Bridal FAQs

Vintage Style Handmade Liberty Dresses
for Bridesmaids & Flower Girls
and Christening Gowns
as well as shirts, ties, cummerbunds and waistcoats for page boys
& ties and hankerchiefs for ushers
All lovingly & individually made-to-order in your choice of my Liberty prints

Your special day

I've been a bride myself and a matron-of-honour and bridesmaid many times.  It's a very special day.  I was lucky enough to have my Mum (a couture designer) make my wedding dress and my bridesmaid's dress for my sister's wedding.  There's nothing more special than wearing a handmade dress.

Do browse my Happy Wedding customers blog pages with comments and pictures that customers have kindly sent me following their weddings.

I'll do my utmost to fulfil all of your requirements.  Please don't hesitate to call me or email and ask any questions.

Choosing your print

Liberty of London loved my designs calling them 'truly exclusive, personal and original...not something you find on the high street'.  Liberty Fabrics supply me direct but I can only stock a limited number of different prints in small quantities and I take orders on a first-come first-served basis.

If there's a particular print you love, it's best to let me know as soon as possible so that I can put it to one side for you.  Prints run out of stock and are not always reprinted.

If you need me to reserve a particular print well in advance of a wedding date I will require a deposit of £25.

Browse my range of Liberty prints or view Liberty of London's fabrics.  

Buying your own fabric

I'm also happy to quote you a dress-making fee if you'd like to buy any Liberty prints I don't stock and send it to me.  Generally prices work out at £5 less than my website prices for tops/bottoms and £10 less per dress. 

Liberty of London charge £21 a metre plus £5.95 delivery.  Shaukat in London have lots of prints for approx £16 a metre and Truro Fabrics have a good selection between £13 and £20 a metre. 

I'm working on a page on the website with lengths of fabric you need to buy for each design - it's work in progress and is only an indicative guide so please do contact me for advice before buying.

Note on exchanging sizes when buying your own prints:  I'd always recommend buying extra fabric in case an item of clothing doesn't fit and you need me to make a new one in a larger or smaller size (I don't do alterations as this is not a bespoke service with fittings - it is your responsibility to make sure you send correct sizes).  It happens very rarely but if you need to exchange a dress for size reasons, I'm happy to make another in a bigger or smaller size but you must return the original dress to me in order that I can sell it on to cover my time for dress-making.

If for any reason you are not happy with your clothes you are of course entitled to a refund but I will keep and sell-on any items you have returned to cover my time for dress-making.  This applies to returns and exchanges. 

Please note that if you choose to buy your own fabric this is entirely at your own cost and risk - I can under no circumstances refund the cost of the fabric.  In case of a fault I can only refund the cost of my dress-making time.

Don't feel you have to confine yourself to my bridesmaid dress range.  I have lots of customers who prefer a less formal look.  It's your day.  Do browse my other dresses.

And if there's an idea you have that's not in my range, do ask.  I can't make promises but often I get my best ideas from my customers.

My prices reflect the amount of time and fabric that goes into each dress.  Liberty tana lawn cotton is the most beautiful quality fabric I've ever come across.  And I do hope your bridesmaids will be able to wear their dresses over and over again.

Ribbons & buttons

I am happy to send you free fabric swatches and suggestions for matching buttons and ribbons.  My signature black border buttons come in a variety of colours.  I also have beautiful shell buttons in pearl, hot pink and violet.  Click here to view the full selection.

My ribbons are from Berisfords, a family firm in Cheshire.  I have a wide range of colours in stock.  You can view their satin ribbon colour card here I can't stock them all but I can order a particular colour of ribbon for an additional £7.50 per colour.

Alternatively you can order them direct yourself from Macculloch & Wallis haberdashers.  Each dress requires 2 to 3 m of ribbon depending on size and length.  (Their prices are currently £1.15 per metre + £3 for 10 day postage or £9 for next day postage) and have them posted to me.

Handmade...with love sewn in

It's important for you to understand that all my dresses are handmade.   Typically have a 4 to 8 week waiting list and only make half a dozen items a week.  All my dresses are designed by me and handmade by me or my colleague Millie. 

This is not a bespoke or made-to-measure service with fittings or alterations.

But I'm more than happy to send a a size for you to try in advance & then exchange sizes and of course to refund you if you're not completely satisfied.

Sizes

Please check my size guide.  But little girls come in all shapes and sizes so if you can send me height, waist and chest measurements I can advise you on how to get the very best fit.  For example, for a slim girl I can use a smaller bodice and make a longer skirt.

I can make small adjustments (eg on trims & buttons) but because it's such a small-scale business (it's honestly really is just me designing and cutting & finishing everything myself with Millie to help me sew).  To keep costs as reasonable as possible, I have to be able to sell-on any exchanged dresses.

Delivery times

Ideally I like to take orders for special occasions at least four to six weeks in advance.  Dresses need to fit on the day so there isn't the flexibility of growing into clothes that my other customers have.  It's better to have time to return and exchange sizes if needs be.  That said, you'd be surprised how many last minute orders I get and I always try and leave a bit of juggling space in my order book so please do ask.

Matching accessories

Fabric designer, Kate Yorke at Emily Pickle, makes a beautiful range of accessories for me.  You can order matching hair accessories and jewellery in the print of your choice.

I can also make matching posy bags & bonnets.

Happy Customers

I pride myself on my customer service - do take a look at my happy customers page to see what people say about me.  I'd be delighted to put you in touch with regular customers for a reference.