Dearest Gentle Reader, It has come to this author’s attention that a passionate affair took place at The Historic Dockyard Chatham, that would make even the most confident of rakes blush. Rest assured, a few were in attendance to what was a wonderful day, full of vibrancy, talent and exquisite work. Here are a few...
For this bespoke Chinese fusion wedding dress photoshoot, I created a look that incorporated both Western and Eastern elements in beautiful harmony. I was contacted by Elizabeth Weddings about being involved in this shoot. And since I really enjoy working on cultural fusion projects, it was an obvious yes. Our overall colour palette was white,...
The work I did for Ellie included modest bridesmaid’s alterations and helping to make a bolero for each maid. Ellie found bought her bridesmaids dresses from the high street. And then had the necklines extensively altered to meet the modesty standards that were important to her. The gorgeous little boleros were actually finished by Ellie’s...
My spouse and I booked a non-binary wedding couple photoshoot for our 14th wedding anniversary celebration. We were married in 2007 we had many happy years together as husband and wife. But in 2021 my spouse realised they were non-binary/trans. The person I had married as a man discovered their female inner self during Covid...
Danielle needed my help as a wedding dress designer near London to create her a custom long sleeve bodice that would fit perfectly over her wedding dress. Danielle’s wedding dress was beautiful even just ‘off the peg’ but it needed a little something extra to create a bit of drama on her wedding day. Working...
Richelle wanted a theatrical dress with interchangeable separates for her two part wedding in Scotland. I designed her a pink and silver waterfall skirt wedding dress in organza, silk and lace. Richelle found me by recommendation from a previous bride, the nicest way to know you’ve done a good job! Official photography by linaandtom A...
I made a green and gold waterfall train wedding dress for my own wedding day in 2007. Having worked so much in ivory and white I decided to be bright and colourful. And anyway I don’t think white or ivory suits my very pale skin well at all! I made my dress with a boned...
Posts from Felicity Westmacott
Story time!
Remember the Swan Lake themed wedding photoshoot I featured a few days` ago?
When the day came for the shoot, we were blessed with one of the sunniest days of the year so far (and this was March), but the ground was still very wet. We really wanted to get some photos amongst the trees for that real fairy tale feeling, but our beautiful bride, @alicia.modelling_x didn`t want to risk ruining the outfit.
And that`s when I stepped in!
You may think that a seamstress is only on set to help with the dress. But I`m here to do anything that might be useful to the shoot, and if that means carrying Alicia across the boggy ground, then that`s what I`ll do! 😂
(I was quite pleased that all my work on strength with @mybodyrocksstudio is paying off!)
If you want a seamstress who will not only make the perfect bespoke wedding dress for you, but will also go the extra mile for you, I think you know who to call 😉
(shout to @hair_by_tel for capturing this moment)
Make your own happily ever after 🤍
This bespoke wedding dress is an ode to Odette, the Swan Princess.
A satin corset resplendent with hundreds of feathers, individually sewn on.
Bejewelled silver lace, catching the light perfectly.
Layers of tulle and sequined lace, in a cascade of volume and texture.
And when it`s time to dance with your prince or princess, the longer layers can be removed to reveal a ballet-length skirt.
Tag someone who deserves their own fairy tale ending ✨
Suppliers
Photographer: @snappedbycatx
Dress: @felicitywestmacott
Makeup artist: @larajamesmakeup
Hair stylist: @hair_by_tel
Venue: @bradbournehouse
Model: @alicia.modelling_x
Today is my birthday, so I wanted to share something I`ve been grateful for almost every year of my life.
I started ballet lessons when I was four, moving on to the Lewiston School of Dance until 18 (I even won the Pointe Work cup with them once). My grandmother had been a professional dancer and my mum also took ballet lessons (and still does, at over 70!), so there has always been a lot of ballet in my family.
When I went to uni, I stopped dancing, then came back to it in the form of adult ballet lessons with my mum, and then got pregnant. After that I found aerial hoop, which replaced dancing as my active hobby. However, my ballet training has really helped my progress in hoop, and I`m very grateful for the skills I continue to draw upon for both hoop and acting.
What`s a hobby you`re grateful to have started, no matter what stage in life?
(and shout out to @hair_by_tel for capturing this video of me playing around during a recent bridal photoshoot)
#ballet #passion #dancing
"Felicity was amazing to work with. I can`t express into words how much I loved my overskirt. We had a unique theme and I knew exactly what I wanted but not how to make it work. She understood the look and colour theme I wanted and absolutely nailed it. From start to finish Felicity was supportive and informative on what would work best to make my vision come to life. Her knowledge and quality of work shines through her pieces. I would absolutely recommend her to everyone!"
It fills me with so much joy to read such kind words and know that I was a small part of making such a special day happen.
Bride Ashley chose to have the colours of her dip dye overskirt arranged in vertical stripes rather then my usual horizontal. I think the effect is really striking, where every angle of the skirt reveals a different blend of colours. And it match her hair!
Photography - @copper_squirrel_photography
"Dearest Fliss, I`m not sure I have the adequate words to express how thankful I am, or how talented and wonderful I think you are, but I`ll give it a go. My hopes and dreams for my dress were actualised by your amazing hands. My dress was so beautiful and different - just what I wanted. You made me shine on our special day."
I made this dress over 10 years ago now but it still makes me feel emotional reading this, so many years after.
As part of making Claire`s gorgeous blue and white 1800s-inspired wedding dress was creating this bespoke corset from scratch. The dress was made with an 18th century `flat-fronted` boned bodice, and once we fitted it, I played with shape, flow and texture to create this completely unique and opulent peplum corset, featuring beads, pearls, sequins, cord and lace.
I was lucky enough to become friends with Claire during the making process of her dress and as a result she invited to her wedding day. I was 9 months at the time and my waters broke at her wedding breakfast. My son was born 3 days later!
If you are looking for something beautiful and different for your special day, drop me a message - I would love to make your bridal dreams a reality.
The main inspiration for this wedding dress was this blue and white gown, worn by Emily Blunt for Vanity Fair. Claire, the bride, added photos of the infamous Mr Pearl`s beautifully ornate corsets to her mood board as well.
As a bride, talking in images is one of the easiest ways for me to understand your vision and aesthetic. If someone says to me `dreamy` or `classic`, that can mean very different things to different people. But this gorgeous reference photo of a Dior gown gave me everything I needed to know to start sketching.
What images are on your dream wedding mood board right now?
~
#weddingdress #bespokeweddingdress #blueweddingdress #hautecouturewedding #weddinginspiration
