Heirloom Quality Wedding Dresses

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I think a lot about the concept of “heirloom quality” when I’m designing and making my wedding dresses. I’m really aware that this is the only time most people will never have a dress made specially for them. I balance a lot of factors to be able to deliver these dresses within my typical budgets, these are some of the main things I’m thinking about when designing to make sure you’re getting a really beautiful heirloom quality wedding gown.

1) The highest quality silks. I’m a huge fan of looking at historical examples of clothing, and one thing that never feels dated is really beautiful silk. Silk can do so many things really well- I love the lighter silks like organza and chiffon for creating the whimsy in my designs but a simple silk crepe gown never goes out of fashion. This, in part, is why I try and steer brides away from lace, because all lace available within my typical budget is made out of synthetic fibers, and I know from altering dresses from the 70s and 80s that they tend not to age as well.

2) High quality finishes. I love using french seams, silk linings and zip guards that popper to keep my wedding dresses in place. I often finish the inside of my wedding dresses by hand, and have hand embroidered labels, because I think it’s beautiful to have evidence of the hands that made the dress. We tend to wear clothes that have been made over seas and finished entirely by machine, so this is a unique opportunity to feel connected to the maker of your wedding dress for years to come.

3) It needs to be washable. Not dry cleanable, but truly washable. I fully support getting your dress muddy, it makes for amazing photos and I would hate for someone to miss out on any of the fun of a wedding because they worry about a muddy hem. For a garment to survive being worn over time, particularly if it is made out of silk, it needs to be able to be washed. Silk is hardier than it gets credit for, and I rarely have issues from getting it wet, but it absolutely hates sweat because it has an acidic PH. I’ve heard a lot of horror stories of dresses that look clean going away in a garment bag, only to discover a stain has been brewing and once it has developed it is much harder to get out. When I’m choosing fabrics and finishes I’m thinking about how well they will survive over years of use and washing.

4) It needs to be designed with future uses in mind. Until 100 years ago, when you bought your wedding dress you would never have dreamed of wearing it only once. It simply became your new Fancy Outfit and people would wear them to christenings, the theater, even to other people’s weddings. In the 1930s fashion and bridal fashion stopped talking to each other and so dresses became less useful to re-wear, and women started keeping them in keepsake boxes for their daughters and grandchildren to wear. Slowly though, women are noticing how rarely this happens, and are instead reusing their wedding dresses themselves. One of the joys of using 100% silk wherever possible in my gowns is that they can be dyed after the wedding so they have longer life. I use deeper seams than the industry standard so that it can be let out in the future. Sometimes I design layered separate garments to make re-use easier.I really feel that the best way to honour the quality of the fabric and the workmanship in a handmade gown is to wear it over and over, repairing and reworking it as often as possible.

5) The Amy March Factor, when I’m designing I try and make sure there is something in the design that Amy March would get excited about. Amy March loves simple, well made details. She’s not above a little razzle dazzle. She’s a girls girl. Amy March loves a velvet bow, a delicate lace trim in a seam, a little frill. The Amy March Factor helps the dresses feel timeless- I want to include a detail that appeals to women from across generations.

Pricing Guide

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Tl/dr- my prices range from £1800-£2600 with a typical spend of £2200

If you’ve scrolled through to this section of my website, you think a bespoke wedding dress might be for you.

However, you’re also likely concerned about how much it is going to cost – you may even think it’s not a realistic ambition for your wedding.

I understand, completely; so, let me talk you through how it works, and why – together – we can deliver a beautiful, made-to-measure gown to complete your magical day.

I started this business with a motivation to provide every bride-to-be with a dress designed with them, for them, at no greater expense than an off-the-rack alternative from a boutique or retailer. That is as true now, several years into running my award-winning business, as it was when I started.

Of course, budgets vary, we live in uncertain economic times, and weddings are expensive. To avoid any anxiety about your first fitting, I’ll be as transparent as I can about the factors that influence the overall cost of producing a hand-made, bespoke, Ailsa Munro dress.

Fabric

It varies for each dress, but the first thing to point out is that around half of the total cost of your dress comes from the materials. For a truly special gown, there is no substitute for the finest quality fabrics.

I have great relationships with trusted suppliers, and my materials are ethically sourced. Dresses generally require anywhere between four and 12 metres of fabric, as well as the same volume again in lining, before considering any further enhancements or design quirks.

