Rachel Lamb Design

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Rachel Lamb Design

Award winning bridal designer & wedding dressmaker for brides and mothers of bride. Bespoke service

Bespoke wedding dresses designed and made exclusively for you, or choose from my gorgeous made to measure bridal designs

24/01/2025

Availability update for 2025: If you’re considering commissioning a bespoke wedding dress or outfit from me, this is to let you know I now have availability for weddings or celebrations with dates from September 2025 onward only.

The past few years I have been only marginally less busy during autumn-winter compared to traditional spring-summer dates, so if you have an autumn-winter date and are thinking of enquiring, please don’t delay. The best way to reach me is by email (there’s a link in my bio) or you can DM me on here. 🙏🏻☺️.

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17/01/2025

Hi 👋🏻 Happy January, I hope you’re doing well.

When I post, I often put an image up with ‘more to come’ and then don’t follow that up with more images when I actually get them 🤦🏼‍♀️😶‍🌫️

So here are a couple more images of bride Imogen looking wonderful at her wedding last summer.

If you’re considering having your wedding dress designed & made for you, I have posted more about the actual process of making this dress on my blog. The link is in my bio above and includes some images from the fittings too.

Imogen’s off the shoulder wedding dress was made in silk organza which gives a light see through gauzy look and feel. It’s one of my favourite fabrics to use because apart from looking amazing it’s also very stable and holds its shape (unlike chiffon which although beautiful, drapes instead).

Imogen’s wedding images were taken by photographer

04/01/2025

Happy New Year!

Thanks to all my brides and mothers of the bride/groom for your support this past year and going forward into the next. I’m looking forward to creating more bespoke outfits and wedding dresses in 2025.

I have limited availability for 2025 now, and am looking to take bookings for weddings or events with dates from September onward and into 2026.

All for now and all the best for a peaceful and prosperous start to the year. 🥂

24/12/2024

A very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 🎄🎉🥰

Thank you to everyone who has booked with me this year and next. I look forward to working with you all. And big thanks and congratulations to all my brides who were married or partnered this year!

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23/11/2024

Beautiful image of bride Tori & husband Josh at their September wedding this year.

Tori kept the design simple for her bespoke wedding dress, which was created using a heavy silk crepe with a delicate lace on the sleeves and bodice. We added a simple silk chiffon shawl to complete the look.

Congratulations to you both! 🥂

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26/10/2024

There’s a lot of interest now, and rightly so, about up-cycling or repurposing wedding dresses. This is something I have often done over the years and am getting more requests for recently. Right from when I started my business over 20 years ago I have often created dresses for brides from a fabric or a dress that already existed in some other form initially. I remember one of the first wedding dresses I made for a friend in the late 90s used the fabric from her soon to be mother-in-law’s wedding dress.

Incorporating a piece (or all) of something meaningful into your dress or outfit can make it even more special. I’m so pleased that this is becoming more popular now. As I type I am about to start work on a dress that incorporates some pieces of vintage table cloths, and this spring I made a summer dress for a client using her wedding dress fabric from the ‘90s. I’ll put that one in a separate post soon.

But this post is from a wedding that took place in the summer of 2020, right when micro weddings with a few guests were able to go ahead. I remember bride Anna and her mum (for whom I also made an up-cycled dress) being determined to go ahead! They were one of only 3 weddings I did in 2020. Fittings took place with the studio door wide open and Anna’s mum hovering outside in all weathers!

Anna came to me with her mum’s wedding dress from the 80s, and we turned it into a completely new design mainly using the fabric from the original dress skirt. We added a small amount of new lace for the bodice and a zip, but that was all. Everything else came from the original dress.

If you’d like to repurpose some fabric or a garment in your bespoke wedding dress, do get in touch to chat through ideas. Email is best to contact me and can be found in my link in the bio above, or you can DM me on Instagram if you prefer. I always love to hear from you 😊.

24/10/2024

Throwback to bride Amy’s bespoke wedding dress. Classic, full skirted organza with lace bodice and sleeves. Made to measure for a perfect fit.

06/10/2024

Hello! 👋🏻 Reintroducing myself. I’m Rachel, I design and create bespoke wedding dresses and outfits for my clients.

I established my business in 2000, but had made several wedding dresses for friends and family prior to this. So I’ve been doing this now for over 24 years at various locations in Cambridgeshire.

I’m trained in fashion and textiles and always knew I wanted my own business and to follow my own creative path. My mum taught me to sew from a very young age and it stayed with me as something I could develop into a career.

