For this bespoke wedding dress photoshoot in Hertfordshire, we created an autumnal woodland wedding. We chose a colour palette of burnt orange, red, burgundy and pink, with accents of white and gold. Everything was handmade including the bunting, macrame and tablescape, for a truly bespoke feel. This wedding is for the kind of bride who...
Hi, I’m Fliss and I’m a Surrey based seamstress, making bespoke bridal outfits for brides all over the country (and beyond). I love creating wedding looks that are a little different from the usual. And this gorgeous photoshoot, shot at Welbeck Manor, is the perfect alternative wedding dress inspiration – Surrey. Alternative Wedding Dress Inspiration...
Posts from Felicity Westmacott
I managed to complete my window display dress just in time!
This is the 2nd time I`ve made a wedding dress specifically for my window, and I`m not going to go so far as to say it will be a yearly tradition (that`s too much pressure!) but I do enjoy it!
For this one, I wanted to use up bits and pieces I`ve had hanging around for far too long. As a creative person, I think hoarding comes with the territory, so I`ve had boxes of scrap fabric gathering in boxes. And this dress used so much of them up, which was very satisfying.
For this look I made a boned bodice and covered it in white feathers. Then I added layers and layers of tulle, sequins and lace for the skirt, creating this beautiful asymmetric waterfall effect.
A dress fit for an ice queen ❄️
The past five years have been exciting, scary, busy, joyful, difficult, creative! And I`m grateful for every single day.
From 2020 to now, I opened my bridal shop, I won a Muddy Stilettoes award and a Wedding Industry award. I made a lot of dresses, used up a lot of cans of spray paint and danced around my shop more often that you`d think 💃🏻
What springs to your mind when you think of the past five years?
Shop opening footage - @kasias_irisvisuals
TWIA footage - @mattrockprophoto
Having crunched the numbers, I`m sharing with you the top 5 wedding dresses that really resonated with you all last year.
In no particular order:
1. Even though Rebecca lives in Germany, she sought me out specifically due to seeing my particular approach to colour. She wanted a wedding dress fit for an ethereal princess, complete with this stunning hand-dyed pastel rainbow gradient 🦄✨️
2. I love cultural fusion, so getting to work on this styled shoot was such a pleasure. I loooved stretching my creative muscles to find the perfect blend of traditional Indian and British elements for this dress.
3. Nicky`s inspiration for her wedding dress was the lyrics of Touch by Soft Cell, which is such a fun starting point for a design!
4. The inspo for this photoshoot dress was ancient Egyptian and Greek fashion, but with the kind of interpretation that you might see in Game of Thrones or a fantasy film. I wanted to give a sense of majesty and opulence, without it being too clean and modern and the gold leaf was the perfect solution.
5. Kathy is a local textile artist who was having a launch party for her latest collection, and wanted something extra special for the occasion. Making this dress was such a wonderful collaboration. Kathy created a new design to be printed onto fabric, and brought me a vintage pattern she wanted to use.
What a year full of colour and creativity! Which look is your favourite?
Photography
Pastel Rainbow - @pesto_fotografie
Fusion Shoot - @puli.wedding
Nicky - @hazeldupreezphotography
Nile Queen - @jamieedwardphotography
It`s always nice to look back on the year and see the things I`ve achieved. So today I`m going through the top alterations I did in 2025, according to how many of you engaged with them.
So, in no particular order:
1. Jennifer`s custom dip dye wedding dress is such a delicious explosion of colour, so of course it was going to rank highly! It`s good to see that the Phoenix colourway is still going strong 🔥
2. After Catherine came to me to get her wedding dress altered, she told me one of her bridesmaids was doing up the back of the dress and said "wait, I thought when you bought it, you said the dress was open back? Did you get a new dress?"
You lot absolutely loved this alteration! It is by far my most popular post of the year, and it was so lovely to connect with so many new people who appreciated my work on this.
3. Katie wanted a chic, modern bridal veil. Her wedding dress already had delicate 3D flowers on the bodice, so we echoed this design element in the veil. I hand embellished almost 400 satin flowers!
4. With alterations, usually it`s about making the dress the right fit for the bride. But sometimes, when I`m very lucky, I get to play. I embellished Karen`s beautiful off-shoulder wedding dress with hundreds of little embroidered flowers. This one is a personal favourite of the year.
5. Finally I did a full re-style of Eleanor`s wedding dress. It had originally been a long, heavy Elizabethan-inspired affair, but for her wedding anniversary she wanted something lighter, more easy to move in and more versatile. My most controversial alteration this year - some of you had very strong feelings about the change, but Eleanor was happy, so I am too.
Next I`ll be going through the top 5 bespoke wedding dresses I made this year. Follow along to find out if your favourite made it 👀
Photography:
1 - @emacrompzweddings
3 - @visualstoriesco
4 - @sbyrnephoto
No better feeling than someone who`s been watching my work for years deciding that now is the time!
#weddingdressmaker #bespokeweddingdress #customweddingdress #seamstress #weddingdressdesigner #bridalboutique
for my second prize for the Wed4Pal fundraiser, I`m giving you the chance to win a Dip-Dye Package in a raffle, meaning you could win either a Bridal dip dye package OR custom dip dye overskirt for as little as £45! This is just one way in which my business is taking a stand against genocide, apartheid and injustice.
The package will include either:
a. adding dip dye-style colour to the bottom of your wedding dress in 1-5 colours from the hem up to 18" high
or
b. a custom dip dye tulle overskirt made to fit over your wedding dress. Including two layers of tulle, custom cut to fit perfectly over your wedding dress. Up to 5 colours, from hem up to 18" high
100% of ticket sales (minus mandatory transaction fees) will go towards addressing the genocide in Palestine, with 50% going to Pal Humanity (an organisation providing medical aid, education and lifesaving supplies in Northern Gaza) and 50% going to gorgeous Gazan couple, Sama and Khalil, and their families to help them sustain and rebuild their lives.
More of a bargain and far more ethical than any Black Friday deal going, you can now buy tickets for our raffle prize until 14th February. Buy your tickets today and find out on Valentine’s Day if you’ve won!
You can find out more about our amazing prize, check out the terms and conditions and buy your tickets by following the link to the fundraiser in @wed4pal bio or head straight to http://www.amostcuriousweddingfair.co.uk
Photographers:
1 - Andrew Wilkinson Photography
2 - Lucy King Photography
3 - Tony Pullen Photography
4 - Steve Mulvey Photography
5 - Charly Mae Photography
6 - Kate Hennessey Photography
7 - Lisa Kennedy Photography
Illustrations: @karin_akesson_design
Image description: a bride stands before a fireplace in a castle. She is wear a long, dramatic wedding dress with balloon sleeves. The end of the dress is dip dyed a rich cerise.