I always price in the fabric at cost, and only charge my brides for the time it takes to design and hand-craft their dresses.

Production time

The entire production process of one of my bespoke designs takes anywhere between 40 and 60 hours. It may sound like a lot, so let’s talk about the method.

At the start of your dressmaking journey, we will have a first consultation – we’ll discuss your inspirations, your style, practical considerations for your wedding day, and any other preferences or thoughts you would like to share.

From there, I will take your guidance and draw up some initial designs. We’ll likely have follow-up conversations, make subtle tweaks based on your feedback, and get that final look and feel committed to paper before a cut is made or a stitch is sewn.

Along the journey, you will have several fittings and consultations to ensure that the dress is developing as you hoped. On average, around 10 hours of design and face-to-face fitting time is required to make sure that we deliver the perfect dress.
The remaining 30-50 hours are spent lovingly hand-crafting your dress, which I oversee from start to finish. My decade of experience in dressmaking means I’m as efficient at dress production as they come – but I cannot substitute standards for time-saving, and choosing a gown from someone who says they can is a recipe for disaster.

Of course, there are ways in which we can keep the costs within a moderate budget – so let’s talk about them.

The design

This is, in my experience, what will make or break your budget.

Generally, one of my bespoke, made-to-measure dresses costs anywhere between £1800 and £2600, with the more expensive fabrics and extravagant designs featuring at the higher end of that range. Any of the dresses you can see from the real brides section of my website have been delivered within this price range.

What does this mean in practice? Well, if your budget is closer to the lower end of the scale, we can discuss the fabric selection and design style to deliver a gown within your proposed budget. That will mean, of course, that we’ll have to work together to steer away from details and complex patterns that increase production time and take the overall cost beyond what you are prepared to pay.

In my experience, the best results are always in having an open and transparent conversation at the beginning of the design process to ensure that we have a shared understanding. It protects you, the bride, from the anxiety of unexpected price rises, and ensures that I am delivering the best possible dress for your special day – taking into account inspiration, desires, and budgetary constraints.

Ready to discuss your thoughts, ideas, or book a free, no-obligation consultation?

Click here to get in touch – I can’t wait to hear from you.

Ailsa

Inspiration photos and mood boards

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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.

The bespoke process

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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.

Taking your own measurements

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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.

Trends

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This is something that comes up quite a lot when I'm talking to brides and designing their wedding dresses, and I think it's something that's worth talking about in relation to the whole wedding. Bridal magazines and blogs talk about trends quite a lot and there seem to be two camps of brides- brides who are really committed to a modern and trendy wedding, and brides who can't imagine anything worse. I think this trend-aversion is often inherited from mothers who got married in the 80s in huge, princess Diana sleeves. The theory I hear a lot, from brides and mothers of the bride, is that if you go "timeless" when you look back at the photos you won't have any regrets.

I recently re-used the lace from one of these style wedding dresses and I got enough fabric for the bodice from just the sleeves.

A 'trend', in it's purest form, is when a large group of people decide they don't like something and try to go about it in a different way. Designers soak up popular culture like a big sponge and produce work and then it sort of looks like other designers work and the media thinks "ah ha!! a TREND". Certainly, when I design I don't go hunting for what's tipped to be in, I think more about what Jenna Coleman was wearing on the last season of Victoria and the cute sleeve detail I saw there and turn it into something modern and fresh feeling. For example, I designed my bridal separates watching the scene of Much Ado About Nothing where they're all getting dressed and I loved the simplicity of the skirts and the way the tops went on like T-shirts.

Does this seem obvious to anyone else? No?

One good example of how this happens is if you look at how wedding photography has changed over the last 10 years. In the early 00s, almost all wedding photography was the stiff, formal type we'd been seeing since photographs were invented. Then 'reportage' photography emerged, where photographers did minimal posing and portraits, and opted for a more organic snapshots and brides jumped on the opportunity not to have to spend 2 hours smiling awkwardly in a "the Three Mrs Smith" photo on their special day. Suddenly, every photographer was shooting in this candid style and it was the trendy, modern way of having your wedding photographed. This is slowly changing as brides want more posed bridal portraits for their social media and wedding albums, but that is a story for another day.

Image may contain: 2 people, people standing and flower — Gareth from GRW photography is one of the best reportage photographers I have seen.

