Ruth's Wedding Dress Process
At Rachel Elizabeth, we always get very excited when we have brides fly in to Utah for a custom dress. It is all the more exciting when the bride is a member of our extended family. In early 2019, our bride Ruth, arrived in Utah from England. Ruth and Rachel had communicated prior to this about the style of dress, types of lace and options. They used Facetime to discuss all this and Ruth’s mother took her measurements, which were sent to Rachel. Rachel and Ruth narrowed down the options of lace to 3, and then samples were sent to Ruth in England. Ruth was able to make her decision ahead of time, which allowed us to make sure we had the lace in stock.
The process of creating a custom gown starts with Rachel sketching some dresses on her iPad while talking about the design with the bride. When the design is finalized, we take measurements, and Rachel makes the pattern. The pattern is then printed and cut, and we make a muslin version of the dress, this is called the ‘fit sample’.
We make the fit sample and it is then fitted to the bride. In Ruth’s case, as we had already been given her measurements, and Rachel had already designed the dress, we had the fit sample ready to try on when Ruth arrived. Trying on the fit sample enabled Ruth to see what the design looked like and make sure it would be the dress of her dreams. We are able to make any adjustments to the fit using the muslin dress and adjustments to the shape, based on the brides ideas.
Once the fit of the dress was approved, we were able to cut the dress from the satin and lace. Ruth had chosen one of our Ivory medium weight satins and a beautiful lace called Madeleine. The lace was also in ivory. The construction began, and by the next day Ruth was able to see her dress coming to life. Then while we worked on her dress, Ruth and her friend Sophie, who came over with her, were able to go up into the mountains near us, and have some fun in the snow.
Within a week, Ruth’s dress was almost finished, with the exception of some hand work. Ruth and Sophie returned to England and we completed the dress. We would have then shipped it to England, but Rachel, myself and our family were all traveling to the wedding, so we took it with us.
An English Country Wedding
Ruth’s wedding was a beautiful English affair, set near Reading, England. The ceremony was at St. Mary’s Church Wargrave, in Berkshire. Wargrave is a historic village on the river Thames. Some parts of this beautiful church date back to the 12th century. It was a stunning place to get married and both the church and grounds are incredible for photos, especially the beautiful lychgate. This historic church made a perfect backdrop for our stunning bride Ruth, wearing her custom Rachel Elizabeth gown.
After the ceremony, we went to the nearby Stanlake Park Vineyard in Twyford. While more photos were taken, guests were able to relax at a drinks reception in the Coach House. When that was done, we all went into the barn for high tea.
The setting at Stanlake Park is stunning with lots of different spaces that couples can use for their ceremony and reception. This 130 acre estate dates back to 1166, but the vineyard wasn’t planted until 1979. The venue boasts a Coach House, a walled garden, a 19th century vineyard barn and much more. It was a truly lovely setting for a wedding reception. After the champagne reception, the high tea and dinner with dancing were held in the vineyard barn. The whole event was a wonderful English Wedding.
Ruth and James made it unique to them too, with fun things like a wedding cake made from multiple cheeses, which is now a new trend.
