I made this illusion wedding dress for a black bride with a lace bodice and full silk skirt. It has a button back fastening and organza train the scalloped lace edging. Vanessa’s dress was truly a game of two halves, with a full, silk skirt to be supported from the waist and a delicate illusion...
I made a traditional lace wedding dress for Sofia’s wedding day. My design echoes the classic lines of Grace Kelly’s famous 1956 wedding dress, designed by Helen Rose. The simple boned bodice with sweetheart neckline and bold lace over-lay extending up to a higher boat neck. The lace had a wide scalloped edge which we...
This was the first styled shoot I ever organised – but certainly not the last. I live on the border between Sussex and Surrey and as a wedding dress designer, it only made sense that I gathered together some local wedding suppliers, chose a stunning location, made some dresses and had some fun! Hence this...
For her wedding day, Katie wanted a feminine and floaty dress in layers of tulle and floral lace. And what a dress it turned out to be! It’s such a romantic wedding look, fit for a fantasy princess.The dress was made from layered silk dupion (one of my favourite fabrics to work with), rose pink...
Katrina came to me looking for a wedding dress fit for the English Summer. She wanted a beautiful hand painted wedding dress with flowers in a mix of colours (but not pink). We designed the perfect canvas, a bespoke wedding dress in layered white taffeta and silk organza. We started with a base of some...
Alice’s beautiful diamante belt wedding dress was made in layers of white chiffon with hand beaded detailing. I made Alice’s dress with a fitted and boned bodice. I designed a soft v-shaped neckline and invisible zip back closure. Her waistline is decorated with a double loop of hand beading in Swarovski diamante stones. Then we...
Eleanor commissioned a beautiful Victorian wedding dress in palest blue embroidered silk dupion. I designed Eleanor’s dress using a mixture of historical sources as inspiration. Tudor, 18th century and Victorian corsetry came together to create a dress that flattered her petite but curvy figure. I made Eleanor’s dress with a fitted and boned bodice and...
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...
Illusion neckline wedding dress with lace bodice and full silk skirt. Button back fastening and organza train the scalloped lace edging. Vanessa’s dress was truly a game of two halves, with a full, silk skirt to be supported from the waist and a delicate illusion neckline bodice above. I dyed the tulle to match her...
Posts from Felicity Westmacott
It’s the night before you’re wedding day. You have your dream bridal outfit ready to go for the morning. But there are a few things you should do before you go to sleep, to make sure your wedding dress is looking its best for the big day.
First up, make sure to hang your dress up high. A curtain rail or a wardrobe door are good choices. And make sure to hang it in a pet and fiancé secure room.
When unzipping the bag, put your finger behind the zip to stop it catching on any delicate fabric.
Your main priority is to get the train out, so it has time to flatten out overnight. Hang the dress in the bag so it’s facing inwards. Leave the shoulders of the bag on the dress to keep protecting the dress from dust.
You’ll want to lay a clean towel or sheet on the floor to protect the train when you pull it out.
Check to make sure the dress is hanging from its dress loops, not straps or sleeves. This prevents any delicate fabrics being stretched out by the weight of the dress. As you can see from the one I’ve chosen, that’s a lot of (heavy) dress!
On the wedding day, your dress can be taken completely out of the bag. To prep it for the photographer, turn it round so it’s facing the front, and pop any straps or sleeves, back onto the hanger so it looks its best..
And that’s about it. It isn’t very much, but it can make all the difference, and avoids any unwanted wrinkles, especially on your dress’ train.
Let me know if you have any other tips and tricks!
(Shout out to @engaged_bridal_studio for inspiring this post 🙌🏻)
#wedding dress #customwedding dress #weddingdressinspiration #bespokeweddingdress #bridalboutique #surreywedding #sussexwedding #londonwedding #weddingdaytips #weddingdresstips #bridaltips
This wedding dress is inspired by the same era that Titanic and Downton Abbey (well, some of it) are based on; the Edwardian Period.
The corseted bodice fits close to the body, and is made of panels of silk chiffon over luxurious duchess satin. Trimmed with satin ribbon and embellished with hand sewn lace appliqué and tiny glass beads.
I love the tiered skirt so much. With three layers of gathered chiffon and trimmed with more intricate lace, giving it a perfect vintage feel.
There is something so timeless and elegant about this wedding dress, don’t you think? If you love this design, you can either head to my Etsy shop, or drop me a message if you`d like it made entirely to your measurements and preferences.
#weddingdress #edwardianfashion #edwardianbride #edwardianweddingdress #periodweddingdress #vintageweddingdress #seamstress #bespokeweddingdress #customweddingdress
I`ve been sent a little look at the most recent styled shoot I contributed to, and I couldn`t wait to share them with you!
It`s always a treat for me to work with people I know, so it was a delight to have Mike and Bryony, our bride and groom, who are friends of mine from my local theatre.
There`ll be more photos to come, but for now, here`s just a flavour of the day 🥰
Suppliers
Photography: @isobelwnphotography
Stylist: @halo_beautiful.xo
Venue: @chaffordpark
Dress: @felicitywestmacott
Celebrant: @madewithlovecelebrations
Food: @vinedinecatering
Cake & macarons: @bluebellkitchen
Jewellery @oliveandedenvintagejewellery
Stationery @simply.laura.calligraphy
Flowers: @baileyandblossom
If you`re curious about what I get up to in my breaks at the shop...now you know!
Inspired by @theadhdpersonaltrainer 🥰
#handstand #handstandpractice #upsidedown #handstandprogress #handstandshapes #feetuptrainer
By this point you probably know that I am very fond of my local theatre, @archwaytheatre. It`s an amazing little theatre built into the archways of Horley train station, and it`s somewhere I love the spend my time.
Most recently I was brought onboard to do the costuming for an 80s interpretation of Shakespeare`s What You Will (the alternative title for Twelfth Night). And I`ll be honest - I had so much fun with this one!
Much of my time was spent coordinating historically accurate outfits, as well altering clothing. Although the theatre`s wardrobe has a fairly big 1980s section, real vintage often has very small sizing due to survivor bias, which is when items that have been worn less are the ones that survive more over time, giving the false assumption that everyone during that time period was tiny. This meant I needed to custom make some items for some of our fuller figures actors, which honestly, was a necessary delight! Although I did have to remember to sew to a lower standard and not spend too long on each piece., which is so difficult when you`re really excited about a project.
My favourite pieces I made for this show have to be the lace and tartan Vivienne Westwood-inspired dress (in the first image), as well as the bright pink silk mini dress (image #6). I used one of my own dresses as a template for the design, which means this dress has a matching red sister.
Hopefully from these photos you can see how bonkers this show was 😂 and it was so joyful to contribute my own bit of chaos and colour to it!
With spring finally appearing, it was time to update my bridal shop display window.
(If you`re curious what it was last month, you can look at my previous post...if you`re a fan of dip dye, I think you`ll really like it)
I wanted to create something that was full of verdant texture. I feel really strongly about single use plastics, so I always try to either re-use elements from previous window displays, or gather things from nature. This time I used a floral garland by @muscariwhites and added dried flowers from the hydrangea bush in my garden, as well as ivy, and anything else I found that I thought would look pretty.
For this display, I featured two dresses. Usually it`s three, but when one of them takes up so much space, I had to make sacrifices! I chose the sumptuous pink Evil Queen dress, as well as the lilac dip dye Bridgeton dress. Both of them are historically inspired (the former by Elizabethan fashion and the latter by Regency), but also have fantasy elements to them. Completely my style as a wedding dress designer.
Which dress in this display is your favourite?