The problem really with trying for "timeless" is that it doesn't really exist. As I'm reminded every time 'the 100 years of bridal fashion' video pops up on my newsfeed, fashions change dramatically in about a 10 year cycle. So how do you navigate this quagmire of bridal trends?

My advice is this- make you wedding, and your wedding dress, as honest a reflection of you as individuals as you can. You don't know what's going to feel odd and old fashioned in a few years- I remember vehemently refusing to wear jeans that weren't low rise and being revolted by natural waist. I remember being revolted by skinnies. Then I remember thinking I would ONLY wear natural waist jeans for the rest of my life, and then boyfriend cut came in. All you can do is get to a place where you can look back at what you were wearing in the pictures and think, "oh my gosh, I loved those purple tights, I felt completely myself and so cool in them." Don't follow trends blindly, but lean into the ones you love and do them in a way that feels authentic and comfortable to you.

Bridal Boudoir Shoot

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This week I was extremely excited to see an absolutely amazing selection of these images on Magnolia Rouge this week. These pictures launched my bridal lingerie collection, which mimics the vintage, romantic style of my wedding dresses.

The photos show off my photography friend Rachel's unique style along with my lingerie collection. We were also lucky enough to collaborate with some of my favourite suppliers again, including Wildflower florist and Emma Hill Bridal Hair, and to have Sarah Brown Jewelry collaborating and giving us some absolutely stunning rings.

Beginner’s guide to Bridal Fabrics

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As you go through the process of buying a wedding dress one of the most important factors that will define the look, feel and cost of your dress is the fabric that goes into making it.

There are two main defining characteristics that go into bridal fabric- fibre (what it's made from) and weave (how it's structured). Not all fabrics are woven, some are knitted, like the jersey fabric in t-shirts, or 'non-woven' like the fabric in your makeup wipes. It is very rare to find these in bridal wear so I won't be focusing on them here.

Fibres are loosely grouped into organic or inorganic, meaning their source is either natural or man-made. Natural fibres, like cotton and silk, tend to be softer to touch, drape more gently and more breathable to wear. They're generally the better option, but they are often more than twice the cost of man made fibres like polyester or viscose.

The second factor that has a big influence on the appearance of the fabric is the weave structure. Slightly more technical, this simply refers to the way the warp threads (that run along the length of the fabric) relate to the weft threads (that run from side to side). So in a standard weave, weft fabrics go over one, under one, over one, under one etc along the whole fabric, giving a nice smooth fabric.

Some useful ones to know:

"Satin" refers to a weave structure in which one set of threads goes over 4 or 5 of the other direction before going under one and repeating. This results in long 'floats' which make the fabric shiny and smooth. You can have satin made from polyester or from silk, and the difference can be really noticeable.
"Chiffon" is very fine, translucent fabric that I use quite a lot in my work. The silk version drapes beautifully and feels magically soft, and I would absolutely recommend it for the bride, but bridesmaids can sometimes get away with using polyester.
"Tulle" is used to mean anything like net. Pure silk tulle is generally unpopular because although it has a beautiful drape, it's denser than it's synthetic counterparts and less good at adding volume to the dress.

Hopefully these basics will help you navigate the world of wedding dress shopping and given you some insight into the bridal industry! I'll be writing a follow up blog on the three most commonly used types of lace and I'll also be explaining why I prefer to only use organic fabrics.

Sizing in Wedding Dresses

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Or "Are you sure this is a size 12"

It seems like it's fairly common knowledge that wedding dresses "run small" compared to high street shops. I want to quickly explain where this impression comes from, why my samples are the size they are, and some quick ideas on how to keep your sanity while being manhandled into a very tight dress by a sales assistant on what is supposed to be a happy day.

First of all- it's important to remember that sizes are just numbers. They help the industry codify bodies, which come in all shapes and sizes and heights and proportions, into roughly 6 standard sizes. The system is imperfect, not least because it appeals to the side of our brain that wants to put things in boxes and say "okay so if I'm a size X I must look like Y", or worse "I can only be happy if I'm a size X" This brings about what is often referred to as "vanity sizing", where high street shops make their sizes fit a slightly bigger body in order to make them feel good and therefore buy the product. Of course, once one shop does this there's a lot of pressure on their competitors to do the same- why buy size 14 jeans from here when you fitted into the 12s next door. The lower end of the fashion market, the fast fashion we wear most days, is more guilty of this than higher end fashion. Similarly, within the wedding industry the high street dresses like Monsoon bridal or Phase 8 run truer to their casual fashion equivalents, while the bigger designers often work to vintage patterns, before the gradual growth of vanity sizing.

