"Mel designed and handcrafted my stunning wedding dress. Her attention to detail and expertise are second to none. The gown she created was bespoke, elegant and perfect in every way."
- CHERIE
A bespoke wedding gown is not for every bride. It's for the one who has looked, and looked, and not quite found it. The one who has a clear sense of what she wants but hasn't seen it anywhere. The one who understands that something made specifically for her will fit, feel, and look different to anything she could have chosen off a rail.I take a limited number of bridal commissions each year. The process is long by design — there is no other way to do it properly. It begins well before the wedding date and moves through design, fabric selection, fittings, and hand finishing at a pace that the work demands.If that sounds like what you're looking for, I'd love to hear from you.
The Process
From our first conversation I begin building an understanding of you — your vision, your instincts, the details that matter to you and the ones that don't. From there I develop the first sketches, working through the design until it feels right.
Once the design is confirmed we move into fabric selection, pattern development, and toile — a test garment that establishes fit and proportion before we touch the final fabric. Fittings follow from there, each one refining the gown until it sits exactly as it should. The final stage is hand finishing — the details that don't photograph but that you will feel every time you wear it.
For bridal commissions I recommend beginning at least twelve months before your wedding date. The process takes the time it needs to take, and that time is part of what makes it right.
Pricing
Every bridal commission is priced individually, because every bridal commission is individual. The design, the fabric, the complexity, and the time the work demands all shape the investment. There is no standard formula — and for a gown made entirely for you, there shouldn't be.
The pricing page walks you through what to expect before we speak.
A selection of bridal commissions from the studio.
The finishing details
A gown is only part of the story. The veil, the handkerchief your mother carries, the bow that sits at the back of your dress — these are the details that complete it.
I make a small selection of bridal accessories from the studio — custom veils, bridal hair bows in crepe, and embroidered handkerchiefs. Each is made to order and considered in the same way as the gown itself. Nothing here is an afterthought.
Ready to begin?
If you have questions about how the process works, lead times, or what to expect, you'll find detailed answers in the FAQs here.
When you are ready to move forward, enquiries are submitted via the Enquire Page.