Tell us all about you!
Lizzie Malcolm is a wedding dress designer, and owner of Elizabeth Malcolm a bridal boutique which has recently, due to expansion, moved locations to the gorgeous Derbyshire Dales market town of Wirksworth.
We have an extensive collection of bridal gowns for you to try on and play with. From the slim fitting bias cut or the fully corseted big skirted gowns, all designed by Lizzie and created in her studio by her talented team, using the finest fabrics and traditional and contemporary couture techniques.
If you fall in love with one of our beautiful designs, but feel that it needs a little tweak for it to be absolutely perfect for you, a sleeve perhaps or some hand beaded embellishments, we will happily make those adjustments for you and maybe even suggest some of our own.
Or you have the opportunity to work with Elizabeth and design something completely unique and bespoke. Elizabeth will listen to your ideas, looking through her amazing range of beautiful fabrics and laces and will sketch out her ideas for you until we find the perfect one.
“My main life love is designing beautiful wedding dresses. I love the whole process of designing the most important dress of a girl’s life. From the first appointment, where she will come in and try some different styles on to finding the perfect dress and going through all the toile appointments, until her dream dress is complete. This is really one of the best jobs in the world.”
How did you first get your business started?
To say that owning my own bridal boutique was always the goal would be an understatement. As a child I was given second hand wedding dresses to play with and twirl in and thus began my love for bridalwear. I was always a creative child, preferring drawing and painting to any academic subject.
A surprise gift one birthday of a sewing machine, and a costume module in my Theatre Studies A-level, had me well away sewing bits and pieces. Creating my own clothes came soon after. Dresses, skirts, the odd cape….
The next step was a degree in Fashion Studies. I focused on bridalwear throughout my studies, and for my final collection I created a 1930s inspired bridalwear collection. I then went on to complete over two years of work experience at various bridal shops and manufacturers, one being given an exciting opportunity in London at Phillipa Lepley, the UK’s leading couture bridalwear designer.
Elizabeth Malcolm started in 2014 at the Derwent Street boutique and as of March this year has moved to the brand new location in Wirksworth. This is an exciting new space for us where we can hold appointments and, at the same premise’s, create our beautiful gowns. It is not only bigger and we have space for more gowns but our opening hours are longer and we can now hold evening appointments.
I am passionate about creating a beautiful, relaxed space where every bride that comes to see us feels comfortable to try on as many dresses as they like and not to feel embarrassed to come up with their own creative ideas. We take one to one appointments, close our doors and produce the ideal environment for the bride to choose her perfect dress.
What makes your business different?
A Bride can really have whatever she wants. If there are too many crystals then we can take them off, if she prefers a lower neck line, then we can drop it to the perfect length. Our aim is to create the absolute perfect dress for every bride. Because of this no two dresses are ever the same, even if she falls for a sample and doesn’t want to alter anything about it, the dress will still be made for her, in her measurements and small changes to her pattern will be made to ensure that it fits and suits her boby shape perfectly.
My understanding of how important cut and structure are to a gown are the aspects that set me apart from other dressmakers. I understand how to bone a garment to create a gorgeous silhouette, and also paying attention to the detail is the key. This is what turns a gown from “that’s nice” to “wow that’s stunning.” No stone will be left unturned, so my brides will not only have something unique and individual, but having an Elizabeth Malcolm gown, crafted especially for them will be one of the most memorable and enjoyable experiences of their wedding.
What do you love most about weddings?
Its such a wonderfully special thing to get married. To stand up in front of your family and friends and make those vows to one another. To celebrate the love you have for another person. So I feel very honored every time a bride picks me to make their wedding dress. It is such an important piece of clothing, not like picking up a pair of black socks and thinking “Oh they will do.” A Bride will remember what she wore on her wedding day for the rest of her life, which does add a tiny bit of pressure, but the end result is always worth it!
Any tips for brides looking into your type of service?
Find out how long it will take first and how many appointments you will need to have. Measures, toile (practice) fittings and actual fittings do take up a bit of time, but it is all part of the fun and uniqueness of having a gown created for you!
Always come knicker prepared! It is really important to wear the correct type of underwear to your 1st appointments and to your fittings so that you can see what the dress will look like over the top. If you need to wear a bra with the dress then it is essential that you have that for your fitting too as the dress will be fitted around it. The colour of your underwear is also very important as you should try to get as close to your own skin colour as possible. Being able to see your knickers through your dress is never the look we want!
Anything else you’d like the world to know?
We pride ourselves on providing our brides and their families with the best service, spoiling our girls is what we love to do, and having been a finalist every year in the Wedding Industry Awards for Best Designer since we opened in 2014. It’s easy to see why our Brides love us so much, with all our reviews being 5*.
If you would like to come and experience some of the Elizabeth Malcolm magic then book an appointment by ringing 01629 259173 or send us an email with your preferred appointment date and time to lizzie@elizabethmalcolm.co.uk
We look forward to meeting you!
Lizzie Malcolm
Contact: Lizzie
Email: lizzie@elizabethmalcolm.co.uk
Web: http://www.elizabethmalcolm.co.uk/
Tel: 01629 259173
Facebook: Click here
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Hi, We're Ben and Hannah and together we run the Osmaston Park Wedding Show.