The inspiration for this blue wedding dress with sleeves was a little unusual. Some brides give me mood boards, and some brides give me the lyrics to the extended (8 minute!) version of Torch by Soft Cell. The song, and especially these particular lyrics, have a lot of significance to the bride, Nicky, and her...
I made a bespoke ballerina length wedding dress for my lovely bride, Amy. Amy had a very specific brief for her wedding day, she wanted to feel like a Russian ballerina. So I designed a dress with ankle length layers in lightweight tulle. This style was popular in the 1950’s, it has elegant vintage style...
When everyone else in the wedding party has custom made clothes it would be shame to not also make a bespoke page boy waistcoat. I was asked to design and make this little set for the four year old Barnaby. Official wedding photos by Sebastian Lomas Barnaby’s waistcoat matched the grown-up groomsmen. His bow-tie was...
I think every little girl’s dream is being a flower girl and wearing the dress of her dreams, perhaps a custom flower girl dress Surrey. I made this dress for Eleanor’s wedding, along with four bespoke dresses for the adult bridesmaids as well. The wedding colour theme was a spring palette or pinks, ivory and...
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...
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 feel as though bride Alex and I are birds of a feather. I also had a period-inspired, unusually coloured wedding dress for my wedding. Alex wanted to meld 1950’s and Tudor influences to create something unique. Taking inspiration from history, but not being limited by having to be completely accurate, is my ideal design...
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...
I made this couture wedding dress in Surrey for Toni (during the dreaded Covid times). We went for something romantic, feminine and whimsical, in layered silk organza and soft satins. For this design, I chose a boned bodice with a straight neckline that then dips at the back. The top layer of this dress is...
Posts from Felicity Westmacott
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?
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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
Caroline is an equestrian vet for the military, and as such, had the honour of getting married at Sandhurst.
She needed a wedding dress that would befit the splendour of such a historic institution. Not only that, but she wanted her dress to pay homage to her career.
The result was this deep purple silk dress coat, full of details that are completely unique to Caroline.
The style of the dress coat is reminiscent of a Victorian riding habit. The buttons on the front of the dress are from her regiment - usually they`re gold, and much larger. But when Caroline went to the military tailors, they offered her smaller silver ones used for hats. The perfect finishing touch.
I was also lucky enough to attend Caroline`s wedding and wore one of my own creations as well. My colours and Caroline`s colours looked so good together (scroll to the end to see).
Throughout the day I got so many compliments for my work, which was such a lovely feeling, on top of the already gorgeous day I got to share with the happy couple.
If you want to see the dress she wore underneath this dress coat, check out my last post. It`s quite unexpected! Let me know what you think.
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Photography - Phil Carr - @phil_carr_photography
Hair - Kelly Dingle
Sumptuous sky-blue silk.
A figure-hugging silhouette.
Corseted with lilac ribbon.
And sparkling lace accents.
This is the kind of bridal outfit that makes me excited to get into my workshop every day. Colourful, confident and completely Caroline.
Originally Caroline wanted a cocktail-style dress, but eventually changed her mind to a bodice and skirt ensemble. That’s part of the joy of having your wedding dress made specifically for you – you can explore options and try different things out. It’s all part of the bespoke process. When a bride tells me she’s not sure about something, that helps me to get her one step closer to her dream dress. And that’s what we both want!
This is only half of what I made for Caroline – I can’t wait to show you the other half properly (you may have already glimpsed it in the video). I’ll be posting about that next, and trust me, it’s worth the wait.
Photography - Phil Carr - @phil_carr_photography
Hair - Kelly Dingle
“Felicity listened to what I wanted, gave a clear quote and completed the alterations so nobody could see them. Clear booking system as well. Would recommend.”
Sometimes it takes a little adjustment here and there to make a wedding dress feel like it was made for you, and sometimes a dress needs a more dramatic transformation. Either way, I`m here to help.
If you`re interested in getting your dress altered for this year, I`m currently booked up until the beginning of October. So if your wedding is November onwards and your dress doesn`t feel quite right yet, drop me a message. But don`t wait too long - spaces are filling up fast.
You can always book in a no-obligation consultation with me, to see if I would be the right fit for you and your dress - link in bio.
Photography - Birdseye Photography
Isabelle thought she had found the dress she wanted for her wedding day. But her mum wanted to gift her something a bit more special for such a special day.
When I met Isabelle, she showed me the dress. It was pretty, but it was made from cheaper fabrics, and there were parts of the dress she wasn`t as keen on.
We worked together to identify what about her inspiration dress she liked, and I made sure to include all those elements in her design. And, on top of that, we also changed the parts of the inspiration dress that she didn’t like that much.
She knew she wanted colour (whereas the original dress was white), she knew she wanted shorter sleeves, and a straight neckline, instead of the sweetheart neckline the other dress had.
We came up with a pale blue silk cocktail dress, with Chantilly lace layered over top and Guipure lace trim on the waistline.
It goes to show the difference between a cheaper dress and the bespoke experience. You can love both versions of the dress, and want to wear both, but with bespoke you get to make every element tailored to your preferences.
Photography - @mirandavphoto
Throughout my years as a bespoke wedding dress maker, lace is a fabric I have worked with time and time again. And it never gets boring.
Why?
Because there are just so many different kinds, in different colours, finishes and patterns. I have books and books of lace samples from my suppliers (shout out @bridalfabrics) you could easily lose a few hours admiring.
This is just a glimpse into what can be done with lace when it comes to alternative wedding dresses. If there`s a kind of lace in this post you want to know more about, ask away in the comments and I`ll make sure to reply.
And make sure you scroll to the end to see the fabric that always gets mistaken for lace, even though it isn`t.
Which of these lace looks is your favourite?
Photographers:
1. @jessicajillphoto
2. @dinawardphotography
3. barryholder.co.uk
4. @jessicajillphoto
5. @altweddingco
6. @snappedbycatx
7. @emilyhudson.photography
8. @carolinehorne.s.photography
9. @emilyhudson.photography