My favourite part of my work is working with, and creating something for my brides that really works for them, and the relationship that we build while we’re working together - it really is a creative collaboration. I love that my clients can go away feeling that they’ve had some input into what they’re wearing and I enjoy the challenge of working with all sorts of different people and their unique shapes.

From the feedback I get, I would say that the thing my clients appreciate about me is that I’m a good listener and really try to understand what it is they want or might like. Sometimes people come to me with hang ups about themselves and although I can’t change those, I try to give them something that fits well, that they can feel comfortable and stylish wearing and that hopefully gives them confidence and helps them feel great!

Whatever your style, if you’re interested in finding out more about my services, please do get in touch. Email (link in my bio 👆) or DM me on here. 2025 is booking up nicely so don’t delay if this sounds like your kind of thing ☺️.

28/09/2024

Mothers of the Bride and Groom 👋🏻

As well as bespoke bridal wear, I create bespoke outfits for mothers of the bride and groom too.

Here are two mums from separate weddings. Claire - Mother of the Bride, and Wendy - Mother of the Groom, both wearing their bespoke wedding outfits.

Wendy wore a dusky pink silk satin dress under her silk coat, both the dress and coat had tiny hand beaded accents. And Claire wore a simple silver grey custom made silk dress which worked really well for her.

I approach my MoBs & MoGs in exactly the same way as I do my bespoke bridal wear. Designs are sketched, then pattern making, followed by toile fittings before cutting the real thing which is also fitted. It’s a process.

If you’re interested in finding out more, please contact me using the Link in Bio 👆 or DM me on here. I still have some availability for 2025 and look forward to hearing from you.

06/09/2024

Sneak peek of beautiful bride Imogen in her bespoke silk organza wedding dress, worn for her summer wedding this year.

More images to follow soon, but just this one for now 🤩.

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17/08/2024

Congratulations to Dee and Martin! 🥂💗

I used a blended combination of two floral and leafy laces for Dee’s bespoke pale pink silk based wedding dress, and a lot of appliqué hand sewing!

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05/08/2024

Happy 1st wedding anniversary to Kate and Alex! 🥂

Kate chose a soft pink-latte colour georgette for her bespoke wedding dress base and we overlaid this with a simple 3D lace design.

The overall effect was relaxed, pretty and summery.

26/07/2024

When your bride is a dancer! 🤩

Anna came to me specifically asking for a dress she can dance in at her wedding with husband Nicolas, which took place in France at the beginning of the month.

I could see from Anna’s high kick experiments during her fittings that this was serious business and didn’t mean a gentle shuffle around the dance floor!

I have lots of studio images of this dress to show you, there’s a lot of detail in it that you can’t see in this image. But for now here’s this shot kindly sent to me by Anna and taken by photographer

Have a good weekend all ☀️

17/07/2024

Thanks for the mention Terence Joseph Photography 👍🏻

14/05/2024

Hello everyone! I hope you’re all well?

I’m just coming on after months of (productive) silence to say hi 👋🏻 and I’m still here, busy working on my summer weddings.

I had some pics taken by the lovely back in January & this is one of them! 😃 So this is me - hello!

I have never been a prolific poster of stuff on here but I will be back when I can with some weddings to show when the time allows.

In the meantime, I’m now taking bookings for 2025 & beyond, so if you’re looking for a bespoke wedding dress, feel free to get in touch either by DM on here or by email (link in bio above).

Take care and enjoy the springtime 🌷💚

09/04/2024

Better late than never! Here’s a colourful wedding dress I made for bride Emma for her wedding to David in 2022! 😳

Emma’s bespoke wedding dress was a pale green silk Dupion with a 3D floral lace overlay. I really enjoyed creating this dress for Emma, it reminds me a lot of all the springtime blossom around at the moment.

I am in the middle of my busiest time of year at the moment, preparing for summer weddings, so much so, that I’ve taken on someone to help me with some of the sewing, which is good news.😅

Just to let you know as before, I only have availability for December ‘24 onwards into 2025 & beyond now. So if you’re thinking of travelling along the bespoke route for your wedding dress or outfit, don’t delay with getting in touch.

Anyway, as Emma & David head towards their 2nd wedding anniversary, I wish them lots of luck & best wishes for the future!

There is more of this dress during fittings on my blog. See the link in my bio above☝🏻

All 📷 except the one with are by . Emma’s flowers are by & her makeup was by

22/03/2024

A snippet of the kind words from bride Beth, who married in the spring of 2022.It always means so much to receive good feedback after the event. It's quite an intense process working with someone on their bespoke wedding dress or celebration outfit, and words like this make my heart swell.