I think small sample sizes are one of the areas the wedding industry really let's itself down. Quite often very normal sized women will say to me that they haven't been able to try on a single dress that does up. When I first started my collection I made all my dresses a size 12 or 14 sample, and over the last few months I've had to slowly tailor them down to size 8s so often for models there is no longer any point in me making samples in any other size. The issue has been that I underestimated the role styled shoots (like the one on Pasties and Petticoats or b.loved) would play in advertising my business. These are generally organised by the photographer, who will usually give me a choice of size 6 or 8 models. One of the main reasons the corseted look is so in fashion right now is that it's one of the easiest styles to adjust the sizing of, by lacing it tighter, saving the designers a lot of time doing fittings on models and then ultimately brides.

How to keep your sanity while being manhandled into a very tight dress by a sales assistant

Ignore the sizing. If possible, don't even look at the number in the back of the dress. If the sales assistant says the number out loud, pretend it is American or European sizing and that it means nothing to you. It bares so little resemblance to the sizing you're used to that this shouldn't be hard. Focus on the dress not the size.
Be kind. Don't say anything about yourself, your body, or the way you look in a dress that you wouldn't say to your friend if she was trying wedding dresses on. I stole this trick from Amy Poehler and I think it's brilliant. Don't say the word fat. Don't point out your bingo wings. Focus on the positives, but be honest about what's not working. I use this in every area of my life.
Go bespoke, so you never have to assign a number to your size! Obviously my favourite tip is to have something tailored to you so that it's never a "size 12", it's a size YOU. You are not a number. You are beautiful.

How to find your bridal zen

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People often ask me “but how do you deal with Bridezillas”. And the easy answer is, I don’t. There really isn’t such a thing. No one gets proposed to and instantly turns into a mythical monster. Occasional tantrums are in fact a fairly natural reaction to planning the most expensive party of your life, for 150 people of all ages and interests, more or less completely alone, at which you are expected not to look like a frazzled amateur event planner but the most beautiful, calm and happy version of yourself. Almost everyone has some form of break down- from the small bicker with your mother in law (“I’m sorry Susan, but it’s my wedding and we’re serving duck because I said so”) to causing full blown family feuds. The thing to remember is that behind the tantrum there is a woman who was once a calm, reasonable, rational human, and the stress of her normal life plus wedding has tipped her over the edge.

My sister, always full of wisdom, was one of the most relaxed and happy brides I have ever seen. I've borrowed top tips from her before, so this time I asked how she kept her cool;

instabridalzen

Getting engaged is super exciting. You’re getting married to your best friend, the love of your life, and you’re having a big party with all of your nearest and dearest to celebrate. So far, so awesome. If you’re anything like me though, you have no idea how to even begin to go about organising said party. You want it to be wonderful and for everyone to have a good time. On the other hand, you don’t want to spend thousands of pounds that you don’t have, or end up so stressed out about everything that you don’t end up able to enjoy yourself.

So how can you make the whole thing easier for yourself?

Delegate

My mum and sisters basically organised my entire wedding with minimal input from me. This involves a certain amount of trust that they won’t mess up, but really if you insist on organising every single thing yourself you’ll only end up with a headache. If you still want to be in control, delegate specific tasks or ones that help without eliminating other options- ask your bridesmaids to make shortlists of local photographers, or ask them to find their own shoes and accessories.

Get things booked a long time in advance

Our engagement was just over a year and a half, which gave us plenty of time to book things. Venues, bands, photographers etc. can book up over a year in advance so if you book these things really soon after getting engaged, you’ll be far more likely to have your pick of dates and get the people you want.

Don’t sweat the small stuff

At a cousin’s wedding, the father of the bride stood up and spoke about the nightmare of wedding organisation from his perspective. For the place settings, they had gone to a beach and picked up a small piece of driftwood for every guest to use as the place settings. The thing is, until he said this, nobody had noticed the place settings at all! Yes, you want to have pretty little details and yes they do make a difference to the overall feel of your wedding. But just remember that what people are going to remember is how much fun they had and how happy you looked, not the font used on the order of service.