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

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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Over Christmas I wanted to make something to combat the darkness of December and add a bit of razzle dazzle to my bridal shop. And so the Poinsettia wedding dress was born!
I love to make dresses for my brides, but once in a while it's very fun to make something from my own imagination and see where I end up. 

The first thing I knew I wanted was sparkle! And lots of it! I wanted to make something dramatic and showstopping. I went with a deep plunging neckline, and a semi-sheer bodice. To compliment the sleek silhouette of the base dress, I also made a big overskirt (removable, of course). But the crowning glory of this dress are these gorgeous oversized flowers! And they match perfectly with the white and silver sequins of the material of the dress and I think they're a stunning feature of the dress.

Although the intention of this dress was to be for a winter bride, I think there's something very Hollywood glam about it. And the fact it's sleeveless means you won't overheat, even in the summer.
What do you think - does this dress suit a winter or a summer vibe?

If you're looking for a bespoke look for your wedding, drop me a DM. I love to create completely unique and beautiful bridal pieces, so let's chat!

#bespokeweddingdress #sparkle #surrey #dorking #weddingdressmaker #seamstress #bridalboutique
As a wedding dress maker, I would say the fitting process is when I need my brides to trust in me the most. It's all well and good showing them beautiful drawings and fabrics, but when it comes to those first fittings, things can look very different to what you imagined. And that's fine!

All art goes through a process, whether it's layering oil paints on a canvas, or refining the clay of a sculpture...but an artist knows, it will all be worth it in the end.

I think the finished result looks absolutely beautiful, and that’s thanks to those fittings, where I could refine, check and double check, and make sure this bride’s dress fitted her perfectly!

If you want to see photos from Laura's wedding day with this dress in action, on a beautiful, snowy day, then have a look at my earlier post.

~
#weddingdress #wedding #bride #bespokeweddingdress #customdress #weddinggown #londonbridaldesigner #surreybridaldesigner #surreydressmaker #londondressmaker
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