Tea length brown wedding dress and bolero

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 chiffon down the front of the bodice and opens to reveal the taffeta beneath. I hand beaded the neckline with bronze coloured Swarovski pearls in a ‘floral lace’ pattern.

The bolero has long sleeves, gathered at the shoulder and with a button loop closure at the cuff. I applied matching hand beading all along the bolero edge and the sleeves are finished with matching pearls used as the buttons.

Suzanne wrote: Felicity, I couldn’t decide which shot was best so I’m sending you the whole album. My dress was much admired and I certainly felt wonderful in it. Thank you again so much. Hope you are well! Kind regards, Suzanne

mature bride wedding dress pink and brown taffeta and chiffon
riverboat bride in shot taffeta bolero with bubbles
 custom alternative wedding dress and bolero for older bride

Gifts for a bride

Although I made much more elaborate mother of pearl petal necklace (shown below), as ordered by Suzanne, she had never tried it with the dress. So when her work colleagues contacted me to organise a surprise wedding present I suggested they commission this simple necklace (the string of bronze pearls) as an alternative for Suzanne on her wedding day. This was just in case the petal design turned out to be too much along with the pearl beading on the dress. It seems like we got it just right as Suzanne’s photos show that she did indeed choose to wear the simple necklace her colleagues bought for her. With our clever planning the simple necklace still perfectly matched the earrings and bracelet from the petal set so all was well!

ruched front brown wedding dress with long sleeves

I was also privileged to make a wedding dress for Suzanne’s daughter who was married the same year. You can see pictures of her butterfly themed wedding dress here.

Making Suzanne’s tea length brown wedding dress Dress

original design sketch tea length wedding dress and bolero

Suzanne had seen the plait design on a dress in a perfume advertisement (she brought the torn out page with her to her first consultation). She knew she wanted something similar for her own dress but otherwise had no special preferences for other design details. So I sent her these design sketches showing various different ideas. Suzanne choose to add the dipped cutaway of the chiffon on the back of the dress. And then also the pearl beading in the ‘lace’ design with matching pearls for the bolero cuff buttons.

 fitting picture bespoke dressmaker tea length wedding dress in brown taffeta and chiffon

Pictures from Suzanne’s final fitting, showing the cut away detail on the back of the dress.

hand beading detail swarovski pearl bronze

Detail of the bolero with the beading being applied.

button cuff detail on bespoke bolero

Detail of the finished bolero showing the pearl button and loop cuffs

made to measure wedding bolero occasionwear
hand embellishment beading on custom dress back neckline swarovski pearl
 plait detail front sweetheart neckline bespoke coloured wedding dress
floating mother of pearl petal and bronze necklace

Suzanne commissioned this lovely necklace to match her dress. Made from a mix of pale pink mother-of-pearl petals, Swarovski crystals and bronze pearls the design is feminine and striking. I also made matching earrings each with one petal.

floating pearl and crystal bracelet on tigertail wire

This bracelet was made to match the necklace in the same Swarovski crystal and bronze pearls.

knee length informal wedding dress with shrug made to measure

To see lots more examples of bespoke wedding dresses I have made for mature brides you can head to their dedicated portfolio page.

If you would like to know more about having your own wedding dress made to order you can see my FAQ page or be in touch direct

Or visit my Etsy shop to buy samples of gowns I make for photoshoots

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Felicity Westmacott

I write about all aspects of weddings, dressmaking, fashion history, and the human relation to clothing. I welcome comments and debate.

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I found this sheet music in my house, and I was so surprised by what it was 🎹🎵

There’s a music stand in my childhood home, and when I was having a look, I found this: “Three Songs composed by Ethel M. Lightfoot”. And my curiosity was peaked. So I sat down at the piano.

When it comes to reading music, I can play piano and sing a little. Nothing outstanding but enough that I could put the music in front of me and have a go at playing it. And I was surprised to discover that I found it was really easy to sightread and sing. Ethel liked the same key signatures, melodies and intervals as me. The things I wrote in my teens (usually quite a bit more angsty) were really similar in terms of structure. Her themes were different, of course, like “Cradle Song”, where a mother sings to her child about their father being away at war.

Ethel, as it turns out, is my great grandmother. Ethel was a musician, and it was so wonderful to find some of her published work, play it and somehow feel connected to her through our similarities. Somewhere in my blood is Ethel’s love for music, and it was so special to find her sheet music flowing so easily from my fingertips.

I love learning about history generally, but there’s something extra special about learning about your own personal history 💜

Is there something from your family history that you’re particularly proud of?
With leaves starting to change to colour, my thoughts have turned to autumn. So I'm sharing my process for this autumn inspired dip dye wedding outfit;
🍁 deciding I wanted to layer a dip dye overskirt on top of the bridal playsuit
🍁choosing lots of warm, rich colours that make me think of autumn leaves carpeting a forest floor
🍁 cutting the tulle of the skirt to the right length 
🍁 gradually blending each layer of colour, using an ombre of yellow, orange, brown and just a little bit of gold at the end
…and then the finished product!

Doesn't this bridal outfit look right at some in the woods?

If you love the idea of an overskirt for your wedding dress, drop me a DM and let’s talk colour palettes!

~
Photographer: @charlymaephotography
I'm a regional finalist for the Wedding Industry Awards! ⁠
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Not only that, but in both my categories; Best Designer/Independent Dressmaker and Best Seamstress/Tailor. So thank you to everyone who voted for me. Your time and effort is not only appreciated, but has also paid off 💜⁠
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And well done to my fellow regional finalists; @alexandersharpebridal, @harrietchristelow, @shell_stitches_kent, @stitchesbykristine, @nicolaleverington.⁠
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There are a few finalists outside of my categories that I wanted to give an especially loud shout out to - well done @alexjaggermua and @lushcurvebridal!⁠

Thank you to the organisers and Damien at @twia_official
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Wishing everyone the best of luck! 🪡✨️⁠

Photo by @altweddingco
emailme@felicitywestmacott.co.ukTEL 07762 543230TOUCHGet in
from design to completionbespoke wedding dressesFelicity Westmacott
Dorking, RH4 1RT241 High Street• Visit the Studio •
Dorking, RH4 1RT241 High Street• Visit the Studio •
emailme@felicitywestmacott.co.ukTEL 07762 543230TOUCHGet in