Address

1 Silver Street, Witcham
Ely
CB62LF

Website

https://www.rachellambdesign.co.uk/

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Colourful wedding dresses to brighten up what’s proving to be a dull weekend weather wise here. As a child I remember often being asked “What’s your favourite colour?” I always found that a very difficult question and still do! I love all colours. Almost every year I create a colourful wedding dress for a bride to be. I love the variety this brings to my work and I’d love to create one for you! I can incorporate your own fabric into your dress or a remnant on something special as well as sourcing fabric for you. What’s your favourite colour? 🥰 📷 image 4 @damien_vickers_photography 📷 image 8 @gomez.photos 📷 image 10 @andyandszerdi #bespokeweddingdress #handmadeweddingdress #weddingdressmaker #weddingdressdesigner #customweddingdress #rachellambdesign #madeincambridgeshire #madetoorderclothing #slowbridal

Here’s a little video about my bespoke wedding dress design service. In appointments I always start by sketching ideas and looking at suitable fabrics. Then once the design is confirmed I take measurements and start to cut patterns and toiles ready for fittings. Toiles are a prototype mock-up of the outfit made in fabric like calico or something equally suitable and cheap. This helps me get the design and fit right and is for you to see how the design will be before we get to the real thing. After the toile stage, we move onto fittings in the real fabric until the wedding dress or outfit is complete. It’s an organic process where you are involved in the design throughout. I am a micro business- it’s just me most of the time but I have help sewing during busy times from a long term temporary/part time assistant 🥰. For this reason, I am really careful about timetabling and scheduling workload and fittings and only take on what I can effectively manage. I often, reluctantly and sadly, turn away enquiries because there’s not enough space left with the available lead time. 2025 is booking up in quite a traditional way for me at the moment. Spring and summer is filling up but I have a space for early spring next year if you’re quick and also spaces at the end of the year too. So if you’re interested in finding out more do get in touch sooner rather than later if you can. Email (link in bio above) or DM on Instagram is best to reach me and I look forward to hearing from you. 😊 #bespokeweddingdress #weddingdressmaker #rachellambdesign #rachellambbridaldesign #customweddingdress #handmadeweddingdress #weddingdressdesigner #madeincambridgeshire

I got sent this lovely clip from @terencejosephphotography the other day. Captions struggled so I removed them, but this is the important bit: “Oh my goodness me Dee, that’s one of the most beautiful dresses I’ve ever seen. You look absolutely beautiful, you look radiant…” Congratulations Dee & Martin 🥂🤩 . . . #bespokeweddingdress #bespokebridaldesigner #weddingdressmaker #custombridalgown #customweddingdress #pinkfloralweddingdress #pinkweddingdress #maturebride #laceappliqueweddingdress #handmadeweddingdress #oneoffweddingdress #madeincambridgeshire #rachellambdesign #rachellambbridaldesign

I’m delighted to share this lovely 2023 bride’s June wedding dress with you. A slightly overdue Happy 1st wedding anniversary to Giorgia and Simon! 🥂. Giorgia won’t mind me saying that she approached me with a bespoke enquiry because she felt she would need a dress to accommodate her curvy figure, mainly her generous bust. I’m so glad she did! It was a joy working with her and fun creating her wedding dress together. Giorgia’s dress was made from satin with silk organza overlays and hand appliquéd lace. If you are interested in exploring having a bespoke dress created, for whatever reason, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Very few of us are ‘standard’ sizes (whatever that is) & I enjoy the challenge of working out how to make a design fit and work well for each client. I am now taking bookings for 2025 and beyond. Images: @jamesdavidsonphoto . . . #bespokeweddingdress #customweddingdress #bespokebridalwear #bespokebridalgown #madetomeasureweddingdress #weddingdressdesigner #weddingdressmaker #madeincambridgeshire #handmadeweddingdress #madetoorderweddingdress #realbride #realwedding #curvybride #petitebride #slowbridal #shoplocal

Bespoke, custom made, slow bridal, wedding dresses, dressmaking, bridal design, call it what you will and it’s all of those things. I have always made my wedding or occasion dresses to order and they have always been ‘slow’ as in slow-fashion, not mass produced and in most cases one offs. My dresses incorporate lots of hand sewing and finishing and each piece is cut and made for each client individually with patience and attention to detail, using many techniques used in couture. Bespoke can be as simple or as complex as you like, and it should be exactly what you want in terms of design and perfect fit. You can contact me about my services by clicking on the link in my bio above. 👆 I’m looking forward to hearing from you and discussing your ideas. 😊 1st 📷 @andyandszerdi 3rd 📷 @gomez.photographer 4th 📷 @damien_vickers_photography . . . . . #bespokebridalwear #bespokeweddingdresses #bridalcouture #handmadeweddingdresses #weddingdressmaker #weddingdressdesigner #madetomeasure #madetoorder #custombridalgown #custommadeweddingdress #uniquebride #weddingfashion #yourdressyourway #realwedding #realbride #slowbridal #madeincambridgeshire #handmadeincambridgeshire #rachellambdesign #rachellambbridaldesign #dressmaker

