Bespoke Veils by Anne-Marie Prescott

In this latest in the series of interviews with top notch wedding suppliers, Anne-Marie shares a bit about her business, her bespoke veils, favourite memories, trends and more…

Anne-Marie Prescott is the face and passion behind Bespokeveils.co.uk.

She works from her home studio in East Sussex, designing and creating stunning embroidered veils.

She digitises all of her embroidery designs, so they are exclusive to her and works closely with every bride to make them a veil that suits their style and personality and importantly one that they will be comfortable wearing.

Her existing patterns can be used as a starting point for your ideas and can be adapted, developed and extended to make them personal to you. Alternatively, she can work together with you to create a completely new design, incorporating any ideas that you may have.

She loves to create designs that are meaningful to both partners; ones that include those important little details that can be shown in a visual way, and is often asked to include quotations, words, initials, names and dates and these can be subtly hidden within a design, or placed to make a statement.

Please tell me about your business and style

Working from my home studio in East Sussex, I design and make beautiful bespoke embroidered veils.

My luxury veils are lovingly hand-made from a range of quality tulle and individually embroidered to a brides own personal specification.

I specialise in machine embroidery, creating all of my own designs, so they are all exclusive to me. I work closely with every bride to make a veil that reflects their style and personality.

What is the most important piece of advice you would give a couple?

With so many options available for weddings, I feel that couples can get carried away with wanting everything for their wedding day.

I think it is better to focus on a few things and do them well, rather than trying to incorporate all the latest trends and spread your budget too thinly. It's far better to focus on the personal things you will want you and your guests to remember about your wedding day.

Once you have allocated your budget to these aspects, you can then decide if there is any budget left for the less important, but nice extras.

What are the most popular request and trends for next year?

Brides are wanting to be seen as individual, so I am fortunate that bespoke products are definitely on trend.

My personalised veils are a favourite, as brides are wanting to incorporate their initials, names, dates etc to their day. Long veils continue to be popular as is the request to embroider national flowers and emblems, all credit to Meghan Markle for these.

Do you have a favourite review?

'We worked together to create a design that fit both myself and Ben perfectly.

It included an off-centre monogram, a West Ham flower (Ben's team), a song lyric from when we first met and a little bird- a dedication to our pet canary Clive.

Anne-Marie helped me see how much fun I could have with the veil, and make it completely my own. It definitely got lots of oohs and aahs as I walked down the aisle!'

It was a pleasure to make a veil for Rhianna and lovely to receive a review that reflected on the time we spent creating her design and to receive her acknowledgement of this. I spend a lot of time getting to know my clients so that I can create a veil that will be individual and personal to them.

I like to think that my veils tell a story and that they have elements within them that are meaningful to the bride, groom and their families. It is rewarding to know that a veil is all that a bride wanted and more, giving joy to all on her wedding day.

What do you love about the wedding business?

Weddings are such a joyous and happy event and I see and feel the excitement in every bride that I work with. It makes it all the more special to know that my work will be a part of someones special day and that one of my veils will become a treasured keepsake.

As a designer I work alone, but as a wedding supplier I am part of a big family of suppliers, all of whom get to feel the same sense of love and recognition for the work that they do.

Why are your products different to others on the market?

Adding personal touches to my veils is my USP. My veils really do tell stories and as I create all of my embroidery designs myself, I am able to include lots of meaningful elements.

Flowers, foliage and emblems are popular, as are words and quotations, but I have also added other things such as animals, paw prints, insects and cricket balls to name just a few.

How long does it take to make a veil and what steps are involved?

On average a veil takes 2 - 4 days to make, but more complex designs can take a lot longer.

It is always lovely to be able to meet a bride in person, but as not all of my clients are close enough to be able to do this, I often communicate through photographs, messages and video calls.

Most brides have some idea as to the style of veil that they would like to have and I have lots of embroidery samples for them to look at for inspiration and to help generate ideas.

I begin by sketching, then we work together to produce a final design. Once agreed, I create the embroidery patterns and make some samples which get sent to the bride for her approval and I am happy for her to keep them for her scrapbook.

I like to keep my brides involved, so I send regular updates and photographs whilst I am making their veil.

Brides are welcome to visit me and try their veil on with their dress if they would like to. Once finished, my veils are carefully wrapped in recycled acid free tissue paper and presented in a luxury keepsake box.

What should you consider when choosing a veil?

Brides can spend a lot of time choosing their wedding dress, but do not always give the same amount of thought to their accessories and yet it is the finishing touches that will complete the look.

It is important to take your time when deciding on a veil. Think about your venue, the practicality of space and your planned movements on the day.

Avoid a veil that will overpower you, making sure it is the correct length for you and your dress. Not all tulles are the same, varying in feel, texture and drape and the fibre content will affect the shade of colour too.

If possible, colour match your veil to your dress in either daylight, artificial light, or both, depending on your planned photograph settings.

What is your favourite celebrity wedding and why?

Harry and Meghan's wedding is the immediate one that comes to mind.

I love to see the tradition and formality of a royal wedding, plus all of the outfits that the guests are wearing.

I waited in anticipation to see Meghan in her dress and smiled when I saw the detail on her veil. One of my clients was getting married on the same day, wearing a veil embroidered with my thistle and rose design!

Tell me about favourite wedding traditions that you’ve come across

I love the saying ' something old, something, new, something borrowed, something blue', but for a longtime I did not know that the saying finishes with 'and a sixpence in your shoe'.

The meaning has changed over time, but for me it symbolises a bride moving forward in her life, taking with her the values she has learnt and the love and memories that she treasures.

You can visit the website of Bespoke Veils by Anne-Marie Prescott here. You can call Anne-Marie on 01293 538748, or email her on bespokeveils@outlook.com