Hiya,
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This edition of the blog is devoted to my lovely real bride, Sara, and her beautiful commission of sequin flower crowns and the dream piece - a customised Tattoo Bow Veil.
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This is the type of commission I LOVE to get. Personal and precious but at the same time drop dead gorgeous and super cool. Honestly, it couldn't be simpler to customise or commission a bridal accessory with me to complete your look. All you need to do is get in touch with the seed of an idea and I'll do the rest.
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Let me show you how Sara did it...
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Sara contacted me to order some customised Sequin Flower Crowns for her daughter and mother-in-law and one for herself to change into for the wedding party. Three crowns not matching but working in complete harmony together.
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But, what I'm going to talk to you about today is Sara's customised Tattoo Bow Veil. Similar in style to my original design but customised in a super personal way with a family love story embroidered into the silk fabric.
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The original Tattoo Bow Veil is full of beaded, hand-embroidered hearts and flowers. Sara made it her own by swapping the original flower embroideries for that of flowers drawn by her five year old daughter. Absolute HEAVEN. If that wasn't precious enough, Sara drew round her sons' hands and she wanted these beautiful little handprints transfered onto the veil in beaded embroidery. I'd be lying if I said this commission didn't warm my heart to bursting. I could not wait to get started.
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Sara sent me her daughters' drawings and sons hand prints to be made into an embroidery pattern (too cute, right!), and I sent Sara my sample of the Tattoo Bow Veil to try on. I like to send samples out to my customers so they can get a feel for the fabric and embroidery as well as to check the size and see how they fit into your hair. Let's face it, no matter how many pictures you see, nothing beats holding something in your hands.
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Sara decided to have the bow smaller then the sample and the tails shorter with the hem at an angle so as to create points rather then being straight. You can change almost every detail of my original designs to get what you want, that's what customising a bridal accessory with me is all about.
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Next, to choose the colours of the beads. Sara emailed me with mood board images and I sourced coloured beads to fit in with the look of her wedding styling. I sent a bead sample card for Sara to choose her favourites from. Don't worry, this isn't a 'paint by numbers' exersise, you don't have to make decisions on what colour each flower will be or anything like that, it's more a case of choosing beads that you love and discounting any beads you don't want to see in the finished piece. It may be at this stage that we decide we are missing a colour and I will continue to source for beads until we have the perfect palette.
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(If you are thinking 'what is a mood board'? Or you are struggling to collate your ideas then you can take a look at one of my previous blogs, 'How to Create a Colour Palette and Design a Mood Board' for some tips. But, remember, you don't need to have a mood board or even a colour palette in place in order to customise a design, just get in touch, that's the first step).
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SO, we have our chosen beads, now onto the embroidery design. I drafted a paper pattern and onto it, traced the design for Sara to see. We made a couple of changes, adding in some hearts and a slight amendment to the layout. I re-drafted the pattern and embroidered a sample of the design to send to Sara.
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I send samples and images throughout the design process to make sure my customers are completely happy with everything before going ahead with the final make. Hand-embroidery takes lots of time and care, definitely not something to be hastily started without giving the opportunity to see how it is going to look once finished. You should be completely happy and confident that you will love your commission as much as I love making it for you.
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Hand-beading these beautiful flowers was such a joy. So much freedom of expression in those lovely drawings. Not following rules or expectations of what things should look like is definitely a mantra to follow when planning your wedding, don't ya think? The result is complete perfection in imperfection, something I will definitely try to take with me in future designs.
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It wasn't till I saw these incredible wedding day photos that I realised what a special commission this had been. A piece of modern hand-embroidery so full of fun and love, worn by the most stylish of brides at the coolest of cool London Weddings. A day that looks every moment full of happiness and celebration. It was such a privilege to create this special heirloom bridal accessory for Sara and her family to treasure for years to come. Sara's seed of an idea became a reality.
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Now to enjoy these beautiful images taken by amazing photographer, Nicki Shea.
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If you are looking for something equally precious and unique to complete your wedding outfit, then I would LOVE to hear from you. Or, if you've been inspired to add a little detail to your look in the form of beaded embroidery then take a peek at some of my hand embroidery inspo right here...
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Remember, detail is key and anything is possible, it all
starts with a simple message,
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Tonnes of love
Emma xxx
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CREDITS
Wedding Photography @nickisheaphotography
Wedding Venue @100barrington
Saras dress @andrea_hawkes_bridal
Saras Hair and Make-up @powderblueartistry
Flowers @stemswilder
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