Bespoke vs Traditional Bridal

Bespoke vs Traditional Bridal

Ready Made Bridal-wear? What’s the difference?

We see many brides through our studio/shop every week. Many of them have explored the idea of a traditional bridal shop and bespoke experiences.

Traditional or ‘ready to wear’ Bridal is simply as the second term suggests. A dress already designed and made (minus alterations) could be taken away and worn that day. This is a great concept and many people find success. However, they aren’t always size-inclusive or as customisable as people are looking for. Bespoke dressmaking is a process that involves lots of design, input, and fittings to bring a vision to life. We think both are great. If you find what you are looking for in a traditional bridal boutique, then by all means, get your dream dress, but if you feel that you don’t fit into that category, then keep reading.

 

 

Bespoke Bridalwear is definitely not for everyone, if you have an exact dress you wish to go for then buy it, we cannot copy designs and we would never consider doing it. However, if you see multiple dresses, and love elements from each, we can of course combine those for you. That’s the fun of creating your own dress from scratch, you have a clean slate to build something beautiful.

Bespoke Experience

We don’t just do dresses! We’ve made jumpsuits, two pieces, suits… Every bride who walks through our doors has an individual style (that sometimes hasn’t been represented elsewhere). We are an inclusive business, working with same sex brides, transgender brides, brides with disabilities. Every bride no mater shape or size is catered for and seen in our store.

 

 

The garment should fit around you; you shouldn’t have to stress about fitting into it. Weddings and weight loss are big topics of discussion. We work with brides who want to lose weight, gain weight, maybe tone up, etc. We understand the body and how it fluctuates, so if you give us your goal, we will hold off on production and fabric fittings until you are where you wish to be. Please make sure to book in advance for this service so we can plan for it.

We believe every bride is perfect! If your personal preference is to change, then we will support you in achieving that goal.

The amazing thing about Bespoke is you can let your vision run wild! We do everything from your classic White bridal gowns to Emerald Green dresses, Jumpsuits with detachable trains, etc… We LOVE to see your inspirational pictures to build a great foundation for your garment (but like we said before, this will never be a direct copy).

 

The Process

We always start with the initial consultation (tips below). This is where we discuss your vision; this applies to ALL of our services (bridal, mother of the bride/groom, tailoring). We talk through colours, fabrics, silhouettes etc, take your measurements and sketch up a design for you.

Once the design has been finalised we move on to the calico stage. This is where we make a mock-up of the dress in plain fabric to get a good idea of the final shape and measurements. We don’t make the dress in the proper fabric yet, as we want to avoid manipulating it as much as possible. The calico is great because we can add, take away, tighten, loosen as much as we want before we start making it into the final garment with all the edits. You might do a few of these until it’s perfect. It also gives you a very good idea of how your dress will hang and how the lines and proportions work together. The real one will just be SO much better.

 

 

Next is the fabric fitting, where you’ll be able to see the final product. Usually, you will only require minimal adjustments (generally because the final fabric will move slightly differently to the calico). We will pin the changes, and then when they are done, you’ll be ready for the final fitting.

The final fitting is your last try-on. This is also where any teeny little adjustments may be made, but some people take them away at this stage!

Throughout each process, you’ll be kept in the loop and have input at every stage. We want this to be a fun process for you, one stress off planning the big day!

Is bespoke dressmaking for you?

Bespoke dressmaking can seem daunting at times. The idea of not being able to see the final outfit until after you’ve committed is a big step. We can, however, assure you, that we will work with you every step of the way to bring your vision to life. Speak up if there’s something you wish to change; we appreciate you being honest in the earlier stages so we can make changes to the calico first! Don’t be scared to tell us if there’s something you want to add or change, it’s your dress, we are just here to make it a reality! We LOVE your participation in the process, and we love to hear from you. We have always plenty of time set aside for the fitting, so make sure you speak up then and join in so you get YOUR dream dress. Swapping and changing things at this stage is very easy. It is so much better to play around with different ideas and options while you are there. This prevents a stream of emails afterwards.

