I made these each of these custom bridesmaid dress in Surrey. Eleanor’s five bridesmaids all wore the same style in a mix and matched range of four colours. I used rose pink, pale pink, ivory and gold to create a pretty and spring like colour scheme. Official Wedding pictures by Sebastian Lomas The style was...
What is more lovely than a winter blue bridesmaids dress? I made three bespoke dresses for Vicky’s wedding day. Each one is made in ice blue silk dupion with ivory sashes. I sewed them with boned bodices and a sweetheart necklines with a ‘ballet pinch’. I cut the knee length skirts full and supported them...
I made a bespoke portrait collar jacket and wedding dress trimmed with chantilly lace for Angela. The dress and jacket were both made in opulent oyster pink duchess silk satin. Photography bywww.christellephoto.com Angela wanted a little old world glamour for her wedding so we created this vintage inspired ensemble in luxurious silk duchess satin and...
Tracey wanted a Tudor inspired wedding dress with a modern twist for her wedding at the Tudor period hotel, Langshott Manor. I love designing alternative wedding dresses so this was a lovely project. The two piece ensemble made in deep red silk velvet has a firmly boned bodice cut in a ‘Tudor’ style with a...
I am a huge fan of wearing a bit of colour for your wedding, so this pale blue cocktail wedding dress hits all the right buttons! The dress has a cute, vintage, 1950’s wiggle dress vibe and suited Isabelle perfectly. Simple and sweet bridal mini-dress with tiered ivory lace skirt. Pale blue silk satin shows...
Modelled by Jenny, Zoe, Anna and Charlie Amanda commissioned a custom orange bridesmaid dress for each of her four bridesmaids and five cravats for the groomsmen. The princess line dresses had strapless sweet-heart necklines with a ‘ballet’ style gathered piece at centre front. I made Each orange bridesmaid dress from a copper coloured silk-dupion with...
Stunning Cadbury purple 1950’s bridesmaid’s dresses with with black sashes and pretty butterfly detail. The dresses are all simple boned bodices with a ‘ballet pinch’ detail just below the sweetheart neckline. A halterneck is flattering and provided peace of mind to the wearer. The full circle skirts lie over netting skirts in bright contrast colours...
Suzanne commissioned a pretty tea length brown wedding dress and bolero made up in taffeta and chiffon. I made her knee-length dress with a fitted and boned bodice. She wanted a gentle sweet-heart shaped neckline and slim straps. We chose a beautiful shot taffeta (shot pink/green/ivory) with chocolate chiffon on top and I ‘plaited’ the...
Clare wanted something pretty but informal and not too ‘wedding’ for her special day. She knew from the start that a rose pink informal wedding dress was the way forward. She brought a skirt she loved to her design consultation with gorgeous little godet flare inserts at the back which we used as a basis...
Aine commissioned a 1950’s short wedding dress made up in white taffeta. Wedding photography by Michael Dillon The dress has a fitted and boned bodice with square shaped neckline and invisible zip back closure. The flared, knee length skirt has soft white tulle peeking out below. I decorated both the waistline and neckline with white...
Posts from Felicity Westmacott
As a bespoke bridal designer, it`s my job to make sure your dress looks like it`s part of you.
For this bride, I designed a dramatic satin dress, with a statement bow and asymmetrical ruching across the front and back of the bodice. A more traditional bodice that might have a lace up back, or simple a concealed zip down the middle, but for this dress I didn`t want to break up the flow of the fabric going across the body, so I had to come up with an elegant (and easy to use) solution. Not only did the fastening need to impossible to spot, it also needed to provide support for the bride, so she felt secure in the dress throughout the day.
I created two panels of ruched silk dupion in this beautiful rose gold colour. The panels were secured at the side, not the back, with the top panel being firmly attached with poppers. The panel underneath had hooks and underneath that I made a built in corset behind a heavy-duty zip. Because of the weight of the dress, and how fitted it was, the zip had to work harder than usual, so it was actually very useful to be able to fully hid it. It meant the bride could be fully supported, without the zip interfering with the design.
