Dressing for your wedding day is the ultimate celebration of self, and the Harris Reed Bridal offering has really grown from this desire for self-expression. The ethos of the Harris Reed brand is to put the wearer and their own uniqueness at the centre of all design, and for this reason the designs will always develop as our relationship with you does, but there are some key silhouettes that have become signature bridal pieces for us, and the next stage is to work with you on what makes it uniquely yours.
The process of creating a bridal look begins with an initial consultation based on your vision. Very often people are drawn to one of our specific silhouettes and find this the easiest starting point, but if you are looking for a design completely from scratch, we are always happy to work this way too.
We will book in an initial consultation either in person at our London atelier, or virtually, to discover more about you and your vision. Here we will ask questions about your personal style, about the day itself and what is important to you, and allow you to ask questions too, making sure you feel totally safe and confident in your choices. If you see us in person, it is at this stage that we will take measurements, and if we are speaking virtually, it is always useful to have these taken by a tailor in advance.
From this point we will come back to you with sketches and fabric choices. Once these are signed off we can progress to the toile stage, where we create your look in a calico fabric. The toile fitting is your chance to try a ‘test’ version of your look, meaning we can tweak the fit and make alterations at this stage, as well as re confirm all of the design details. After this toile fitting all details are resolved and we will progress to making the piece in final fabrics, meaning the next fitting is where you finally get to see your bridal look in all its finery!
This final fitting is where we make any small little changes to fit, and hem the dress to be the right length, so it is very important you bring your wedding shoes for this so we can make sure everything is perfect. Usually these changes are so minor that there is no need for additional fittings after this, we make the tweaks and your look will be wedding ready within a matter of days.
Our bespoke services take a minimum of three months from initial consultation to final fitting, but we recommend you getting in touch with any enquiries well ahead of your big day, as the atelier does get booked up quickly, and we don’t want you to feel rushed in any way during the process. We will take a small deposit to secure your one-to-one bridal consultation with us.
After this consultation we will work on sketches to present to you, and once these are selected with preferred fabrics in mind we can give you a realistic costing for your look. Please be aware that all costings are calculated based on your fabric choices as well as atelier time, so if you do change your mind on fabrics during the process we will try and facilitate this where possible and always flag any cost implications this may have.
Once your designs are signed off you will be invoiced for 50% of the total estimated cost, so that we can book out the atelier time and purchase your chosen fabrics. The final 50% payment will be invoiced after your final fitting and on delivery of the finished look.
This is a truly personal service and from your first consultation we begin a relationship with you, which should make you feel confident throughout the journey. The Harris Reed team will feel like an extended part of your bridal party and we want to make sure that you voice any doubts or concerns about your look as we go along, we are always happy to receive feedback.
The toile fitting is a really key moment for this, so make sure to let us know how you are feeling and we will always give you honest and informed advice. The toile fitting is a great time to take lots of photos (we can do this for you!) or bring a trusted friend, as this is the last moment to make any big changes. From our experience it is also the most exciting stage as you really start to be able to envisage yourself in the look!
If your first consultation is in person it is a great opportunity for us to take your measurements whilst you are with us. Taking measurements ourselves is always preferred as we can be confident that they are accurate. We can take your measurements over your clothes but it is ideal to remove any bulky items to do this. Everyone has different levels of confidence in this environment and we always try to be mindful of this, but if you have any specific requirements pertaining to modesty please do flag to us in advance so we can do everything in our power to make you feel comfortable.
All of our pieces are entirely custom made so the measurements we take from you are very specific. If your consultations are virtual we will request that you see a tailor to take full measurements and supply them with a comprehensive measurement chart in advance.
We are well aware that some brides change size in the run up to the wedding, whether planned or not, and the toile and final fitting stages are moments when we can make adjustments for this.
It is possible to do most of the process virtually, as long as you can find a trusted tailor to take measurements, make notes, and FaceTime us from fittings, although we will need to build a little more time into the making schedule to allow for shipping of fabric samples and toiles back and forth. The toile fitting and final fitting are both very important and our preference would always be to do both of these in person, however, if you work with a trusted tailor or seamstress it is possible to do the whole process virtually.
Of course, when you first make contact please make sure you are totally open about what you feel comfortable with and we will design around these requirements. Please also flag your comfort levels about fittings and who can be in the room. Please bear in mind that a lot of our pieces are corseted so it will usually be necessary for one of the team to help you dress.
Of course! Everyone likes to feel supported by a trusted friend throughout the process and we completely appreciate that. We would recommend one additional friend is usually enough and the atelier is not a large space so for comfort’s sake we prefer to limit numbers. We also understand that this is a special moment so please get in contact if you have a requirement for more guests at one of the fittings. It is always useful to bring a friend who will be helping you dress on the big day as then we can show them the correct dressing/ corseting method, but if they are not available please do not worry, we can also make a video tutorial for them.
Our ‘brides’ are of all genders, and we are very proud to work on something completely bespoke for your wedding, in whatever form your love takes!
Harris Reed designs are utterly unapologetic, created to take up space, make noise, and empower the wearer to feel like their most authentic self. Each look is hand crafted in our London atelier, made-to-measure for our clients.
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