Wedding Dress for Military Wedding

bespoke wedding dress with sash for military wedding confetti

This wedding Dress for a military wedding was made from layers of silk satin, chiffon and delicate beaded lace. I added real button and loops to close the back. I made two ribbon sashes for Emily so she could change the colours: ‘sand’ and ‘royal purple’ to wear for different parts of her day.

Official photography by www.jeaphotography.co.uk

A fitted and boned bodice with beaded Parisian lace. I trimmed the sweetheart neckline and straps with scalloped edging. The lace extends over the full skirt in handkerchief points below a silk satin sash. The skirt is made of floaty silk chiffon divided at the front to reveal the shine of the satin below.

bespoke design for military wedding gown sword procession

Emily said: Almost everyone who came to the wedding commented on the dress. I spent a lot of the day telling people about you! People made such lovely comments about how beautiful it was and I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful I felt in it.

original design sketch felicity westmacott

Original design sketch for a wedding dress for military wedding

I sourced this French lace, which was beaded to order, and is known as ‘Chantilly’ lace. I used the matching plain border on the right around the bottom of the train.

classic bespoke bridal gown with lace edge train
button and loop back fastening on lace wedding dress with sash

The back of the bodice dipped low with the sheer beaded lace used above. I created a design all closing with satin covered buttons and loops.

bride with bouquet at military wedding in ivory silk dress

bride in bespoke wedding dress surrey church
ace edge train with confetti

I trimmed the train with pretty scalloped lace edging.

soldier with sword wedding day with bride
choosing a wedding dress for a military wedding seated couple

Emily had two changeable sashes, one in ‘sand’ for the ceremony and this royal purple for later in the day.

purple sash on custom silk wedding dress
cover buttons and loops on lace back wedding dress

Detail of the buttons and loops on the lace at the back of the dress.

Below: Emily danced easily in her wedding dress. The train spread out was spectacular but later she hooked it up in a bustle and was able to move freely.

Making the wedding dress for military wedding

toile fitting for bespoke wedding dress surrey

The making process includes a ‘toile’ or practice run where the dress is made in cheap fabrics to check the fit and design.

Pictures from Emily’s fittings show the dress with both colours of sash and with the train spread out and as hooked up for dancing.

To see another wedding dress delicate lace applique sash head over to Lauren’s wedding dress

Book a consultation appointment to talk about your own design ideas for a wedding dress for a military wedding.

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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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For this elegant, forest green wedding dress, I spent a lot of hours working on the pièce de résistance; the beaded collar. Sometimes doing things over and over again can be strangely peaceful, and sometimes it can be utterly mind-numbing. And sometimes it's a bit of column A and a bit of column B! 😂

The rest of the dress was kept classic and simple, so that this design element would really shine (literally)! I used an array of styles and shapes of beads in peacock colours - blood red, deep garnet, teal, vibrant purple and sparkling gold. I then played around with design ideas, taking inspiration from the art deco era, incorporating a lot of symmetry and geometry. Once I was happy with the layout, I transferred the design onto the fabric and began many many many hours of hand-beading. 

It's always a relief when I'm finally finished with a project like this, to be able to step back and see the finished dress and think "ah, that was completely worth it." 😌

If you want to see what this dress looked like on the day of the wedding, have a look at my previous post 🌿

#weddingdress #bridetobe #weddinginspiration #2025bride #2026bride
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