All that work meant that this bride didn`t have to worry about hitching up her dress or any wardrobe malfunctions, she could just focus marrying her husband and having a gorgeous day with friends and family.
What detail in your wedding dress are you most excited to obsess over?
#bespokeweddingdress #rosegoldweddingdress #bridalboutique #smallbusiness
Down the Rabbit Hole...🕰️
A few months ago I was contacted by Amy, looking for a last minute seamstress replacement for her steampunk Alice in Wonderland themed wedding shoot.
I said yes, and with three and a half weeks before the shoot, I made complete outfits for both brides. Amy gave me free reign on the design, with the only request being I used traditionally steampunk colours; brown, beige, taupe, bronze, copper and gold.
To add to the last minute chaos, the original Alice bride model had to drop out the day before the shoot. We managed to find a new model, whose measurements were similar to the dress I had already finished, except she was 8 inches shorter and 2 dress sizes smaller than the previous model. This meant that even with last minute alterations, the fit on the day wasn`t perfect – it isn`t incredibly noticeable, but I can see it...
For our femme Alice bride, I made a wedding dress from pale gold taffeta, with a fully boned bodice, long skirt with a train and waterfall back. The petticoat is a cage crinoline with rows and rows of boning and tapes – tea-dyed to go with the colour scheme. Originally the skirt had two options, either down, or hitched up. But due to our new bride being shorter, we could only have it hitched, so she could move around safely.
For our more masc bride, I went for a White Rabbit meets Mad Hatter look, with velvet breeches, and a double-breasted waistcoat over cotton romantic sleeved shirt and matching cravat. She was styled with Victorian-style ankle booties and striped stockings. I also decorated a vintage top hat with bird cage veiling, cogs and peacock feathers, and we sourced a pocket watch to go into the specially made pocket watch pocket.
Which outfit is your favourite?
Content creation and creative lead: @reeldealsocial
Lead photographer: @nicolaashleaphotography
Celebrant: @stardustceremonies
Styling and flowers: @foxgloveandblack
Photographer 2: @candiceharrisphotography
Model 1: @rosy053
Model 2: @s.frosties
HMUA: @house_of_belles
Tea set: @teacupswishes
Cake: @thecakelabuk
Shoes: @houseofelliotlaceboots
Drinks: @bittersweetbartenders
Stationer: @calistaandbelle
Venue: @wortonhall
My goal this year is to use up as much of my existing fabric stash as I can. Having been a seamstress for several decades now, I have amassed a huge pile of fabric over the years. That, and I just can’t throw anything away. As a result, I have an island’s worth of gorgeous, unusual and tragically under-utilised material, begging to be used for its purpose – creating unique and beautiful wedding dresses.
So, when Amy approached me about creating some looks for a steampunk Alice in Wonderland themed wedding shoot, it felt like the perfect opportunity to dip into my stash.
As a result, everything was made from fabrics in stock – nothing was bought new. In fact, some of the scraps of lace are from my mum’s stash, so parts of this dress are from the 50s and 60s. I trimmed the gown with scraps of vintage and antique lace, sequins and tulle, as well as torn blue silk for the very Alice bows. They had a long while waiting to be used, but finally these frabrics have their home.
Content creation and creative lead: @reeldealsocial
Lead photographer: @nicolaashleaphotography
Celebrant: @stardustceremonies
Styling and flowers: @foxgloveandblack
Photographer 2: @candiceharrisphotography
Model 1: @rosy053
Model 2: @s.frosties
HMUA: @house_of_belles
Tea set: @teacupswishes
Dress/suit: @felicitywestmacott
Cake: @thecakelabuk
Shoes: @houseofelliotlaceboots
Drinks: @bittersweetbartenders
Stationer: @calistaandbelle
Venue: @wortonhall
As you can see from the first fitting photo, when Mahri bought her dress to me, there was a bit of an issue with fit.
But not to worry, because that`s where I worked my dress alchemy magic ✨️
Mahri`s dress underwent a lot of changes. Over the course of several months we had lots of fittings, each time readjusting our plan of action. This is to be expected for a such a dramatic alteration.
