Ailsa Munro – Your bespoke bridal dressmaker

Your bespoke bridal dressmaker

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"Some of the loveliest, most enchanting gowns I've ever seen"

- Claire Gould, The English Wedding Blog

Hi, I’m Ailsa – an award-winning wedding dress designer, working with brides from Devon and Cornwall, the South West, and all over the United Kingdom. I lovingly hand craft made-to-measure, bespoke dresses for brides – all for no greater cost than an off-the-rack boutique dress.

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About Ailsa

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Award winning bespoke wedding dresses. For if you want to look like you're on the cover of a romance novel, or feel like a whimsical woodland fairy

Sarah wanted to channel the ethereal, whimsical be

Sarah wanted to channel the ethereal, whimsical beauty of an Arthur Rackman illustration for her Cornish Fairy Revel wedding 🥰 we combined two of of my collection dresses to produce this, a design wholly it's own and so beautiful.

When I am looking at a design, one of the question

When I am looking at a design, one of the questions I ask myself is would this look work on a fuller figure, would this look work on a bride in her 50s. If a dress or a look only works on a young, thin bride my feeling is that it's not got enough personality yet. When I was at university I was repeatedly picked up for illustrating my models too thick- I'm willing to take a lot of notes on my drawing because it is by no means the best but this particular criticism bugs me because I think that true STYLE knows no age or size. I think trying to pick a dress that makes you look thin and young is missing so much of the fun and self expression available when picking out a wedding look.

My pal @ionemakeupandhair just spotted one of thes

My pal @ionemakeupandhair just spotted one of these photos of the Demelza dress being used to sell a wedding font! It's funny seeing my work pop up used to convey a vibe of soft, ethereal femininity. It's exactly what I love about doing my work. More chiffon in 2025 please!

I don't cut corners! Unless it's to make my patter

I don't cut corners! Unless it's to make my patterns line up better 😂
#bespokeweddingdress

A sketch--> dress moment for one of my very first

A sketch--> dress moment for one of my very first and very favourite wedding dresses. Photos by @irenak_photography

People are starting to think about their 2025 wedd

People are starting to think about their 2025 weddings right now, so here's your annual reminder that if you want a beautiful, instagrammable wedding you need to keep a wider view on the styling! Having a clear aesthetic theme is going to make all your wedding planning so much simpler and it will come together more cohesively than if you pick "favourite dress, add favourite hair, add favourite shoes". For this shoot @lyra_and_moth and I wanted French Garden Picnic and we chose all the elements to fit to that theme.

Cottagecore wedding vibes. For fans of literary he

Cottagecore wedding vibes. For fans of literary heroines who take long walks in nature 🥰❤️

From Louisa May Alcott, when Meg March is planning

From Louisa May Alcott, when Meg March is planning her wedding. 🎀

“I don't want a fashionable wedding, but only those about me whom I love, and to them I wish to look and be my familiar self.” 🎀

My dresses are not for everyone! I know that. But

My dresses are not for everyone! I know that. But I also don't think the "boutique" thing is for everyone.

When I finished my graduate collection at university we had to present to a panel of 4 lecturers- two came back saying that they totally got it and loved it and two came back saying they didn't get what I was doing at all. At that point I didn't understand the lesson, but now I do. The girls who get it, get it. The girls who don't, don't.

I love designing clean, modern dresses with clearl

I love designing clean, modern dresses with clearly historical and literary influences. Pia came to me with a vision for a white organdie puff sleeved dress inspired by Anne of Green Gables, and we came up with this sweet simple silhouette together.
#anneofgreengables #handmadeweddingdress

The Lowenna dress. In my workshop and then on beau

The Lowenna dress. In my workshop and then on beautiful Charlotte. I think when we put together our weddings we're trying to tell our love story- well these two look like they've stepped straight out of a fairytale. The photos by @the_caryls could be film stills!
#handmadeweddingdress #princessbride #westleyandbuttercup

This week is my 8 year business birthday! Hard to

This week is my 8 year business birthday! Hard to believe I've had eight wonderful years of my dream job. I've juggled through my two babies and a global pandemic, and I've met so many wonderful smart interesting women. Eight years is a long time but I'm still so proud of my first collection, my signature historical influence, romantic and whimsical style has developed from here.

The title "the tortured poets department" has dred

The title "the tortured poets department" has dredged from the depths of my memory one of the most embarrassing moments of my childhood- namely, winning a poetry competition when I had deeply, deeply half arsed my entry and being forced to then read it out at a parents assembly. The competition was school wide to write a poem about a fairy garden and I remember thinking poetry is embarrassing and hard so I'm just gonna whack something out and not try to make it rhyme but I'll make the words tumble down the page like a fairy going down the path. I don't think I read it back to myself before submitting it. And then the bloody thing won, got printed in a school magazine and I had to read it OUT LOUD in front of people who had actually put effort in.
As a 31 year old this is obviously hilarious to me but I do think I learned a little bit from this experience that winning means nothing without earnest endeavour and personal pride. Being proud of my work and trying my best, whether it wins prizes or not.

Photo @lyra_and_moth

Beautiful Molly in the coolest dress I made this y

Beautiful Molly in the coolest dress I made this year- the fabric absolutely sings in the bias cut billowing sleeves and slim skirt with a sweep length train 😍 major thanks to @dotandscolly for taking such gorgeous photos, these portraits look like a wedding blog put together a "hygge winter wedding inspo" shoot 😍😍

Being a really small business I see trends differe

Being a really small business I see trends differently to bigger brands and boutiques. I'm not looking at broader industry patterns of what the industry wants brides to do, but I can see the changes in what brides are asking me for when we have our one on one bridal consultations. So this isn't what the industry wants, this is what nearlyweds just like you are talking about and asking for more and more!
My favourite "trend" for next year is all the gorgeous linen that I'm working with, but I think that really is pretty unique to me!

My top 9 for 2023! I love sharing real brides and

My top 9 for 2023! I love sharing real brides and baby selfies apparently 😂🥰

Happy new year to all my wonderful 2024 nearlyweds

Happy new year to all my wonderful 2024 nearlyweds! So happy to be working on all your dresses, next up is the most beautiful elopement dress and then something special for a cathedral wedding!

A gorgeous sequin and beaded wrap gown for Sam. I

A gorgeous sequin and beaded wrap gown for Sam. I am obsessed with the fawn colour of the silk on the sand.
📷@carlablain_photography

2023 ❤️ The juggle of having growing boys and

2023 ❤️

The juggle of having growing boys and a growing business continues to keep me on my toes. I love to be busy! Thank you to all my 2023 brides, and thank you to all my 2024 brides! Your dresses are on the rail getting ready for you.

Yo ho, a swashbuckling pirate wedding moment for e

Yo ho, a swashbuckling pirate wedding moment for eldest daughters who read fantasy novels

With @katherine.livesey and @lyra_and_moth (eldest daughters and fantasy readers both)

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