"When I am designing wedding gowns I am not what you would call a conventional designer; I am more of an interpreter of personality. I know what silhouette works and what doesn’t, depending on the shape of my Bride.
You have to be like a magician to emphasise the parts of the body the bride loves, and also to disguise the things she does not want people to see. This includes creating the desired waist or cleavage they may not have naturally. My Training and Skill base is in Theatrical and Period Cutting, Corsetry, and Period frames. I work in Opera, Ballet, Theatre, Musicals and Film - so am fully able to create anything. I am experienced in making for all shapes and sizes, from small ballet dancers to larger Opera Singers and Actresses. It is my job to make all artists and performers look amazing, and so I have transferred that skill to the Wedding Gown platform.
I very rarely sketch a design; I create three dimensionally. I spend approximately 2 hours with a Bride and in that time I am able to discover what they like and what they don’t like. We discuss the wedding itself, the theme, the venue, and how the gown has to metamorphosis through the day. We then have dress up time trying on samples of corsets, skirts, petticoats, fabric etc. and I create the perfect silhouette of a gown on them. You can look at any bridal design on paper and think how lovely but it is, but it is difficult to connect with a drawing. You cannot know if a certain shape or design will work on your body until you try it on at the first fitting. So by creating a design directly on to my Bride she can immediately connect with it and see as I am manipulating shapes and lines, how the silhouette flatters her body and how amazing she looks.
I know that you can go into a shop and buy a wedding gown - you choose your design and the next time you see it is a month before the wedding when it is altered, but you then take it home in the knowledge that there will be other brides wearing the same gown. Having a bespoke Wedding Gown created for you is a once in a life time opportunity. You are part of an amazing journey which begins with an idea in my studio, the idea develops into a shape as I constantly refine my creation, and the end result is a perfect gown which shows you at your very best and embodies you, and only you.
Getting involved in the creative process from the prototype, seeing your gown grow through all the fitting stages, and knowing that your Wedding Gown is completely unique to YOU, what could be better than that?"
- Gwen Russell
