Bespoke Wedding dress with sleeves in silk dupion

top hat and morning coat groom ivory silk wedding dress english summer

Gerry commissioned an elegant bespoke wedding dress with sleeves in ivory dupion with ruched bodice and off the shoulder sleeves.

Official photographs by www.timelesspictures.co.uk

Gerry’s dress was made with a fitted and boned bodice with ruched silk sweeping in a cross over design to one side. The sweetheart neckline flowed into the off the shoulder line around the top of her elbow length sleeves. The dress was gently fitted around the hips before flaring out and falling into a train. ‘Godet’ panels created the fullness of the skirt whist complementing the hang of the silk fabric. The dress was finished with covered buttons at the back and beaded motifs at the hip and the bottom of the back opening.

graceful window lit bride with veil and train

Two tier veil with beaded motifs

I also made a veil for Gerry in plain ivory tulle. It was cut to fall longer than her dress’ train and with a blusher for over her face before the ceremony. We finished the veil with the same beaded motifs as on the dress, placed to show up where the veil spread across the floor.

 original design sketch sweethear fitted wedding dress by Felicity Westmacott

Original design sketch

bride on the staircase traditional ivory silk dress

Gerry wrote: Just so you know – the dress was a huge success. Very beautiful. Just loved it! Thanks so much for making it such a lovely experience. I really appreciate your kindness, advice and all the hard work you have put into the dress. Your quality of work is amazing, Fliss, and incredible value for money. Thank you for all that extra work. I will certainly be recommending you to anyone I hear is getting married!! So will my friends!!! Thank you for making them feel so welcome too.
Best wishes, G
xxx

bride and her father church wedding traditional dress
 train wrist loop ruched silk wedding dress
something blue ivory silk dupion wedding dress
dancing with wrist loop wedding dress bride train
dancing bride sleeves wedding dress button back

To see another classic English bride visit Vicki’s dress

To see another bespoke wedding dress with sleeves visit Lisa’s dress

Making the bespoke wedding dress with sleeves

 intermediate fitting picture pinning the hem

Pictures from a mid-fitting with a partially finished dress.

creating the ruched bodice making the dress

The ruched bodice was created by draping the silk on a stand and then carefully hand stitching all the folds in place.

wrist loop wedding dress train hidden something blue

A wrist loop was sewn inside the train so Gerry could carry her dress safely across the grass when outside. A hidden ‘something blue’ was revealed when she lifted her dress up

final fitting pictures wedding gown

Pictures from the final fitting, showing the front and back with the train spread out and bustled up for dancing.

finished dress in the mirror dress fitting room

fitting picture bride reclines

A reclining bride in her partly made dress…

Embellishment for Georgina

black lace applique on collar for mother of the bride

Gerry’s lovely mother in law, Georgina Butler wanted her shop bought dress to have something extra and we came up with adding this beaded black lace to the lapel and sleeves to create a very elegant finish.

mother of bride sleeve edge applique alteration
mother of the groom applique black lace on collar

To commission your own bespoke wedding dress just get in touch and I can book you in for a free design consultation.

Or see more examples of wedding dresses with sleeves, Winter wedding dress and Chantilly lace wedding dress.

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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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It’s the night before you’re wedding day. You have your dream bridal outfit ready to go for the morning. But there are a few things you should do before you go to sleep, to make sure your wedding dress is looking its best for the big day.

First up, make sure to hang your dress up high. A curtain rail or a wardrobe door are good choices. And make sure to hang it in a pet and fiancé secure room.

When unzipping the bag, put your finger behind the zip to stop it catching on any delicate fabric.

Your main priority is to get the train out, so it has time to flatten out overnight. Hang the dress in the bag so it’s facing inwards. Leave the shoulders of the bag on the dress to keep protecting the dress from dust.

You’ll want to lay a clean towel or sheet on the floor to protect the train when you pull it out.

Check to make sure the dress is hanging from its dress loops, not straps or sleeves. This prevents any delicate fabrics being stretched out by the weight of the dress. As you can see from the one I’ve chosen, that’s a lot of (heavy) dress!

On the wedding day, your dress can be taken completely out of the bag. To prep it for the photographer, turn it round so it’s facing the front, and pop any straps or sleeves, back onto the hanger so it looks its best..

And that’s about it. It isn’t very much, but it can make all the difference, and avoids any unwanted wrinkles, especially on your dress’ train.

Let me know if you have any other tips and tricks!

(Shout out to @engaged_bridal_studio for inspiring this post 🙌🏻)

#wedding dress #customwedding dress #weddingdressinspiration #bespokeweddingdress #bridalboutique #surreywedding #sussexwedding #londonwedding #weddingdaytips #weddingdresstips #bridaltips
This wedding dress is inspired by the same era that Titanic and Downton Abbey (well, some of it) are based on; the Edwardian Period.

The corseted bodice fits close to the body, and is made of panels of silk chiffon over luxurious duchess satin. Trimmed with satin ribbon and embellished with hand sewn lace appliqué and tiny glass beads. 

I love the tiered skirt so much. With three layers of gathered chiffon and trimmed with more intricate lace, giving it a perfect vintage feel.

There is something so timeless and elegant about this wedding dress, don’t you think? If you love this design, you can either head to my Etsy shop, or drop me a message if you'd like it made entirely to your measurements and preferences.

#weddingdress #edwardianfashion #edwardianbride #edwardianweddingdress #periodweddingdress #vintageweddingdress #seamstress #bespokeweddingdress #customweddingdress
If you're curious about what I get up to in my breaks at the shop...now you know!

Inspired by @theadhdpersonaltrainer 🥰

#handstand #handstandpractice #upsidedown #handstandprogress #handstandshapes #feetuptrainer
With spring finally appearing, it was time to update my bridal shop display window.
(If you're curious what it was last month, you can look at my previous post...if you're a fan of dip dye, I think you'll really like it)

I wanted to create something that was full of verdant texture. I feel really strongly about single use plastics, so I always try to either re-use elements from previous window displays, or gather things from nature. This time I used a floral garland by @muscariwhites and added dried flowers from the hydrangea bush in my garden, as well as ivy, and anything else I found that I thought would look pretty.

For this display, I featured two dresses. Usually it's three, but when one of them takes up so much space, I had to make sacrifices! I chose the sumptuous pink Evil Queen dress, as well as the lilac dip dye Bridgeton dress. Both of them are historically inspired (the former by Elizabethan fashion and the latter by Regency), but also have fantasy elements to them. Completely my style as a wedding dress designer.

Which dress in this display is your favourite?
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