The Dress With Rosie Stone

The journey

My mum is a wedding dress designer, so I didn’t try on any wedding dresses at all – mostly because I always knew she would be designing and creating mine, so there was never really any need to visit a boutique. Looking back, it does feel a bit crazy that I didn’t go to a single appointment to work out which silhouettes or styles I liked or disliked, but the truth is I implicitly trusted my mum to design the right dress for me. Ever since I was a little girl I’d known she would make my dress for my big day, so it was a foregone conclusion the moment I got engaged (in the best way).

The vision

Pretty soon after that ring landed on my left hand, mum and I were discussing what I wanted to wear for the big day. We spent the next few months sharing pictures of gowns we’d spotted on Instagram – some stunning, some more of a joke than anything else. Then one day a random dress came across my feed: a statuesque model in a lace mermaid-style gown with puffed sleeves, and we both agreed it was very me.

My style has always been inspired by a keen interest in vintage fashion. Convinced I should have been born in the Edwardian era – if only for the chance to wear an original gown by Charles Frederick Worth (and a tiara) – I knew I wanted a silhouette drawn from that era, but not a costume. It still needed to be modern and a little bit rock and roll (like me).

So mum got to work with pen and paper, sketching until she’d drawn what would become my gown. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was the one, and so began the task of sourcing fabrics to bring it to life.

Because I wanted a lot of lace – and various types – mum looked to Sophie Hallette, a French house that has been weaving lace since 1887. She chose several designs: some with big blooming roses (a nod to my name), some with delicate spots, plus eyelash lace for the edging. Lining the whole confection was a dauphine silk that barely revealed its hue except in certain lights – a particular request of mine. As a lifelong Barbie girl, I’d always known I’d get married in pink.

The decision

For someone who’d grown up around wedding dresses my whole life, I’d always worried that when the time came I’d have no idea how to approach the design process for myself. In fact, it was a really intuitive experience. Luckily, mum and I have a really open and easy way of communicating, so the process was fairly straightforward and natural – honestly the part of the whole wedding I enjoyed most!

I also didn’t think I’d have that ‘bridal moment’ – the feeling you get when you put on your dress and just know – mostly because I’d been so involved, and it wasn’t like picking something off the rack. But when I put on the finished gown for the first time, with the veil, I was overcome. Every flower, every stitch, every inch of this gown was me, and it was made with divine love by my own flesh and blood. Suffice it to say, I said ‘yes to the dress.’

The style support

Just my mum, really! I don’t think I could have found anything close to fitting the bill on a rail, so it’s pretty lucky that I have such a talented mother who – as cliché as it sounds – made me the dress of my dreams and left me feeling like a real-life princess.

Other than that, I just went with my gut. I’ve never really been one to worry about what other people think of what I’m wearing, so – as bold as it sounds – as long as I was happy, I didn’t really care.

The accessories

Mum always insists that her brides source their undergarments and shoes early in the design process, since heel heights and knickers affect not only the length of the dress but also the way the bride stands. Naturally, this called for a special trip to Selfridges, and it wasn’t long before my magpie eyes spotted a ridiculous pair of disco platforms from Kurt Geiger across the shoe hall. Talk about love at first sight. No part of these shoes screamed bridal, but they did shout fun, and that was enough for me. Plus there was a matching gilded pouch bag, so that was that – decision made.

I was also lucky enough to borrow some very special pieces from my grandmother – a pearl crown she wore on her own big day in 1958, since worn by my cousin and sister, as well as her blue garter (!). As she wasn’t able to join me on the day due to illness, this felt extra meaningful. I kept things fairly light on the jewellery front, but I did have a hell of a veil, also made by my mother. It was crafted from a very faint polka-dot lace, with hand-appliquéd roses and motifs along the edge that sat seamlessly with my dress.

Advice for brides

I realise not everyone has a real-life ‘Elizabeth James’ at home, so not everyone can rustle up their dream dress with their mum. But I would challenge you to get creative in your own way and have fun! So much about weddings seems to have become so serious and stressful – and it’s meant to be a joyous day – so embrace that, and wear something that makes you happy.

Favourite photo of the dress

This one really shows the dress in all its glory – the regal veil, the drama of the puffed sleeves, the slight twist of the skirt and a hint of pink coming through on the underlayer. It captures the workmanship my mother put into every centimetre of this garment, in the setting it was always meant to be seen in…next to my husband!