For this bride, I created a Chinese fusion wedding dress with red dip dye. The result was a bold and beautiful bridal look, with lots of eye-catching details. There are two ways I can dip dye dresses. One involves spraying the fabric whilst gently overlapping and blending the colours, I do this as the final...
I designed this fairytale look for a bespoke wedding dress photoshoot in Essex. I made the dramatic Aurora gown in layers of fluffy blush organza and pale ivory tulle. Sequins shimmer under the top layer and creep onto the illusion neckline. I trimmed the bodice and waist with mixed metallic beaded lace and I created...
I’m very lucky that I attract the kind of brides who often want something that varies wildly from the traditional long white gown. So, when I met Maggie (virtually) and she told me that she was getting married in the summer and wanted something fun and bright, I was very excited! So I designed for...
For this Marie Antoinette wedding dress photoshoot, we took inspiration from the aesthetic of Bridgeton. I think we ended up with something slightly different, but equally wonderful, don’t you think? Our colour scheme was pastels; blush, pinks, coral, creamy ivory and hints of baby blue and gold. We wanted to evoke something romantic and ethereal...
I made the Phoenix dipdye wedding dress for a photoshoot. I designed a frosty sheer silver lace dress and a rose gold flowergirl dress as well for the same shoot. You can see more pictures from the entire shoot here. The autumn colour wedding dress was a pet project I’d been keen to try for...
Catherine wanted a flamboyant and theatrical two-piece bridal ensemble in red and white, with feathers, sparkle and a lot of tulle. This red feather masquerade wedding dress is the result. The drama of this dress is so exciting to me, and as someone who’s educational background is in theatre design, this one couldn’t have been...
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...
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...
Our photoshoot with elegant Downton Abbey vibes and breezy summer colours made this August wedding day the perfect country fete styled wedding.
I made three bespoke wedding dresses for this frost themed Autumn bridal photoshoot. From time to time I collaborate with other wedding professionals on styled wedding photoshoots. This one took place in November 2016 in leafy Surrey with the theme “Frost on the Leaves”. We wanted to explore the underrated beauty of the late English...
Posts from Felicity Westmacott
After Rebecca decided I was the right person for the job of making her wedding outfit, I began work on this gorgeous, floaty dream of a wedding dress.
However, we had an additional challenge to overcome...Rebecca lives in Germany. (there`s something about me and German brides - we just get along. This is my second bespoke order from Germany!) But we found a system that really worked for us during this process.
So if you`re an overseas bride, looking for the complete bespoke experience (as opposed to `made to measure` which is what we do if you can`t visit for fittings), take note.
The dress was made over the course of six months. Rebecca first visited in May for 4 days, during which we had three separate fittings. Then I worked on the dress, including the intricate dye techniques required to achieve this pastel rainbow. In September she visited for another three days (three weeks before her wedding), with a fitting every day. After the final fitting, she took the dress back to Germany with her.
I`ve had many other overseas brides, and they often choose made-to-measure: where I make the dress according to their measurements (following my strict instructions on how to take those measurements). This process leaves less space for changing the design, and always requires some additional work from a seamstress once it has been sent.
For Rebecca, having the full bespoke experience was absolutely the right choice. During our fittings she changed her mind on a few design elements - including removing the sleeves - meaning that by the time it was finished, it was exactly what she wanted.
You just can`t beat bespoke 💜
~
Photography - @pesto_fotografie
"The dress got so many compliments and it was so nice to be able to wear something that felt so much more like a reflection of who I am."
Look at this beauty!
I`ve made a lot of custom dip dye wedding dresses, and many of them have been the Phoenix colourway. But somehow Jess made it feel brand new when she asked me to add blue to the bottom, and lower the saturation on the colours.
So instead of bright sunflower yellow, we went with a buttery pastel yellow. Instead of vibrant orange, we chose a warm coral. Followed by dusky pinks and muted purples, right down to that faded navy.
The effect turned out looking like like watercolours 🖌️ I love how it turned out and I`m so glad Jess did too 💜
Photography - Craig Foreman Photography
It`s not everyone who gets to say that part of their job is hand-sewing a delicate, beaded spider`s web, finished with Swarovski crystal dew drops.
It`s only because my brides have such brilliant and beautiful imaginations that I get to make such wonderful things.
Happy Halloween, everyone 🕷️🕸️
Destination Vegas. Rockabilly bride. Halloween vibes.
Sounds like the perfect wedding.
Gorgeous goth Ellie got married in Las Vegas on Halloween. She wanted something alternative, retro and a little spooky. She realised she was never going to find that with an off-the-rack wedding dress. That`s where I came in.
I designed and made her white and purple wedding dress with a wonderful blend of 1950’s and 90`s shapes, modern styling and subtle Halloween Vixen detail. Harkening back to when Halloween was a little more stylish - perfect for this gothic bombshell. Below the boned bodice, I ruched and layered white satin over sumptuous shot black/purple taffeta and layers and layers of white net. The white satin was spangled all over with hand sewn crystals, ready to sparkle under the Vegas lights.
My favourite detail? The hand beaded spider web made from Swarovski crystals. Spooky but subtle.
As a seamstress there are certain things that give me the ick. Usually they`re pretty specific and unless you`re also a dressmaker it might be something you`re completely unaware of.
I`ve always had a ‘thing’ about language generally. I find it really interesting. I`ve noticed how strong a reaction I can have to people using language differently to what I’m used to. And when I notice that I often go on a bit of a deep dive to understand where that difference stems from. I think coming from a historical costuming background also means I love to know the history of things (and despite my instinctive language-conservative leanings, I do actively work on being accepting and open minded, trying celebrate the differences).
That said, please don’t say your dress has a trail!
Snails have trails - dresses have trains! 🐌
Have you ever dreamed of getting married somewhere beautiful, gothic and very Scottish?
Richelle got married in Edinburgh and wanted a bespoke wedding dress that could compete with one of the most iconic cities in the world.
We had to go structural, to echo the beautiful architecture of Edinburgh Castle (where she got married), as well as the rest of the atmospheric city`s layers of winding lanes, stacked stone buildings and hidden tunnels. So I designed her a pink and silver waterfall skirt wedding dress in organza, silk and lace.
I also included lots of versatility in the outfit, by making several removable pieces. These included a medieval-inspired bolero with waterfall sleeves, and a 1950s skirt for London part of her wedding (scroll to the end of the photos to see).
Oh, and her wedding reception was museum of Scotland. What a dreamy wedding 😍
Photography - @LinaandTom
