Merry Christmas!

Well as another year draws to a close I would just like to shout out a huge Thank You to everyone who has supported Lizzie Jayne this year. It has been an absolute whirlwind from photo shoots to wedding fairs with lots of fabulous and very beautiful brides in between. Thank you to everyone who has supported Lizzie Jayne up to this point.

Earlier this year my dreams started to become a reality and I finally started working on Lizzie Jayne on a part time basis rather than squeezing it into my holidays, weekends and evenings. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity as it gives me time to get creative and take on more bridal orders. My Mum also came on board with her button bouquets, which have been a hit. Many of next years dresses have been ordered with button bouquets to match.

Later in the year I had the most exciting personal news - I'm having a baby! Come March i'll be a a working mother of one and taking on a whole new challenge. I've found all of my 2012 brides so supportive and I'm so excited about all of their weddings. The first couple of months next year (which are usually my quiet months) are going to be full of Spring and early Summer brides, I can't wait to see you all in your beautiful dresses!

So, here's a quick recap of some of 2011's highlights, may next years collage be twice as long and full of even more beautiful smiling faces! Happy Christmas!

Holly with Aubergine Sash

I have quite a few dresses that i'm working on at the moment, and half of them are the Holly design. So if you love the classic Audrey Hepburn silhouette then you're in for a treat over the next few months. So to start you off, here's the beautiful Holly design with a 3 layer ivory ribbon trimmed petticoat and a very deep Aubergine sash. Lovely combination.

I particularly love ribbon trimmed petticoat with the Holly style as it compliments the smooth neckline and silk satin perfectly. Ribbon trim can be added to any petticoat in pretty much any colour, just make sure you ask for this to be added when you order.

I can't wait to see this dress on the gorgeous bride when she comes for her fitting in February. We met at the Alternative Wedding Fair and the style is just perfect for her.

Burgundy and Black Maternity Dress

This dress has been a long time in the making and the result was absolutely worth the wait! As soon as this blooming bride has sent me the photos I'll fill you in on the full story, but for now let's have a peek at some gorgeousness!

I've never made a maternity dress before, so when the bride informed me that she would be almost 6 months pregnant on the big day I jumped at the chance of a challenge. Being pregnant myself made me feel even more confident that I could make this work.

The main difference in the dress is that the skirt is cut from the underbust with a very narrow 'waist band' rather than being cut from the waist. The front is slightly longer than the back (which is why I haven't finished the hem in these photos, a bump fitting was essential to get this right) and the petticoat sits at the underbust instead of the waist. We've also fitted the dress just a couple of weeks before the wedding to ensure it's perfect on the big day. Other than that, the dress is identical to the original design. Except the colour... did I forget to mention the colour?

When the bride said 'Burgundy' I became so excited. This fabric is simply gorgeous. It is a red shot with black and the texture is just incredible. It's been all about the shot silks this week with the cornflower sash, and now this beautiful burgundy. The black sash and ribbon trimmed petticoat work so perfectly with it and when the bride came to pick up the dress today it was just absolutely perfect for her. Maternity fishnets were mentioned, and wait till you see the head dress that she's had made with some of the left over fabric.

I almost can't wait for Christmas to be over just so I can see some photos of this beautiful blooming bride, she really is going to be the show stopper on the big day.

Apologies for the unfinished hem in these photos.

Grace with Cornflower Sash

I've been eyeing up the Cornflower silk dupion for a while, hoping for an opportunity to work with it. I was right to be excited, it is a truly beautiful colour. The bride who ordered this dress chose the pale ivory silk satin. It is just off white, with a very very slight ivory tone to it, I always think it looks like snow. It's the perfect colour if you want to wear white, as pure white tends to wash out skin tone.

The cornflower blue works so well with the pale ivory satin. It's been a while since I made Grace without a halterneck, so it was lovely to work with this design again. This lucky dress is jetting off toVegas straight after Christmas. Do you think I could squeeze into the suitcase?