Izzy’s dress was created to be simple and flattering with pretty lace and butterfly detail. The main dress was cut princess line to float around her figure, lightly boned for support. The square neckline and cap sleeves were modest and feminine. Lace applique highlighted Izzy’s waist and the lace up back gave a detail focus from the back.

official photography by www.abbymoshref.co.uk

additional wedding pictures by Sebastian Lomas

The chapel length train was hand decorated with applique and embroidered butterflies, each made from shapes cut from the guipure lace.

The colour theme for Izzy’s spring wedding was primrose yellow. We added subtle highlights of hand embroidered yellow silk thread as the body for each butterfly.

Izzy wrote “Dear Fliss, Thank you so much for making my wedding dress. It is beautiful. Lots of love Izzy xxx

Izzy wore a simple yellow chiffon stole for modesty in the Church and in the cool spring air afterwards.

Details of the back of the dress with the lace applique dipping at centre back with the bustle button for the train and the lace-up ribbon fastening.

The bride and her dressmaker

Making Izzy’s dress

Original design sketch: Izzy changed her mind before work began from having a lace bolero to simple cap sleeves.

Lace is bought as flat fabric and has to be carefully cut and ease around a curved figure to lie flatteringly and flat. Guipure lace is distinctive for having no ‘netty’ background and cutting carefully around the design leaves a useable edge with no need for further finishing. Here a few extra motifs have been cut and pinned ready to sew down to give the top edge of the lace panel an even top edge.

You can see the pins in this fitting picture, where the lace is being eased and placed for best effect. The ribbon ends are trimmed with stiffening tape to help with lacing, this is removed before going out on your wedding day!

Detail of the lace cap sleeve.

The dress back opening, boned and with a line of eyelets inserted on one side, ready for side two.

The lace butterflies were made by carefully cutting round leaf and petal shapes on from the lace and arranging them into wing shapes. We made three or four different size and design butterflies to fly around her train.

The lace is sewn down, ready for the embroidery of yellow silk bodies.

Two finished butterflies.

Views of the finished dress on the stand with the train spread out and bustled up for dancing.

I always provide a train wrist loop, as well as the hook-up so that the dress can be easily managed when no one is nearby to help. A pretty ‘something blue’ is a finishing touch.