I also make dresses for Mothers of the Bride & Groom. For years I shied away from creating dresses for MoBs & MoGs as I found the potential fabric sourcing overwhelming, but then I had a change of heart, and these days if I don’t have what’s wanted fabric wise I send my Mums on fabric shopping trips to London or elsewhere. Often people also come along with some fabric they have had for years & want something special made with it and weddings can be the ideal opportunity. Blues and greens seem to be very popular colours with my Mums! However this year I have some nice dusky pinks coming along too. I create dresses for Mothers of the Bride & Groom in the same way I create bridal gowns. So prototype toiles first to get the fit and design right, followed by several fittings in the chosen fabric. My availability is also the same as for brides. So I’m taking bookings for 2025 now and for this year I only have a few spaces left for winter 2024, whether that’s for wedding dresses or Mothers of the Bride or Groom. If you’re interested in this service please do get in touch. Email is always the best way to reach me and you’ll find my contact details by clicking the link in my bio above.👆 . . . . . #motherofthebride #motherofthegroom #bespokemotherofthebride #bespokemotherofthegroom #custommotherofthebride #custommotherofthegroomdress #madetomeasure #madetoorder #weddingdressmaker #bridaldesigner #dressmaker #realweddings #realmotherofthebride #realmotherofthegroom #madeincambridgeshire #handmadeweddingdress #slowbridal #artizandressmaker #rachellambdesign #rachellambbridaldesign

Hello 👋🏻. It’s been a week with lots of new wedding dress work starting so I thought I’d talk a bit about pattern-cutting as it’s what happens before dress fittings begin. Something I’m often asked is if I use commercial patterns? The answer is no - I cut all my own patterns and always have done. Even if someone has found a pattern, I will always make my own using their measurements - I prefer working this way, it’s what I trained to do, is much quicker & the fit will be far more precise. Making patterns is the bit often forgotten in the process of making any clothes, and creating wedding dresses/clothes from scratch is more than sewing alone. I’m quite an old school pattern cutter by today’s standards I think, definitely by modern industry standards anyway. I do all of it using detailed measurements of my client, paper & pencil, a calculator & lots of talking to myself! My go-to reference if I ever get stuck for a formula is Metric Pattern Cutting by Winifred Aldrich which was first published in 1976 by Mills & Boon Ltd! 💝 I have the 1987 version bought back when I was a teenager thinking about how to create a career that wasn’t what my girl’s school thought appropriate or was interested in. One of the things my clients say is that they love that their dress/outfit actually fits them. 😊 So having something created for your specific measurements is great if you don’t feel like you fit a standard shape, & few of us do. I appreciate it is a luxury having something made to fit, which is why I tend to work mainly with brides & for weddings & celebrations. I’m now fully booked for weddings & events with dates up to November 2024. So do enquire if your date is from November onwards, I’d love to hear from you. Have a good weekend! . . . . . #bespokedressmaker #bespokedressmaking #madetomeasure #madetoorder #bespokeweddi gdress #customweddingdress #bespokebridaldesign #weddingdressmaker #weddingdressdesigner #bridalweardesigner

Happy Christmas & seasons greetings everyone! And special greetings to my past, present & future brides & mums - thank you for all your patience with me this year. 🥰🎄 After a rocky start to 2023 with the loss of my mum, it feels like I’ve been on catch up for most of the year. I’m now looking forward 2024 & getting to know my new brides & mothers of the bride/grooms. I’m also excited to introduce some new ideas that were originally planned for a year ago but were put on hold, so bear with me on that one. I have a few spaces left for bespoke wedding dresses or outfits in the later part of 2024 -autumn/winter dates and beyond - so if you’re considering going the bespoke route for your wedding dress or celebration outfit, please do get in touch, I’d love to hear from you. (You can message me on here or email me - link in bio). In the meantime here are a small selection of wintery weddings old & new & best wishes for a Happy Christmas & a peaceful New Year to everyone, everywhere. I look forward to catching up with you again in the New Year. Xx 🎄❄️⛄️🍷 . . . #seasonsgreetings #weddingdressmaker #weddingdressdesigner #bespokeweddingdresses #bespokemotherofthebride #motherofthegroom #handmadeincambridgeshire #bridalweardesigner #realweddings #shoplocal #customweddingdress #custombridaldesign #bridaldesignerelycambs #bridaldesignercambridgeshire #madetomeasureweddingdresses #rachellambbridaldesign #rachellambdesign

