“I felt like an African queen. Everyone loved my dress. Thank you for making my dreams come true!” This is a beautiful gold lace hijab wedding dress, accentuated with yellow crystals and scalloped lace. I designed and made this fully bespoke look for a bride for her interfaith wedding. The bride wanted a simple and...
This wedding Dress for a military wedding was made from layers of silk satin, chiffon and delicate beaded lace. I added real button and loops to close the back. I made two ribbon sashes for Emily so she could change the colours: ‘sand’ and ‘royal purple’ to wear for different parts of her day. Official...
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...
Lisa wanted an elegant Santorini blue dipdye wedding dress, with hints of Grecian style for her destination wedding in Greece. After a lot of trial and error, I managed to create what I think is the most perfect, vibrant sky blue. I love how this dress turned out, from the peek-a-boo shoulders, to the floaty...
Bride Ally had her wedding planned for Norway, and then a honeymoon to the Arctic Circle. She wanted something simple, elegant and warm to wear. What resulted was this completely bespoke three quarter sleeve winter wedding dress, designed and created by me, perfect for this adventurous bride. Photography – Lieben Photography The dress was wonderful...
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...
Just before lockdowns began in 2020 I created an Indian Fusion wedding dress for a photoshoot with a London team of suppliers. We wanted to create inspiration for the many mixed culture weddings being planned in the UK. I showcased my fusion wedding dress design skills with an ensemble of ivory silk top, skirt and...
Neli and Neiko asked me for a dress for their rustic, Italian styled photoshoot. This silver wedding dress was designed with country weddings in mind. I used boho, elegant styling with a modern vintage vibe in mind when I designed in the dress. Silver Wedding Dress Design I made the dress from delicate antique silver,...
Butterfly wing dress with pale blue green edging and hand beading. Official Wedding pictures by Kate Bellinger Photography I made Katie a simple ivory satin dress with sweetheart neckline and halter strap. The bias-cut skirt flows from the underbust line with silk georgette ‘wing’ panels laid over the top. I created the wings to extend...
Vicki commissioned a chiffon cowl back wedding dress in ivory soft satin and Georgette with hand appliquéd lace. Official photographs by Vivien Woods A short video of Vikki’s dress being worn here: Vicki’s Dress The dress has and empire line bodice, lightly boned with a sweetheart neckline and shaped straps. The skirt was made of...
Posts from Felicity Westmacott
This week is my wedding anniversary, so I`m taking a trip down memory lane.
A few years ago, my spouse and I had an anniversary photoshoot. In the run-up to my actual wedding, I`d had so much dressmaking to finish - not just my dress, but also:
🌸four bridesmaids dresses
🌸a flower girl dress
🌸waistcoats for the groom and three page boys
🌸plus three paying clients on top
On the day, my dress was finished and wearable, but not quite as it should have been.
The original concept for the dress included hand-embroidered fuchsias all up the train, and I just didn`t have enough time. Lockdown finally gave me the chance to finish it properly, and this anniversary photoshoot was, in part, to celebrate that.
It was only this year, going through old photos, that I found these two images side by side. And then more, all mirroring each other.
Almost 15 years apart.
Shot in the same location.
And with technically the same people - though I think it`s safe to say we`ve grown and changed in so many ways as individuals, and as a couple, during that time.
From two teenagers stepping out into the world together, to us now, with our family, our friends and our enduring love.
Maybe this is your sign to get your wedding photos out again and relive those precious memories 💖
Now photographer: @altweddingco
Then photographer: Chris Cormack
A bustle this pretty deserves a pretty name 🌸
If your wedding dress is floor length or longer, a bustle is not only a really practical feature to add, it can also transform your gown.
For Emily I did an overbustle with five points. These kinds of bustle usually go up to the waistline, but we brought it down, so if you want a `proper` term, it would be a low five-point overbustle (or American bustle).
But I like to simply call it a petal bustle - a much prettier name, and it`s what it looks like.
You can tell it`s going to move amazingly on the dancefloor 🪩 ✨
if you`d like to find out more about what`s possible with your dress, the link to book a consultation is in my bio.
Emily exudes joy, so her dress had to reflect that beautiful personality - and I think we nailed.
Our base was a second-hand wedding dress I`d bought to dip dye and display in my shop. But before I could even put it up in my shop window, Emily was in to try it on!
We took in the bust for a better fit, shortened the bodice and hems, and then came the really fun part. She chose this beautiful range of colours, from blush pink all the way to royal purple, for her dip dyed skirt.
I love how coordinated Emily`s whole bridal look is - matching pink and purple bouquet, flower crown and even hair! And of course, her sweet pooch had a pink harness and leash as well. What a cutie 🐶🩷
Are you dreaming of a wedding dress that`s a little (or a lot) outside the box? Drop me a message - I`d love to help you make it happen 🥰
Photography - @oddshoephotography
Hair - Rebecca Day Hair
Scroll to the end for the result!
Thank you to everyone for their input. As it turns out, the bride who bought this dress agreed with the majority vote, so I got to dip dye this second hand wedding dress with a beautiful gradient of pinks and purples.
What do you think of the result? Do you think we made the right decision?
I`ll be posting photos from the bride`s wedding day next (there`s a dog, so you really don`t want to miss out).
Follow along for more colourful bridal inspiration💜
#sustainablebride #coolbride #weddinginspo #modernbride #bridalstyle#prelovedweddingdress #slowfashion #sustainableluxury #prelovedbridal #secondhandweddingdress #alternativeweddingdress
When it`s wedding season my schedule gets even busier than normal. My whole life is spent at my studio, sewing until the small hours.
Luckily I love my job! 😅
Christopher Nolan`s The Odyssey is everywhere you look right now, including all the discourse around the costumes. It brought to my mind one of my own bridal creations, inspired by history but also undeniably modern.
Just like the costume design in The Odyssey, I wasn`t going for historical accuracy here. I took inspiration from the pleating of ancient Grecian clothing, and the golden adornments of the Egyptians. But the under bust corset and the asymmetry of this wedding dress means you certainly wouldn`t have found it in either of those ancient civilisations.
Can you imagine a wedding dress like this on the big screen?
~
Suppliers
Photographer - Jamie Edward - @jamieedwardphotography
Venue - RSA House - @rsaweddings
Concept, Design & Shoot Coordinator - With Akilah & Co - @weddings_akilahandco
Videographer - Alfie`s Visuals - @clique_visuals
Content Creator - The Wedding Storyteller - @weddingstorytellerco
Florist - Fleur De La Couture - @fleurdelacouture
Delivery & Logistics Team - Middlemen Logistics - @middlemenlogistics
Hair Stylist - Hair By Duboux - @hair_by_duboux
Makeup Artist - Melinda Bridal - @melindabridal
Jewellery - Catherine Marche - @catherinemarche
Cake - Peboryon - @bluepumpkincalligraphy
Linen, Napkins & Furniture - Hallmark Hire - @hallmarkcateringandequipmenthire
Models - @dom_dht & @yanapenrose
Celebrant - Dave The Celebrant - dave_the_celebrant
Bespoke Dress Maker - Felicity Westmacott - @felicitywestmacott
Bride Accessories - Saint Beth Official - @saintbeth2
Confetti - Confetti Club London - @confetticlublondon
Newspapers - Photo Press - @photopressuk