 

Alterations (the most asked question we get daily).

We don’t alter other retailers’ designs. We guarantee our own work but not the work of others. Therefore, we choose not to work with garments that aren’t our own. With this being said, we will always alter and restyle any clothes we previously made. Some brides and mums choose to repurpose their outfits to wear again after the big day. We love that (so sustainable)! The benefit of bespoke is that your garment is made for you. This means it will fit you the way you want; we will ensure you are 100% happy before taking it away for the big day. Paying all this money for a dress with an alteration fee slapped on top seems silly. Also, why would you want a designer-made dress that isn’t altered by the designer? With a bespoke dress, any alterations within the consultation from start to finish are included in the dress cost.

If you have a really special vintage dress in great condition, we can occasionally talk you into repurposing it.

 

Bespoke Mother of the Bride/Groom

Many mums come to us because they don’t believe that the ‘mother of the bride’ style, which is ready-made, fits their style. There is a misconception about what mums should wear on the big day. Most mum-oriented sections of occasion-wear can seem frumpy or over the top, which, for the most part, doesn’t make mums feel good on their child’s big day. Mums are all so different, they come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. Therefore, we think the mums should not all be made to dress in this ecific outfit category. We follow the same formula with our mums as our brides: initial consultation, calico fittings, fabric fittings and the final fitting. We ALWAYS ensure our mums feel like the best version of themselves on the day!  By making them something that compliments their style and personality, they will feel great and wear the outfit again.

Top Tips for Your First Bespoke Dressmaking Consultation

As you can imagine, we have had thousands of first consultations. It’s one of our favourite parts of the process (plus the final fitting). So here are some helpful tips to get the most out of your first consultation;

• Send us your ideas (if you have any) before your consultation. This is especially important when they’re specific, like bold, bright colours, specific textured fabrics, etc. This means we have enough time to put together potential fabric swatches for you to see (which also aids in visualising your outfit). This is also helpful if you have a shorter deadline, as it cuts out many of the back-and-forth of looking at different fabrics.
• Explore silhouettes. Do you have a dress, suit, or jumpsuit that fits you perfectly? Bring it with you so we can check how it fits and what your preference is! Send us pictures, Pinterest boards, etc. so we have examples to show you when you arrive!
• Some people come to us with no clue of what they want. That is okay!! We like to manage your expectations, and it may take a lot of reworking the initial sketch, but we want you to be happy before committing to your outfit.
• Try on before your consultation. We recommend (if you don’t have a solid idea of what you would like) going and trying some dresses on. Often, “normal” dresses and evening dresses are better than wedding dresses. As often, they vary more and are more fashion-forward.  Note what you like/dislike about each dress and you’ll start forming an idea of your own. We can play around with different elements until you are happy with the design. If you hate shops… no problem. It is not a requirement at all.
• We have very limited dresses in-house to try on. Please don’t be disheartened that we don’t have your dream dress. This is what the calico fitting is for; you’ll see your dress take shape very quickly!

 

Appointments and timelines

• We would appreciate it if you could give us a pickup/completion date. Being a small shop we meticulously plan fittings and working on your dress in to our diary. Our schedule is full of many other brides, mums and tailoring clients. We always as you when you need it done by. We can complete that for you with no problem. We appreciate no significant date changes at the last minute (early or late pick-ups). We have never delivered a garment late. But if you change your dates, it makes it harder for us. So please let us know as early as you can if you wish to change your dates.
• Have fun in your appointments; we want you to get the most out of them. We advise no more than 2 guests at the fittings, as we have found that the more people there are, the less you are able to explore ideas and give your own input. Our shop is very small, so we need the space to get you walking around in the dress. You can’t get a feel for it just by standing!

We adore all of our clients and LOVE getting to know them through each fitting. We want this to be a positive experience for you and for you to feel like yourself on the big day. Our goal is for you to leave smiling and excited to wear our design. If this sounds exactly like what you need, please get in touch here and book your first consultation. We can’t wait to start this journey with you!

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