It was such a pleasure to create this bespoke wedding dress for bride Jess for her wedding with husband Jonathon this time last year. Jessica’s wedding dress was made from ivory duchesse satin with just a tiny hint of a silver lace trim at the neckline. It fitted like a glove and she looked amazing in it! 😍 Congratulations to you both on your 1 year & 3 days wedding anniversary! 2024 is booking up nicely so if you’re considering a bespoke wedding dress or outfit for next year, please feel free to message me for availability. I’m looking forward to hearing from you. 😊 📷 @rebeccaparsonsphotography . . . #bespokeweddingdress #bespokebridalgown #madetomeasure #madetoorder #shoplocal #indiebridal #weddingdressmaker #weddingdressdesigner #madetomeasure #madetoorder #customweddingdresses #slowbridal #slowwedding #satinweddingdress #ivorysatinweddingdress #simpleweddingdress #realbride #realwedding #madeincambridgeshire #weddingdressesely #weddingdressescambridge #rachellambbridaldesign #rachellambdesign #handmadeweddingdress

Here’s a little preview I made for bride Claire who featured in my last post. I made this to show her her wedding dress just before her final fitting. It’s often fun to send a little film or some images just before the end of the process. Especially when, like Claire’s dress, it evolved significantly after each fitting and with each new lace appliqué. (Forgive the flickering light, I have light panels which don’t translate well on my phone.) Claire‘s wedding dress was made with multiple layers of champagne/latte toned tulle. I forget the amount of layers - around 20 maybe 🤔, with an organza & tulle bodice & puffed sleeves on which 3 or 4 different ivory laces were combined & appliquéd. I’m now taking bookings for weddings in the autumn/winter of 2023 and beyond, so if you’re curious about my bespoke service & would like to explore the possibilities of a bespoke wedding dress, please do get in touch - I’d love to hear from you. 💕 You can DM on here, or see my link in bio for email. . . . #bespokeweddingdress #bespokebridaldesigner #customweddingdress #weddingdressmaker #bridalseamstress #handmadeweddingdress #madetomeasure #madetoorder #slowbridal #winterwedding #winterweddingdress #weddingdressinspiration #weddingdresswithsleeves #weddingdresswithpuffsleeves #puffysleeves #madeincambridgeshire #lovelace #rachellambdesign #rachellambbridaldesign

This post has been a long time coming & I’m so excited to show you this gorgeous pair - Claire & Joe, who married just after Christmas 2021. I have lots to show for this wedding so this won’t be my only post this week! Perhaps it’s a Christmas miracle! 😅 On that note, apologies for lack of posts. I have been MIA these past weeks because my old mum has been very poorly. She’s still with us thankfully, but some things have to give at times like these & social media is one of those. ❤️ I’ve still been beavering away finishing this year’s weddings though and am going to have a few weeks off now before the New Year weddings start - apart from these posts of course! Happy almost 1st wedding anniversary Claire & Joe! ### 🥰🥂 All 📷 @jennyappletonphotoandfilm #christmaswedding #bespokeweddingdress #weddingdressdesigner #weddingdressmaker #madetomeasure #madetoorder #weddingdresswithpuffsleeves #laceapplique #laceweddingdress #weddingdresswithtulleskirt #winterwedding #lovelace #rachellambdesign #rachellambbridaldesign #madeincambridgeshire #handmadeweddingdress

I hope you’re all well? Myself & family have all had covid this half term week so it’s not been the best time. We’re all feeling much better now though, thank goodness. Here’s a little film of bride Laura’s appliqué lace wedding dress from last year (& my last post). I filmed this for Laura to see before her final fitting. Laura also asked me to make her a bright blue underskirt to wear under her dress for her something blue! I still have spaces available for weddings next year, so do get in touch if you’d like to find out more. . . . #laceweddingdress #laceappliqué #weddingdresswithsleeves #laceandorganzaweddingdress #weddingdressmaker #bespokeweddingdress #bespokeweddingdressmaker #weddingdressdesigner #madetomeasure #madetoorder #ivorylacebridal #madeincambridgeshire #shoplocal #indiebusiness #indiebridal #realbride #realwedding #rachellambdesign #rachellambbridaldesign

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Wedding Dresses

Award winning bridal designer and wedding dressmaker, specialising in bespoke bridal gowns and made to measure outfits for both the bride and mother of the bride & groom.