COUTURE2024-11-21T13:50:13+00:00

COUTURE

WELCOME TO THE HOME OF BESPOKE DRESSMAKING

If you are looking a bespoke mother of the bride outfit or a unique, one-of-a-kind wedding gown, we can help.

With over fifty years’ collective experience of bridal wear and dressmaking, our expert designers, pattern cutters and seamstresses are devoted to our craft, ready to create the perfect dress for you.

Bespoke wedding dress, lace detailing and cascading gown created by THE MODISTE

BESPOKE BRIDAL

For brides looking to create their dream one-of-a-kind wedding dress, or reconstruct a vintage wedding dress.

PRICES FROM £3,000.

Bespoke mother of the bride outfit, couture special occasionwear outfit, navy blue dress with hat

BESPOKE DRESSMAKING

For women, including mother of the brides, who want complete freedom of choice to create their own custom-made special occasion wear. Your unique outfit results from a closely collaborative process with your seamstress.

PRICES FROM £2,000.

Bespoke Mother of the Bride outfit created from couture collection, with customisation choice of fabric and colour

COUTURE COLLECTION

For women who want to choose from our curated classic designs and materials, to enjoy special occasion wear fitted to your exact measurements. Perfect for mother of the bride or groom unique outfits.

LAUNCH WINTER 2024/25.

BE THE FIRST TO SEE OUR COLLECTION

SPECIAL OCCASION WEAR

LAUNCH WINTER 2024/25

Bespoke Mother of the Bride outfit or couture Mother of the Groom outfits including hats
Leonora Smee couture

AS SEEN ON LEONORA SMEE

OUR LATEST BESPOKE AS SEEN ON LEONORA SMEE

CUSTOM-MADE  GOWN

Leonora Smee is a digital creator, events curator and luxury brand strategist, following a successful international show-jumping career. We were delighted to create a bespoke evening gown for Leonora to attend Henley Festival and complement her exquisite jewellery from Boodles. You can watch her “Cinderella dress” reveal on Leonora’s YouTube channel.

“This dress is an absolutely dream come true for me. From the style to the colour, to the way it moves and the way it fits… I am absolutely blown away by the talent at THE MODISTE.

Inspired by Grace Kelly in her iconic role in To Catch a Thief, I feel like this dress encapsulates my personality and I could not be more delighted with it.”

@leonorasmee

Influencer Leonora Smee modelling couture evening gown created by award winning modern dressmaking bridal atelier THE MODISTE
Influencer Leonora Smee wearing floor length evening gown custom made by THE MODISTE couture service

YOUR BESPOKE DRESSMAKING PROCESS

Creating your dream dress at THE MODISTE is a closely collaborative and personal partnership between you and your dressmaker.

Whether you already have a defined vision for your dress, or looking for guidance and inspiration, our expert team will support you every step of the way.

How much does a custom-made dress cost?2024-11-03T08:23:52+00:00

Each dress will be costed based on the design and the material you choose.

Based on our couture designs, the average price is around £800 per dress. Our bespoke wedding dresses start from £3,000 and bespoke special occasionwear from £2,000.

However, we will be able to offer a much better estimate after discussing designs with you.

We do request a £30 deposit for your consultation appointment which will be deducted from the cost of your dress.

How long does it take to create a bespoke dress?2024-11-03T08:20:06+00:00

We recommend that you contact us as soon as you might be thinking of creating a bespoke wedding dress or special occasionwear outfit.

There isn’t a set length of time that a dress takes to create because each dress is unique. However, you will need to allow at least four months for a bespoke wedding dress.

Please bear in mind that between April and September we are in wedding season and our availability can get booked up weeks in advance.

How does the bespoke dress process work if my body shape changes?2024-11-03T08:18:09+00:00

Please don’t worry. It is not a problem if your body shape changes because we are making your dress custom-made to fit you.

If there are any drastic changes, we can alter your dress design to suit the circumstances.

