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 wearing a hat

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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Sumptuous sky-blue silk. 
A figure-hugging silhouette.
Corseted with lilac ribbon. 
And sparkling lace accents.

This is the kind of bridal outfit that makes me excited to get into my workshop every day. Colourful, confident and completely Caroline.

Originally Caroline wanted a cocktail-style dress, but eventually changed her mind to a bodice and skirt ensemble. That’s part of the joy of having your wedding dress made specifically for you – you can explore options and try different things out. It’s all part of the bespoke process. When a bride tells me she’s not sure about something, that helps me to get her one step closer to her dream dress. And that’s what we both want!

This is only half of what I made for Caroline – I can’t wait to show you the other half properly (you may have already glimpsed it in the video). I’ll be posting about that next, and trust me, it’s worth the wait.

Photography - Phil Carr - @phil_carr_photography
Hair - Kelly Dingle
“Felicity listened to what I wanted, gave a clear quote and completed the alterations so nobody could see them. Clear booking system as well. Would recommend.”⁠
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Sometimes it takes a little adjustment here and there to make a wedding dress feel like it was made for you, and sometimes a dress needs a more dramatic transformation. Either way, I'm here to help.⁠
⁠
If you're interested in getting your dress altered for this year, I'm currently booked up until the beginning of October. So if your wedding is November onwards and your dress doesn't feel quite right yet, drop me a message. But don't wait too long - spaces are filling up fast.⁠
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You can always book in a no-obligation consultation with me, to see if I would be the right fit for you and your dress - link in bio.⁠
⁠
Photography - Birdseye Photography
Sure, my usual role is a bespoke wedding dress maker, creating beautiful and unique garments for brides looking for something a little different. 

But sometimes I'm also a lighting assistant, a caterer, a last-minute-rush-to-the-shopper. That's the fun of being a creative, working with other creatives. 

This was from a styled photoshoot I organised, based on the iconic 90s film, Strictly Ballroom. I made these dazzling neon bridesmaids outfits based around the stunning costumes of Latin ballroom dancers. Our photographer really wanted the colours to pop in the atmospheric darkness of our location, so of course I volunteered myself as floor level tripod 😂

The photos turned out amazing, so it was definitely worth it!

Have you ever found yourself doing a job you never expected?

Dresses @felicitywestmacott
Photography @jessicajillphoto
Video/content @weddingstorytellerco
Venues @theoldtimberstore_se1 @malt.maltby
Florals @jemimainthewoods
Event Equipment Hire @cohire
Bridesmaid models @Lisaeggy3 @Boobzylou @oleksanacoaching
Choreography @oleksanacoaching
Hair and Make-up lead @melindabridal @melinda_grant
Hair and Make-up @beccibrushes
Jewellery @CatherineMarche
Neon Sign @thisisasignuk
Shoes @shoesbylarisa
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