible, then don't worry about it". And there's nothing more exciting than seeing the face of that bride when they realise that I am absolutely on this journey with them, that we will make it happen and that I cannot wait to get started!

Anyway, I love my job 😉

#weddingdress #fantasyweddingdress #fantasybride #historicalweddingdress #dramaticweddingdress #bespokeweddingdress
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