Long sleeve lace wedding dress and veil

Bespoke ivory lace wedding dress by Felicity Westmacott


Whether for a small an intimate elopement or a traditional country wedding with a marquee and hundreds of guests, a traditional long sleeve lace wedding dress ticks all the boxes.

Issie’s dress was made with a boned satin bodice with pretty lace overlay. Long sleeves and a boat neckline were trimmed with a pretty scalloped edging. A simple silk dupion sash highlighted her tiny waist and the back fastened with buttons and loops. The full skirt was three layers of silk organza over linings and netting flowing out behind in a wide train.

I also made Issie’s very two tier long veil. The train part was trimmed in matching lace edging to her dress and the blusher (comes over the face) was edged with simple cording.

Official photographs by Monty Steedman Photography

Classic corded lace bodice and silk skirt wedding dress

original design sketch by Felicity Westmacott
Original design skirt for Issie’s dress
Traditional military wedding dress with full skirt and veil

Military Wedding

Issie’s traditional long sleeve lace wedding dress was a perfect foil for her groom’s military uniform. Other dress styles could work too. I have made a very modern and understated dress for a military wedding before. Mixing up traditions and new ideas can work really well in all aspects of wedding planning.

Ball dress style wedding gown custom made to order

corded lace sleeve detail on custom wedding gown

Bespoke wedding veil and dress for English wedding lace and silk

Making Issie’s Traditional Long Sleeve Lace Wedding Dress

Pictures from the fittings showing her dress at various stage of the making process. Every bespoke dress I make starts with a ‘toile’ or practice run in cheaper materials. We can check the fit and style are just right before working with more costly fabrics. Then a series of fittings enables me to check everything is progressing at it should as the dress comes together.

I also made a long, two tier veil for Issie to match her wedding dress. It had a ‘blusher’ which is the extra layer that can be worn over your face when entering your ceremony space. I hand sewed lace edging to the long train of Issie’s veil and edged the blusher with matching narrow soutache cord.

final fitting picture of bespoke wedding dress and veil

Sweetheart boned bodice and lace wedding dress

Fitting picture hand made wedding dress

Fitting picture of custom wedding dress and veil

bespoke corded lace bodice and corded edge veil made to order

To see another wedding dress with a lace bodice and sleeves see Sofia’s dress on my blog

If you’d like to speak to me about your ideas for a bespoke commission, be that a traditional long sleeve lace wedding dress or another idea just head over to my contact page to get in touch.

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felicity westmacott wearing a hat

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 goal this year is to use up as much of my existing fabric stash as I can. Having been a seamstress for several decades now, I have amassed a huge pile of fabric over the years. That, and I just can’t throw anything away. As a result, I have an island’s worth of gorgeous, unusual and tragically under-utilised material, begging to be used for its purpose – creating unique and beautiful wedding dresses.

So, when Amy approached me about creating some looks for a steampunk Alice in Wonderland themed wedding shoot, it felt like the perfect opportunity to dip into my stash. 

As a result, everything was made from fabrics in stock – nothing was bought new. In fact, some of the scraps of lace are from my mum’s stash, so parts of this dress are from the 50s and 60s. I trimmed the gown with scraps of vintage and antique lace, sequins and tulle, as well as torn blue silk for the very Alice bows. They had a long while waiting to be used, but finally these frabrics have their home.

Content creation and creative lead: @reeldealsocial 
Lead photographer: @nicolaashleaphotography
Celebrant: @stardustceremonies
Styling and flowers: @foxgloveandblack
Photographer 2: @candiceharrisphotography
Model 1: @rosy053
Model 2: @s.frosties
HMUA: @house_of_belles
Tea set: @teacupswishes
Dress/suit: @felicitywestmacott
Cake: @thecakelabuk
Shoes: @houseofelliotlaceboots
Drinks: @bittersweetbartenders
Stationer: @calistaandbelle
Venue: @wortonhall
This softly feminine bridal cape is made from delicate pale ivory tulle, with elegant guipure lace  carefully hand sewn, asymmetrically cascading down the neckline and beyond. This cape is made with hidden wrist catches that ensure it stays placed correctly, with the lace delicately skimming your wrist.

There's something so dreamy and nostalgic about this style, especially when paired with a simple satin silk shift. Perfect for a little cover up during a sunny, destination wedding. 
Don't you think the lace motifs at the back are reminiscent of angel wings? 

This sweet little cape is part of my sample sale at an absolute steal. It's free size, meaning it will fit sizes UK4-UK26 easily. Find it on my Etsy and make it part of your perfect day 💜

#samplesale #weddingdresssale #bridalboutique #weddingseason #smallbusiness
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