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Wedding Dress for Claire-Michelle

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott

Duchess satin dress with Victorian design inspiration. Boned and waist cinching bodice and full waterfall skirt with hand beading and appliqu?d lace.

Wedding Pictures by Sequoia Grove Photography

The bodice is heavily embellished with lace motifs, beads, sequins and real pearls. Satin flowers are sewn to the sweetheart neckline edge and onto detachable off the shoulder straps which tie to the bodice with ribbons. The dress laces closed at the back over a modesty panel and has a full peplum of box pleats.

The skirt is very full worn over a hoop, netting and bum-roll to create the early Victorian inspired shape. Large pleats from the waistline help the skirt push away from the body before beginning to hang downward. A large wired water-fall begins on each hip and flows down the side and into the train. A wide panel hand appliqu?d with scrolling blue lace edges the hem of the skirt all round and highlights the shape of the waterfall.
Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott: design sketch

Original design sketch, the neckline drape was omitted in the real dress.

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott

Claire-Michelle chose to have white lace motifs sewn onto her ivory dress for added tonal texture.

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott

Being lace in; very period drama!

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott: thank you letter

Claire-Michelle wrote: I am not sure I have the adequate words to express how thankful I am or how talented and wonderful I think you are, but I’ll give it a go. my hopes and dreams for my dress were actualised by your amazing hands. It’s been more than a pleasure working wit you and getting to know you. My dress was so beautiful and different – just what I wanted. You made me shine on our special day. Lots of admiration, respect, thanks and love, Claire-Michelle xx

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott

Claire-Michelle’s Bridesmaids all wore different dresses in shades of blue.

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott

The train it it’s full glory.

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott: train hooked up for dancing

The train hooked up for dancing.

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott: the bride with her (very pregnant) dressmaker

Claire-Michelle and I became good friends during the making of her dress and she kindly invited me to her big day. As you can see I was heavily pregnant, in fact my water broke during the wedding breakfast and my son was born 48 hours later!

Making Claire-Michelle’s Dress

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott: toile, practice run

The ‘toile’ or practice run, in cheap calico fabric. A test run of the basic shape and fit.

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott: fitting pictures

Early fittings in the partly made dress.

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott: hoops and netting

The skirt shape was supported with a large hoop several layers of stiff netting, a net-bustle and a ‘bum-roll’, around her waist.

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott: beading the bodice

Embellishment to the bodice took many many hours, sewing on lace motifs, cord, pearls, sequins and beads. Claire-Michelle made the ribbon roses herself.

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott: lace frill detail

The blue lace scalloped edging was cut from the edge of the fabric and hand appliqu?d onto the satin. Claire-Michelle opted to do all this herself, to keep the overall cost of the dress down, whilst not compromising on the end effect she wanted.

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott: seed pearl beading detail

Detail of hand beading in freshwater pearls in petal shapes on the hip area on of the bodice.

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott: final fitting picture

A happy bride at her final fitting.

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott: bodice detail

Finished detail of the bodice.

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott: train down and hooked up for dancing

Finished dress at the final fitting, showing the train spread out and bustled up for dancing.

Ivory duchess satin and bleu lace wedding dress with Victorian design inspiration by Felicity Westmacott: wrist loop

A wrist loop meant Claire-Michelle could lift her own train if the needed to.

follow me on instagram@felicitywestmacott

When I signed up to do this Surrey based wedding photoshoot, I wasn't expecting to find two of my dear theatre friends there as well! In fact, we had been having dinner together a few weeks before, and they mentioned they were modelling for a photoshoot, and I mentioned I was supplying a wedding dress for a shoot, and neither of us realised it was the same one! So it was extra lovely to spend some unexpected time with them.

It was also lovely to connect with other local wedding suppliers. Working in this industry as a wedding dress maker can be quite a solitary existence, so part of the reason I do shoots like these is to network with others, and also to revel in their creativity! There were so many gorgeous little details from this shoot, but those will be in my next post...

Follow along for more pretty wedding dress content!

Photography: @isobelwnphotography⁠
Stylist: @halo_beautiful.xo⁠
Venue: @chaffordpark⁠
Dress: @felicitywestmacott⁠
Celebrant: @madewithlovecelebrations⁠
Food: @vinedinecatering⁠
Cake & macarons: @bluebellkitchen⁠
Jewellery @oliveandedenvintagejewellery⁠
Stationery @simply.laura.calligraphy⁠
Flowers: @baileyandblossom

#weddingdress #ukwedding #ukbride #bride2025 #bridetobe #bespokeweddingdress #surreyweddingdress #sussexweddingdress #englishwedding #barnwedding #surreybride #surreywedding #customweddingdress
I've been nominated for the 2026 Wedding Industry Awards 🥳⁠
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Recently I was looking through my emails, as you do, when I see one that looks a little bit more exciting than the usual spam. It was from the Wedding Industry Awards letting me know that one of my clients has put me forward for the "Independent Dressmaker/Designer" category. It was such a lovely surprise!⁠
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I previously entered these awards in 2016 and 2018. Both times I made it to the regional finals, but I never came away having won. So I thought this year I'd give it another try, spurred on by the kindness of a client 🥰⁠
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Which leads me to asking you all for a favour. If you used my services between Oct 1st 2024 up until now (all that way until Sept 29th 2025) then you are eligible to vote for me. Unfortunately, anyone I've made a wedding outfit for before this can't vote.⁠
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Winning an award voted for by the people I work for is such a gorgeous feeling, so if you have a few minutes to spare, you can find the voting link in my bio 💜⁠
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If you do vote for me, let me know so I can give you a big virtual hug!
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