I love being sent inspiration photos and mood boards ahead of a design session- I want to make something that is special and particular to YOU and the more information I have about your likes and your wedding the more likely I am to be able to come up with ideas and designs that really suit you. I always think I’m doing my job right when I can’t imagine anyone else wearing your dress (there are some really gorgeous examples of this on my Real Brides page)

Some good things to include on your Pinterest/mood board are

• Photos of your venue or of similar venues how you hope to make yours look
• Photos from your wedding photographer that made you fall in love with their work
• Hair and makeup looks that you really love
• Costumes that you love from your favourite costume dramas
• Red carpet looks that you love
• Wedding dresses you like the style and shape of
• Any of my work that you felt drawn to- it’s always reassuring to see that you really like how my wedding dresses turn out!

Some things to be aware of with inspiration pictures-

• Pinterest photos are often really edited, pinned or taped to models and carefully posed. If you like a certain style of dress it can be helpful to track down photos of it in a real wedding on a real bride.
• Images that show a dress moving are great because they show the dress to its best advantage but they can obfuscate the finer details of the dress. Often dresses that are actually cut quite flat and plain move the best and produce these gorgeous images, so I may sketch something that looks quite plain in comparison.
• I am not a copy machine! With the best will in the world, without access to the same fabric (in the case of laces these are often exclusive to the designer) I’m never going to produce an exact copy. Mass produced dresses are made to a pattern in a workshop and reproduced over and over, so the look and finish is going to be one I can’t completely recreate. If you love a specific gown and want it exactly as it is I will always reccomend getting hold of it through a boutique or second hand.

Design

Every bespoke dress starts with a free, no obligation design consultation with me. I like to start the design process by talking through your own ideas and inspirations, and from here I create multiple sketches which help us come to a final design. The more information you can bring to the table at this stage, the more magically “you” your dress is going to be. It’s helpful for me to prepare for this session by looking at your wedding venue, photographer and any inspiration pictures that you’ve found online. This isn’t essential, and your inspiration doesn’t have to be other wedding dresses, but it does give me more of an idea of what you like and allows me to come to the session with some ideas of my own.

Toile

A common dressmaking tool, a “toile” is a version of your dress in cheaper fabric that allows me to work out any kinks in the design and make sure the dress is going to fit you beautifully.

Construction

Throughout the construction of the finished gown I conduct fittings to ensure the dress will fit you perfectly. You will have the opportunity to consult on all design details and be able to watch your dress being made.

Made to measure service

Increasingly I find myself working with brides who live too far away for the couture service to be practical. For these brides, I offer a made to measure service. It starts with the same design process, but instead of having a toile and multiple fittings I make the dress to your measurements which I can talk you through taking yourself. I deliver your dress at least 2 months before your wedding date, so that if needed you can take the dress to a local seamstress for any small alterations needed. This is a great service if you want my one off design service and style delivered to you anywhere in the world.

In most instances I’ll take your measurements before I make a couture gown, but I’m finding more often now I’m making dresses for women who live far away enough that they can’t come for a consultation in person and we’re doing them over zoom instead. When we do this I’ll need you to take your measurements yourself, here are some tips for getting them accurate!

I feel like I bang on about this a great deal but it’s important before you take your measurements that you establish what underwear you’re going to wear with your wedding dress. If your dress is going to have a low back, you might want to look into taping your boobs up or wearing stick on cups. Our bodies can really dramatically change size and shape when we wear different underwear and to get that couture fit I need to work with some consistency. I reccomend for couture brides that they buy 2 of their chosen bras and leave one with me for fittings.

You’ll need a flexible measuring tape and a pen. You can get them very cheaply online if you don’t already have one, it’s worth spending the £1.50 and waiting to get measurements that are accurate.

Finally, some women will find the process of measuring themselves stressful, please remember that these are data points and not a reflection on your value!

Measurements I’ll commonly need-

Bust & hip- measure at the widest part. For the waist measure at the narrowest part, wherever that falls on your body.

For the skirt length hold the tape at your waist and let it fall to the ground, try not to stretch it. Have a friend read where it hits the ground. Alternatively, drop the end, when you hold it against the waist so that it hits the ground.

For sleeve length, measure from where the shoulder seam would be on a regular tshirt, and stop where the crease of your wrist is.