Not only did I add about 8 inches to the body of the dress, I also reshaped the bodice, creating new panels from the fabric taken from shortening the hem. I used the rest of the spare fabric to make the lacing at the back, so that everything matched perfectly.
Originally at the back there were see-through panels with buttons, but we decided to get rid of those, and ended up with this elegant, flattering shape, using just a little bit of invisible skin-tone tulle for support.
As a final detail, I created a fabulous bustle up. I think it looks particularly beautiful with this style of dress.
Mahri looks absolutely stunning and I`m so glad she trusted me to work my magic and transform her wedding dress into something truly bespoke.
I have a few alteration slots per month, so if you`ve got some changes in mind, it`s better to get in touch sooner rather than later!
Photographer - @geocam.photography
The Venue - @thecruin (Loch Lomond)
Decor - @purplewillowweddings
It`s amazing how much a cape, jacket or bolero can add to a bridal outfit. It can be that finishing touch you didn`t even know you were looking for.
So, I wanted to share some of my favourite cover-up creations:
1. For this photoshoot, I spent a lot of time looking at Jenny Bevan`s designs from the recent Cruella film. From that, I came up with a series of looks, including this antique military-style black velvet jacket, to which I added lace cuffs for even more upcycling chic.
2. This wedding shoot was all about 1950s fun. As well as the dress, I really enjoyed creating a capsule collection of accessories, including this organza tie-front shirt, inspired by rockabilly and country & western.
3. I created this little capelet using layers of purple and lilac feathers. It`s such a rock n` roll vibe for an alternative bride who wants to make a statement. A small addition, but with maximum effect. (this feather capelet is part of my Etsy sample sale)
4. For this cool London elopement shoot I wanted a short, sweet 60’s/80’s retro vibes. I made the simple dress and then the cute bolero-shrug. It`s covered in sequins and pearls and fastens above a cut away back with matching pearls. So cute, so chic.
Which is your favourite? Cruella, Rockabilly, Alternative or Retro?
~
Shoot 1
Photography @lexflemingphoto
Planning and Styling @revelryevents
Venue @woolwichworks
Hair @makeup_in_orangeries
Necklace @moxhamstore
MUA @kayleighkmua
Bride @victoria_sirotyuk
Shoot 2
Concept, Planning & Styling: @4yaparty
Venue: @thelostvillageofdode
Photographer: @stevemulveytog
Florist: @baileyandblossom
Car: @veeduboccassions
Millinery: @follylondonmillinery
Jewellery: @bishboshbecca
Makeup: @scampbellbridalmakeup
Hair: @alexhairandmua
Models: @dawn_isobel @nnastia.photography
Shoot 3
Model emilygossip
Photographer @joannabongardphoto
Fascinator by @laney_jane_maccormack ⠀
Cake by @malarkeycakes ⠀
Hair and makeup by @lawsonmakeup⠀
Venue @sparkfordhall
⠀
Shoot 4
Models - @megsnmichael
Concept/Photographer - @jade_mariephotography
Florist - @hollyandtheivyfloristry
Make up/Hair Stylist - @emmaartismakeup
Jeweller - @cathysutherlandjewellery
This softly feminine bridal cape is made from delicate pale ivory tulle, with elegant guipure lace carefully hand sewn, asymmetrically cascading down the neckline and beyond. This cape is made with hidden wrist catches that ensure it stays placed correctly, with the lace delicately skimming your wrist.
There`s something so dreamy and nostalgic about this style, especially when paired with a simple satin silk shift. Perfect for a little cover up during a sunny, destination wedding.
Don`t you think the lace motifs at the back are reminiscent of angel wings?
This sweet little cape is part of my sample sale at an absolute steal. It`s free size, meaning it will fit sizes UK4-UK26 easily. Find it on my Etsy and make it part of your perfect day 💜
#samplesale #weddingdresssale #bridalboutique #weddingseason #smallbusiness
