Real Bride: A Dubai Dream Wedding Dress

“I have such fond memories of my Phillipa Lepley experience. I would honestly look forward to each appointment, to see the progress. They involve you every step of the way.”

Whitney had visited a few other bridal boutiques before she came to Phillipa Lepley. She lives locally, in Knightsbridge, and she saw the dress of her dreams in the window quite by chance one day when passing.

At her first appointment she tried on lots of dresses. The one that had initially caught her eye was saved until last, and as she had predicted, she thought it was totally perfect. She decided that was the design for her, and she would work with the team to make it her own.

Whitney’s bespoke couture wedding dress featured a corseted, hand embroidered bodice with an elegant high neck and capped sleeves, finished with delicate button detailing down her back. The A-line skirt, cut magnificently full to further compliment Whitney’s cinched waist, was made with double overlays of silk satin organza, giving a softness and an element of light movement to this regal and refined bridal look.

The embroidery for Whitney’s dress included an array of feminine and organic motifs based on the flowers that inspire Phillipa – Maiden’s Fern, Orchids and Primroses were represented in a combination of varying appliqué and threadwork techniques. Embroidered by hand into the fine sheer tulle, the flowing shapes created a striking pattern.

Whitney chose to further elevate and highlight the embroidery with sprinklings of clear and crystal beading through the front and back necklines of her dress.

“At the beginning the appointments weren’t as frequent, but I so looked forward to them! The Phillipa Lepley team are lovely. They make you feel so comfortable and at ease. I remember the beautiful elderflower syrup with water that they would serve which I now drink every day – it was always so refreshing.”

“The team really keep you involved at every step of the way to make sure you’re happy with everything. You really feel part of it, adding things as you go. I so enjoyed that aspect of it – creating my dream dress with them.”

Whitney’s wedding was in Dubai, so the team filmed a step by step guide for her and her family to use on the day to assist with putting the dress on and fastening the corset.

“My aunt helped me put the dress on and the mini tutorial they had given made it so easy. They had even sewn in a little blue bow on to the inside for my something blue, because I was worrying I hadn’t organised that, which was so special. They just made everything so easy.”

“We had a mix of Muslim and Christian guests, so I knew it had to be something that would be acceptable for everyone. Everyone loved it and I felt so beautiful in it. I wanted it to emphasise my waist, and the way it was made really did give me such definition.”

Phillipa and her team also had the pleasure of designing a completely bespoke silk tulle veil for Whitney to compliment her dress. By taking elements from the embroidery of her dress as inspiration, an organic border of hand worked motifs was developed to grow around the full circumference of the veil. The floral shapes used gave a natural, almost scalloped edge to Whitney’s veil, and delicate strands of thread-worked Maiden’s Fern trickled up into the veil to soften the edges.

‘I adored my veil – all the special details were so precious. I added the crystals to the edge because I wanted it to shine and sparkle.”

The overall combination of delicate floral embroidery, sweeping satin organza skirts and the outstanding couture structure of the Phillipa Lepley corsetry and cut creates a fresh, young, feminine dress that is incredibly special and completely timeless.

“When you go in to Phillipa Lepley you get such a good feeling. They are such a tight nit family. You wouldn’t even know that they are working with other brides. They just give you such care and attention and make everything so easy. You just show up and stand there! There are so many other stresses involved when planning a wedding – they eliminate as much as they can with the dress, which for me was one of the biggest most daunting things. I have such fond memoirs, it was an amazing experience.”

“My advice to brides would be to be open minded. I thought I wanted something completely different! Do your research and try on as many different styles and shapes and textures as possible, otherwise you’ll never know!”

Phillipa Lepley is recognised globally as a leading British wedding dress and eveningwear designer, renowned for bespoke couture dresses of the utmost luxury. Her wedding dress shop in London, Chelsea, has over 50 dresses, all of which have been made in England from start to finish at her atelier.