The replica of the Royal christening robe.

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I would love to have had the chance to make the christening robe for Prince George.
It was a replica of the gown worn by Queen Victoria's eldest daughter in 1841.
It has been used for generation after generation of royal infants including the Queen's father King George VI, the Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, with Lady Louise Windsor being the last royal baby to wear the delicate ensemble in 2004.
But after years of wear, the original gown is now too fragile to use, so the Queen commissioned a replica in 2008, and the Earl and Countess of Wessex's son Viscount Severn became the first royal baby to wear the new robe at his christening in April of that year.

It was made by the Queen's dresser Angela Kelly and the team of dressmakers at Buckingham Palace, and features the same lengthy skirt and elaborate collars and bow as its predecessor. I love the length of the robe it dominates the photo drawing the eye to the baby and what the day is all about.

The original Honiton lace and white satin robe, which is now 172 years old, was last used in 2004, after which the Queen commissioned the handmade copy so the historic outfit could be carefully preserved.

   The original lace and satin christening robe was specially crafted for Victoria, the Princess Royal in 1841, by Janet Sutherland from Falkirk Scotland ( who received the title "embroiderer for the Queen")

 The replica robe made by the Queens dresser is such a lovely colour that Kate has matched it with her outfit, by Alexander McQueen.

The whole ensemble seems to co ordinate perfectly, maybe Angela Kelly had a hand in it all. Pippa wore a cream coat by Suzannah Crab and Carole wore another Catherine Walker  and I am going to guess that Camilla's hat is a Philip Treacy again! The cream and the blues of everybody work so wonderfully well that I feel it must have been orchestrated to create the perfect photo. I love the fall of Kate's frill complimenting Prince George's robe.

Wedding photos

 Another summer wedding but sadly there wasn't much sunshine this time, however no-one was going to let it spoil the "Big Day"

Girls you will be glad to hear that we have a new "Lucky umbrella"

Since 2009, after the August that the West Link was closed in Belfast because of the floods, we have had the luck of a fancy umbrella that was lent out to our brides. As long as you had the umbrella is wasn't needed. However the end of July this summer I was out dressing a bride, the lucky umbrella at the ready, but the skies opened.  There was a down pour, no umbrella was going to be of any use that day!! Not long after that the umbrella got lost and fortunately a new one was sourced and much to our delight it has already proved lucky.

Something new and something blue

It's that time of year when I'm getting ideas for new designs and looking at new fabrics. There is the textile forum to keep up to date with the latest.

By visiting the Textile show it keeps me up to date with the latest new fabrics and laces available.

It is great to see more choice in colour for the laces, as they still are proving popular for next year.

You & Your Wedding

The You & Your Wedding Bridal Retail Awards 2014 - now open for entries!

You & Your Wedding magazine is a leading force in the UK bridal industry, with over 30 years’ experience as a top consumer bridal magazine – and more recently as one of the country’s biggest wedding websites, attracting more than 500,000 brides-to-be each month. Every day they meet and talk to brides, their mums, their maids (and their grooms!), listening to their experiences and feedback, and getting an unparalleled understanding of what truly makes excellent bridal retail service.

They are launching the You & Your Wedding Bridal Retail Awards 2014. They want to recognise and reward the very best in the bridal business right across the UK – from individuals and small independents to high street favourites and designer brands.

Entering is simple and easy to do – click here to visit their dedicated awards pages now.
All shortlisted entries will be judged by a panel of the UK’s leading wedding industry experts (including Richard Ward, Mark Niemierko and Kally Ellis… to name just a few!)
Plus, finalists and winners will receive year-long cross-media coverage worth more than £20,000!
Visit youandyourwedding.co.uk today to find out more.

More ideas for 2014 brides

Long elegant sleeves with areas that you see through and areas of delicate work.
Personally I like long sleeves rather than 3/4 sleeves as then tend to elongate the whole design and look in a picture or photo. Some how when you look at a photo or yourself in a mirror when you shorten the sleeve and hold your flowers, your arms look stumpy and out of proportion.

Big Skirts seem to be coming back into popularity, even a layered effect.

Back detail has always been important to everyone. Here is an idea that could be made that you could wear the dress with this shoulder idea for the start of your day and then for evening time it could be removed to make the dress a strapless dress.

More inspiration

Here is some more inspiration for brides for 2014. This amazing shape is for a bride with confidence in her figure.
The delicate bead work  is all over the bodice of the dress, with the ability to sparkle in the sunshine or when the lights go on, defines every curve of the brides feminine shape.

The cala lilies compliment the shape of the dress.

Or what about this for elegance and romance. A delicate feature at the waist to show off a tiny waist and the detailing over the shoulders and on the bust line to frame the head and shoulders which will be in nearly every photo on "The day"

Be inspired

It's that time of year when fashion shows around the globe show us what is in for next year. We have had the British Bridal Show and London Fashion week loads of inspiration and exciting ideas.








Embroidery and lace are so popular at the moment and it seems to be that there cannot be too much. layers and layers of detail and delights.

A dress idea with just areas of detail.

 A sample of embroidery work.

It is best to keep a scrapbook of your ideas so that you don't forget a good idea. Nowadays brides us pinterest to store their ideas but most brides like to keep their ideas private so that all their friends aren't getting an insight to the wedding theme before their "Big day". I suggest you do the same and if you want you can show me what you have in mind.