Why go bespoke?

Why go bespoke?

If you’re starting wedding planning and looking at outfits you might find yourself a little overwhelmed, there are so many choices, and probably more expensive than you anticipated! There is no crash course in weddings at school, you aren’t born with innate knowledge on how to plan a wedding, and unless you know someone who recently did it, it can seem like diving into a bottomless pit. Scrolling through the depths of google for wedding boutiques you might not have considered going bespoke for your outfit. And why would you? When do we ever have outfits custom made for our own body? Perhaps a grandparent knitted you a jumper when you were a baby. But we’re so used to shopping in person or online, finding something in your size (questionable, sizing is not standard) that you like, and taking it home. But a bespoke garment may not be as out of reach as you might think.

A wedding shop works the same way as any other retail store. There is a wholesale price and a markup to cover business costs and profit. The actual cost of making a traditional wedding dress is considerably less than you are paying. When working directly with a seamstress or small bespoke business, the overheads and profit margins are often much lower and your money is going directly to the business and the cost of your garment.

'So how much does Beyond the Veil charge?' you might be thinking. On average, £1200 for a completely custom floor length wedding dress. This includes fittings, drafting a pattern to your measurements, the cost of materials, and construction. For a one of a kind, made to fit you perfectly, outfit. The more complex the garment, the higher the price, similarly; for a simpler design in reasonably priced fabric, the cost is lower. If you’re on a budget, there are lots of ways to cut costs when working directly with a seamstress. For example, many wedding dresses are made with luxurious, high quality fabrics, and that may not be important to you. More affordable fabric choices can drastically reduce the price of the final garment.

Another benefit of a bespoke garment is that it can be exactly what you want it to be. Perhaps your idea of a wedding outfit is a little bit out there, perhaps you’ve seen the top you like on one dress but the bottom you like on another and you can’t for the life of you find the combination you like on one garment. From start to finish, you are in the driver’s seat with a seamstress, from initial sketch to fabric samples to fitting the mock up, you are able to speak directly to the person making your garment if you want to make a change. If you aren't at all sure what you want yet, it might be beneficial to try on some things first to find out what you like and what you don't like, but if you're not comfortable doing that as long as you come to your first appointment armed with some ideas, we can figure it out together.

If sustainable choices are important to you, working with a seamstress has many fantastic sustainable benefits. Traditionally wedding dresses would be handed down and worn more than once but fashion moves so fast this isn’t often a choice many will make! (Understandably if your parents married in the 80s like mine.) If you’re looking for an outfit to wear once, spending thousands on complex design can seem a bit contradictory. Working with a seamstress directly on a bespoke garment means you are able to make choices to allow you to wear the outfit again. Perhaps you make it into separates so you can wear the top again, or you come back after the wedding and have it shortened. The carbon footprint of working with one person is much smaller, no travelling of garment parts to other factories or seamstresses for detailing, or shipping globally to the stores.

So if you're looking for a more unique, sustainable, affordable outfit for your wedding, consider contacting a local seamstress!

If you’re in the East Sussex area; Eastbourne, Brighton, Bexhill or Hastings - I’m in Polegate! Let’s have a chat!