A Wedding Dress Designed Pattern Cut and Made By The Bride!

Hi All, in the third and final instalment for today, I'm sharing a wedding that I truly hope does make you smile and inspire you.

Charmaine and Chris tied the knot on 27th October 2012 and celebrated with a reception in The Russell Suite at Pembroke Lodge

"Both Chris and I are artistic and thought if anyone was going to pull off
a theme, we would be a good bet, however it just became things that we
loved, could make and would want in our home afterwards.  Our budget steered too.

My wedding dress was designed, pattern cut and made by myself after
work and in my spare time.  I knew I was going to be picky -  as a
designer and dressmaker and I struggled to find something in the shops
that made me feel special or really like me.  Nothing seemed to suit my
style and personality without spending an absolute fortune, so I felt
doing something myself was the logical option and much more pocket
friendly."

Love My Dress Wedding Blog – Photography Copyright (c) 2013, Moments Captured

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

"Chris found our florist while wandering around the Richmond
farmers market while I was getting a haircut. The lovely lady is called
Helen from Cora Lili Flowers.  We loved their style and they were a pleasure to work with."

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

"I wore a pair of sparkly Gina’s (In the sale and with a staff discount ‘through a friend’) and totally worth it!"

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

"Chris and I met while working together at the cinema during
University. I had just joined in the March, and by the April we were an
item! We then dated for four years before he popped the question in Paris.

It was on a dissused rail track which goes above Paris that has now been
converted into a Rose garde.  I was not prepared and the main things
that were racing through my mind as he turned towards me, ‘ring box in
hand’, was 'OMG he bought a ring unsupervised! OMG how does he know
my finger size?! OMG, what if I don't like the ring? OMG I have strawberry
seeds in my teeth! OMG I can’t believe this is the moment! OMG
it’s really happening!!! OMG, OMG, OMGeeeee!!!"

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

"Needless to say I
didn’t hear a thing he said to me, but once I saw the ring and my senses
returned, I was ECSTATIC!

Everything was perfect. The boy did good. And so with that question over, the engagement period began and
lasted a whole long year and six months.  We paid for it all ourselves, and saving for
it took a while, but it was worth every sacrifice."

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

"My Bridesmaids wore Ted Baker dresses, I wanted them to have dresses they could wear again."

Don't you just love that Marilyn moment?

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

"I wore the Jenny Packham Rondelle Bridal Crystal Headdress III – it
was my single expensive purchase. I still feel a little guilty but
nothing else compared!"

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

"Chris wore a Hugo Boss suit, which was a Birthday and Christmas gift from everyone in his family."

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

"We spent over six months making 8 litres of homemade infused
vodkas of Chilli and Raspberry, and Blackcurrent and Rosemary – and
Chris’s Brother (a chef), made a selection of homemade truffles. Word on
the grape vine is, they both went down very well 🙂 !!"

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

"Our photographer was Claudine Sinnet from Moments Captured.
She came highly recommended to me from one of my bridesmaids who had
used her for her wedding, and who had a sister that had used her too… I
cannot say enough good things about this lady or recommend her
enough!!! She captured every moment to perfection. You barely knew she
was there, she was unobtrusive and respectful and just had the knack of
capturing those magical secret moments that no one else sees. We
couldn’t be happier." 

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride
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Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

"Our venue, Pembroke Lodge, was beautiful.  We felt it didn’t need much else, other than a few tea lights and flowers."

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

"The cake was made by the Chris’s Dad who is a chef, we gave him
some images of stuff we liked and then just left him to it… He is
AMAZING! We think he should go professional in cake making."

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

"The wedding day was the most awesome day ever! I’m still soo
many
shades of happiness! Choosing a best part is just not possible.  It's
cliched, but true! But if I was pushed for an answer, I think it would
be the speeches. Both my boys (MY Husband and Brother) made the most rib
tickling, heartfult, loving speeches that made me cry and laugh out
loud in equal measure.  I never felt so loved, proud, humbled and
honoured all at the same time.

Chris’s best part was
the reception drinks, right after the ceremony. He felt that he was
still on a high from getting married but now he could relax because for
the rest of the day all was now out of his hands."

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

Words of Wedded Wisdom…

"Make it about you, and I don’t mean in
an self loving egotistical way, but in a way that your wedding has your
personality written all over it with out you having to say a
word….Enjoy yourself and don’t worry about the little things… I
promise you no one will notice and a happy bride makes guests happy and
glad to share your joy. And my final bit of advice would be that, I
feel there are two things you should invest your money in, no matter
what your budget; a good photographer, and making sure your guests are
well feed and watered are key.

I was also addicted to Love
My Dress
, and a daily reader – it became a ritual, as soon as I got home
from work the first thing  I would do was wind down with reading my
favourite wedding blog, I loved it! There are no faults I could mention
with Love my Dress, I Love love LOVED it all, but especially the wedding
films."

Sparkly Gina shoes and a wedding dress designed and made by the bride

How completely lovely, don't you agree?

Big thanks to Claudine Sinnet of Moments Captured for sharing these images, and to Chris and Charmaine especially for sharing so much with our readers. Charmaine, you're one very talented dress maker! You did good!

I'd love to know if any other bride to be reading this page has designed, or even made her own dress?

Much love,

Annabel

Heart

Photographer – Moments Captured
Venue – Pembroke Lodge
Wedding Dress – Designed, pattern cut and made by the bride herself
Bride's shoes – Gina
Bride's headpiece – Jenny Packham Rondelle Bridal Crystal Headdress III
Grooms Suit – Hugo Boss
Bridesmaids – Ted Baker Dresses
Florist – Cora Lili Flowers
Cake Designer – The Groom's Father
Favours – Homemade infused
vodkas of Chilli/Raspberry, and Blackcurrent/Rosemary

Entertainment – The Mobile Music Company

Annabel

Annabel View all Annabel's articles

Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.

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