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Ailsa Mclean

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thank you letter from Ailsa

I was absolutely delighted with my beautiful dress! I really appreciated the time you took to explain the different options and the effort you went to in order to make sure it looked perfect, including an extremely useful set of instructions for my bridesmaid on how to make the dress look its best on the day. Your patience, enthusiasm and skill made the whole process a pleasure!

Christine McLean (Ailsa’s mum) wrote:
Thank you so much for all the work you put into getting the dress just right for Ailsa and the helpful advice with accessories etc. She looked lovely on the day and felt very comfortable and happy with the dress. The dress fittings became a firm part of the wedding preparations and thank you for your welcome when we visited. Ian was especially pleased that he could join us for the final fitting. With best wishes, Christine

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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“My detachable skirt was the best. So many people were very impressed with your work. Thank you so very much, I LOVE MY SKIRT!”⁠
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For real bride Christina, I created one of my iconic dip dye overskirts. Christina went for a beautiful monochromatic ombre, going from bright sky blue, all the way down to a deep, rich navy.⁠
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Whether it`s matching your bouquet, your groom`s pocket square or your bridesmaids, having an overskirt really helps tie the colour palette of wedding together.⁠
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If you want to add some colour to your wedding, but don`t quite feel brave enough to dye directly onto your wedding dress, then a dip dye overskirt is the perfect solution. Have a look at my Etsy (link in the bio) to find out more.⁠
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What colours would you pick?

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“My detachable skirt was the best. So many people were very impressed with your work. Thank you so very much, I LOVE MY SKIRT!”⁠ ⁠ For real bride Christina, I created one of my iconic dip dye overskirts. Christina went for a beautiful monochromatic ombre, going from bright sky blue, all the way down to a deep, rich navy.⁠ ⁠ Whether it's matching your bouquet, your groom's pocket square or your bridesmaids, having an overskirt really helps tie the colour palette of wedding together.⁠ ⁠ If you want to add some colour to your wedding, but don't quite feel brave enough to dye directly onto your wedding dress, then a dip dye overskirt is the perfect solution. Have a look at my Etsy (link in the bio) to find out more.⁠ ⁠ What colours would you pick?

Sometimes dressmaking lingo can feel a bit overwhelming, so I like to spend time breaking down various elements of a wedding dress I`ve made in... Anatomy of a Dress!⁠
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▫️for the fabric I used a beautiful, ivory floral lace (layered on top of silk dupion)⁠
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▫️the back of dress has a keyhole opening, secured with covered buttons at the top⁠
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▫️the corset bodice is fully boned with visible boning channels⁠
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▫️the dress fastens with a lace-up back, with ribbon and eyelets, and a modesty panel behind (so no skin shows through beneath the lacing)⁠
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▫️the skirt is cut straight with a very slight flare near the hem and scalloped edging used all around, including onto the small train⁠
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Did you find this little breakdown helpful? Hopefully it means that when it comes to your bridal outfit, you have a better idea of how to talk about what you want 🥰⁠
⁠
If you want to see what this dress looked like on the day of the wedding, have a look at this week`s earlier post.

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Sometimes dressmaking lingo can feel a bit overwhelming, so I like to spend time breaking down various elements of a wedding dress I've made in... Anatomy of a Dress!⁠ ⁠ ▫️for the fabric I used a beautiful, ivory floral lace (layered on top of silk dupion)⁠ ⁠ ▫️the back of dress has a keyhole opening, secured with covered buttons at the top⁠ ⁠ ▫️the corset bodice is fully boned with visible boning channels⁠ ⁠ ▫️the dress fastens with a lace-up back, with ribbon and eyelets, and a modesty panel behind (so no skin shows through beneath the lacing)⁠ ⁠ ▫️the skirt is cut straight with a very slight flare near the hem and scalloped edging used all around, including onto the small train⁠ ⁠ Did you find this little breakdown helpful? Hopefully it means that when it comes to your bridal outfit, you have a better idea of how to talk about what you want 🥰⁠ ⁠ If you want to see what this dress looked like on the day of the wedding, have a look at this week's earlier post.

Curious about the steps to take towards getting your wedding dress altered? Here are my tips for making your alteration journey a smooth and pleasant one.

1. Finding options
The shop where you find your dress might have a list of recommendations, or have their own in-house seamstress. You can also ask friends who they have used (and more importantly, liked).

2. Choosing a seamstress you can trust
Check online reviews. You can get a good sense of their professionalism from the look of their website or when you visit their work space. Getting undressed and trusting someone with your wedding dress is an intimate process so it’s important to pick someone you feel comfortable with.

3. Book early
Ideally, as soon as you have bought you dress. Seamstresses usually get booked up months ahead, especially in the busy spring and summer months. I normally recommend alterations are started 6-8 weeks before your wedding day.

4. Have realistic budgets expectations
Most wedding dress alterations with me cost between £300-£500 total, though this depends on the work that needs doing. Don`t assume that alteration costs will be proportional to the cost of your dress. Buying a cheap dress that needs a lot of work can end up costing as much or more than a more expensive dress that needs very little changing.

6. Buy a dress that is close to your size
Choosing a dress as close as possible to your actual size will give the best result. Making a dress smaller is much easier than expanding one.

If you have any more questions about the altering process, pop them in the comments!

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Curious about the steps to take towards getting your wedding dress altered? Here are my tips for making your alteration journey a smooth and pleasant one. 1. Finding options The shop where you find your dress might have a list of recommendations, or have their own in-house seamstress. You can also ask friends who they have used (and more importantly, liked). 2. Choosing a seamstress you can trust Check online reviews. You can get a good sense of their professionalism from the look of their website or when you visit their work space. Getting undressed and trusting someone with your wedding dress is an intimate process so it’s important to pick someone you feel comfortable with. 3. Book early Ideally, as soon as you have bought you dress. Seamstresses usually get booked up months ahead, especially in the busy spring and summer months. I normally recommend alterations are started 6-8 weeks before your wedding day. 4. Have realistic budgets expectations Most wedding dress alterations with me cost between £300-£500 total, though this depends on the work that needs doing. Don't assume that alteration costs will be proportional to the cost of your dress. Buying a cheap dress that needs a lot of work can end up costing as much or more than a more expensive dress that needs very little changing. 6. Buy a dress that is close to your size Choosing a dress as close as possible to your actual size will give the best result. Making a dress smaller is much easier than expanding one. If you have any more questions about the altering process, pop them in the comments!
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