Theatrical waterfall skirt wedding dress for Richelle

windswept wedding dress bride custom waterfall skirt

Richelle wanted a theatrical dress with interchangeable separates for her two part wedding in Scotland. I designed her a pink and silver waterfall skirt wedding dress in organza, silk and lace. Richelle found me by recommendation from a previous bride, the nicest way to know you’ve done a good job!

Official photography by linaandtom

A theatrical wedding dress for a dramatic bride

Richelle had an epic, three part wedding. So when I met her I knew I needed to design a dress for three venues, each with very different vibes. The ceremony took place in Edinburgh castle with a traditional religious service with a reception afterwards at The Museum of Scotland. And a few weeks later Richelle and her new husband held another party for London friends in a theatre space.

scottish wedding groom in kilt

windswept wedding dress bride custom waterfall skirt

Each layer of Richelle’s waterfall skirt was made from a whole circle or oval of blush organza. I used more than 30 metres of horsehair braid to trim the hem edges making them flute and fall gracefully.

big skirt wedding dress alley way pale pink

bride with dinosaurs scottish groom edinburgh museum

silhouette wedding portrait space and galaxy wedding

Original design for Wedding Dress Separates

I designed Richelle’s waterfall skirt wedding dress as a four piece mix and match set of separates. The dramatic long skirt with train was made with 9 organza waterfalls each edged with horsehair braid (sometimes called crin, as in crinoline) to give them definition and stiffness. Her boned bodice had a sweetheart neckline with the silver lace over layer crossing over to subtle ruching to one side. the lace extended above the main bodice into an off the shoulder neckline with real buttons and loops to close at the back, concealing a zip beneath.

design sketch by Felicity Westmacott waterfall wedding dress

I offered Richelle three ideas for her sleeves/cover-up. The first was a simple bolero and the middle one is a waterfall cape, longer at the back than the front. But Richelle loved the idea on the right with flowing waterfall sleeves that buttons closed at the front. The sleeves hint at a medieval style but look totally modern and romantic in the blush coloured organza with horsehair braid edging. It fastened at her throat with a sweet pink Swarovski pearl for a button.

wedding cape cover up bolero designs by Felicity Westmacott

summer wedding bolero sleeves bridal separates

The last element of Richelle’s ensemble was a simple 1950’s style skirt in blush with silver net petticoat. This was perfect to wear at her party in London so she could dance the night away!

Blush pink organza and silver lace

Richelle wanted a subtle blush pink colour so we found coordinating organza and silk dupion, complimented by the beaded silver lace for her bodice.

silver metallic lace beaded sequins detail

wedding bolero shrug cover up pink

Detail of the bodice fastening with concealed zip with real buttons and loops.

button and loop fastening wedding dress

Making Richelle’s waterfall skirt wedding dress

Richelle’s dress was made over a series of fittings at my studio. It was great getting to know her during the process and comparing our love of theatre. Above are pictures from the first fitting of her ‘toile’, a practice run in cheap fabrics. I had prepped a single waterfall piece to pin on and give Richelle an idea of the size her final skirt would be. Find out more about the bespoke making process here.

sewing a button and loop fastening

Sewing on the buttons to Richelle’s bodice

lace up inside panel bespoke wedding dress

Richelle’s bodice was fully boned and had a hidden corset layer where pulling the laces would cinch in her waist and provide support to her bust.

museum of scotland wedding venue dramatic bride

Can you spot the bride and groom in the beautiful museum of Scotland?

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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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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 🥰⁠
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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!
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