Sunset Dipdye Wedding Dress

bride groom wedding on beach in cornwall uk boho dip dye wedding dress

Nicola wanted a simple and elegant dress made in pale ivory, with a dip dye skirt for her wedding by the dramatic Cornish coast. As a result, I created this fabulous sunset dipdye wedding dress for her.

dramatic coastal cliff wedding with custom dip dye wedding dress

Photography – Thomas Frost

countryside wedding bride in backless phoenix ombre wedding dress

autumn dipdye wedding dress
outdoor wedding full length fitted lace dip dye wedding dress
Handwritten thank you card

Nicola sent me a lovely note after her wedding:

“I cannot begin to put into words how thankful I am that I found you to make my wedding dress of my dreams. The dress was perfect in every way and the colours looked glorious in the Cornish sunshine. Everyone fell in love with the dress and I even got likened to the Porthleven mermaid! It even stood up to rambling down cliffs. You truly are a genius and I can never thank you enough.”

seaside micro wedding coloured wedding dress
sunset yellow orange red purple gradient wedding dress

Elements of the Dress

The stretch fabric of the dress meant it would take it’s shape from Nicola’s body. The main bodice had a soft, sweet heart neckline at the front and a low cut away line to the waist at the back. Bust cups and light boning in the bodice provided a good shape and some support.

Lace covered the whole front bodice and extends up to a racer neckline displaying Nicola’s amazing shoulders. Straps at the back fastened with a button and loop at the top.

The skirt was fitted over Nicola’s hips and flared from the lower thigh into a gentle mermaid shape. A shaped seam dipped at the front and higher at the back. The flared part of the skirt featured layers of soft tulle over the main fabrics, which were dip dyed in sunset colours. 

The dress was fully lined and closed with a concealed zip. A wrist loop and bustle buttons for the train were also added.

body con bright coloured custom summer wedding dress

The Initial Bespoke Design

Nicola had seen my dip dye designs online and sought me out specifically. She loved the Phoenix colour way – going from buttercup yellow, to vibrant orange, to deep red, finally ending on a rich purple.

When it came to making Nicola’s sunset dipdye wedding dress, we went through two initial designs. Our main challenge was fabric choice. Nicola is a large animal vet and rock climber, so having a dress she could move in was important to her (and to show off her amazing figure). It was tricky to work out the right combination of suitable fabrics for Nicola’s more active requirements – stretch isn’t suitable for the dip dye process, so we needed to come up with the perfect design, which incorporated the different elements she wanted

The solution was creating sections for the dress all all stretch fabrics on the top half and upper skirt, and then a fish tail flare with the tulle we needed for the dip dye colour. I suggested softening the join by having the seam curved and appliquéd with more lace.

The Making Of a Sunset Dip Dye Wedding Dress

The first fitting of the toile. I make a toile as a practice run of the dress in cheap fabrics to perfect style and fit.

Constructing the bodice.

The second fitting, now using the actual fabrics.

The final fitting, and the finished sunset dipdye wedding dress on the stand.

Details above of the finished dress on the stand, with train spread out and bustled up for dancing. Chantilly lace was hand appliquéd to the bodice and the skirt on the join between the upper and lower skirt sections. Our plan at first was just the lace on the surface, softening the join between the tulle and stretch crepe above. But during the work process I suggested to Nicola that we should add more lace shapes underneath the tulle layers. These were only semi-visible through the coloured tulle creating even more of a ‘fade’ with lace as well as colour.

If you want to see more of my lace creations, you find many more here.

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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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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
Isn't this the perfect wedding dress for a colourful festival wedding?

Bright, fun and beautiful to look at. It's the kind of dress you can't take your eyes off of. 

As a wedding dress maker who loves working on alternative and unusual wedding looks, creating unique ombre dip dye dresses is one of my favourite things to do. I'm so glad this bride had such an amazing time dancing in it 🥰

#weddingdress #bride #alternativebride #alternativeweddingdress #colourfulweddingdress
There's just one week left of voting for the Wedding Industry Awards (@twia_official).⁠
⁠
In case you didn't know, here's a quick summary of what's going:⁠
◽️a lovely client of mine nominated me for the awards⁠
◽️I'm now competing in both the Bespoke Bridal and Bridal Alterations categories⁠
◽️You can only vote for me if you've used either of these services with me between Oct 1st 2024 -Sept 29th 2025⁠
◽️You've got until September 29th to vote!⁠
◽️Voting links are in the link in my bio⁠
⁠
Such a big thank you to everyone who already voted for me - it means a lot. But I also wanted to thank everyone showing up in the comments and saying lovely things about my work. I've had so many people tell me they would vote for me if they could, and that feels like a win all of its own 💜⁠
⁠
Now it's time to cross our fingers and see what happens 🤞⁠
⁠
Photo by @altweddingco
I designed the Celeste wedding dress to feel dreamy, like a goddess in disguise in the 1930s ✨ The sparkling underdress is perfect for an evening party while the flowing overdress transforms the look for a more ethereal vibe. 

Made from pale ivory soft tulle that cascades in two layers from the shoulders, nipped in at the waist by a grosgrain ribbon belt.⁠ The back is probably one of my favourite features: a decadent layered necklace glistening with jewels. 

If you're looking for a wedding dress, designed for you and inspired by an art movement, or a period of history, or anything else, then get in touch 💜

~
Suppliers:⁠
Planner & Stylist @eventsbyeleanor⁠
Photographer, Videographer & Concept @karolina.london_photography⁠
Venue @moggerhangerparkweddings⁠
Model Couple @thehollandhares⁠
Florist @charlesandfaye⁠
Dress & Veil @felicitywestmacott⁠
On the day coordinator @misscarlysleandco_events⁠
HMUA @ema.bridal⁠
Accessories @rachelchaprunne⁠
Props & styling @victoriaplusclaire⁠

#artdeco #artdecofashion #weddingdress #ukbride #2026bride #weddingdressmaker #bridalboutique #surrey #sussex #kent #london
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