Rachel Lamb Bridal Design

This is Sophie, who wanted an old fashioned type of glamour on her wedding day. Late news item: the photos of Sophie's wedding were taken by Tapas Maiti and you can find more info about him and his service at www.tapasmaiti.com Isn't the picture above lovely? I think the tones of the stone and tiles complement her beautifully. Sophie had specific ideas about what she wanted - a dress that could be worn again, and a kind of detachable train, both of which should be in colours rather than the usual ivory. Marrying in the Cathedral, she wanted to make an impression and fill the space, yet not be encumbered with the train later on in the day. We looked at various images of glamorous women from the 1950s and Sophie even took a picture of a china ornament that she owned, to get the feel of the slightly 'bouffed' train look that was required. Sophie's dress is a dusty pink silk overlaid with an ivory and gold beaded lace. The challenge was findin...

Remember this dress I showed a picture of at the toile stage? Well it's slowly progressing! Above was the toile (prototype) made from calico. Yes, I pinned all those pieces on something that it's then necessary to take apart again. Below is a picture of the real silk dress in progress. Today I started beading those squares onto the main body of the dress. Phew! I really enjoy this sort of day, working on something where I'm sitting still and doing a repetitive task like this can be very relaxing and leaves my mind free to wander. But I think the idea of doing this sort of work does weird things to my brain: First thing in the morning, I optimistically think such things as 'Yes, I'm sure I'll have half the dress done by sunset'. The sun is not yet set, but it is fading, and I'm about 1ft up from the hem at the back... and I'm not hanging about! It's important that I get the timings right, as this is a sample dress and needs to be...

...if you aren't a mother of somebody, that's OK too. I've recently been making a dress for a mother of the groom. I have made a few 'mums' over the years, but it's not something I do regularly.     Anyway, I thought I'd get my act together and take some pics of work in progress of this dress, and up to the finish.   This is a very simple shift dress, quite Audrey looking. I tend to make relatively simple dresses for bridal party people, because often they might not be the type of person that likes wearing matching dress, jacket, hat, bag and shoes etc. I get the idea from feedback that it can be quite tough to find an outfit if you don't feel like a typical bridal party mother (as dictated by the high street), or if you just want something easy. Or perhaps the wedding or event is a small and/or quiet affair and a simpler dress is required? Whatever the reason, I like making dresses like this, and have lots of 'why don't I ma...