Bespoke wedding dress worn by bride created at THE MODISTE
Modern dressmaking and bridal atelier THE MODISTE scissors icon

“My dress was absolutely perfect and exactly what I wanted. I had so many lovely comments!

I really enjoyed wearing it at my daughter’s wedding and felt so special. Thank you, you are such a talented team.”

GILL, bespoke Mother of the Bride outfit

Head bridal fitter designing bespoke Mother of the Bride outfit couture special occasionwear on iPad

YOUR FIRST BESPOKE APPOINTMENT

Your journey will begin at our private and comfortable atelier in Buckinghamshire where you will meet your dedicated dressmaker.

Our first meeting will likely to be a far ranging and relaxed conversation. For bespoke bridal wear, we will be keen to hear about your overall wedding plans, such as theme, season and choice of venue. These are important practical factors which inform our wedding dress design process. Our ultimate goal is to ensure you are happy, relaxed and comfortable as well as beautiful.

Your dress will begin to emerge, aided by sketches and fabric swatches. We will make some provisional decisions including neckline, length of train, sleeves and silhouette. This will enable us to provide you with a cost estimate for your bespoke dress for you to review and also provide a deposit.

Your seamstress will also take a series of careful measurements of your body in readiness for your second appointment.

Do you have car parking at your atelier?2024-11-03T08:25:46+00:00

Yes we do. We can offer off-road parking just down the side driveway of our building. There is also metered parking available on the road.

What method of payment do you accept?2024-11-03T08:26:40+00:00

We accept cash, debit or credit card.

Can I bring any guests with me?2024-11-07T17:51:11+00:00

You are welcome to bring guests with you to your appointments and we have lovely fitting rooms that can accommodate everyone.

However, in our experience, appointments can be difficult for our clients if they bring too many people along.

We advise you to limit your party to one or two people that you trust the most. Some of our clients prefer to come alone – it is entirely up to you.

Modern dressmaking and bridal atelier tape measure icon

“I had an amazing time during the whole dressmaking experience. I chose a wonderful dress style to wear at my daughter’s wedding.

Jennifer was so helpful and made what I thought might be quite difficult, really enjoyable and fun. Thank you so much!”

JANE, bespoke Mother of the Bride outfit

Wedding couple
BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT

SECOND APPOINTMENT: YOUR TOILE FITTING

In preparation for your second appointment, our expert pattern cutter at THE MODISTE will produce a toile in calico. A toile is a mock-up of all the different parts which we will use to construct your dress.

Your toile will be completely unique and designed to fit your body because it is calculated using the measurements taken at your first appointment.

Creating a toile will help ensure you are completely happy with your custom-made dress design, before we begin to make your dream dress. It will help clarify any design decisions, such as fabric choices.

Our highly experienced dressmaking team have a wide range of technical skills so we can offer various personalised touches such as embroidery, beading and lacework to your gown or wedding veil.

Black and white photo of dressmaker cutting toile material during custom-made wedding dress or bespoke mother of the bride outfit
Bespoke wedding dress creation by THE MODISTE with cascading train

FINAL BESPOKE FITTING AND COLLECTION

Your number of dress fitting appointments will depend upon the design complexity of your custom-made dress, or whether we are making a made-to-order dress from our collection. Regardless, we want to ensure your wedding dress – or bespoke Mother of the Bride outfit – is completely perfect!

Typically, you will collect your dress the week before your wedding day, or special occasion. Your wedding gown, or outfit, will be freshly steamed, prepped, fully checked and completely ready for your big day.

You will have the opportunity for a final try on to check it is perfect. Our seamstresses will be on standby just in case any final tweaks are needed.

Bespoke wedding dress made by THE MODISTE

COUTURE STORIES FROM OUR STUDIO

  • Your Mother of the Bride outfit solved

  • Creating Gill’s Mother of the Bride outfit

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