From the moment I met Emma, I knew this was never going to be an ordinary wedding dress. She’s vibrant, funny, and full of spark – and she wanted her gown to reflect that. The one non-negotiable? It had to be ABW … Anything But White. Music to my ears as a designer, because a bride with a bold vision always gets my creativity fizzing.

We explored coloured fabrics together, swooning over every possibility, until I brought in a sample of sequinned fabric unlike anything else. Gold fireworks bursting across a soft white ground – dramatic, dazzling, but with a lightness too. At first Emma wasn’t sure. White? That had been firmly off her list. But the second we laid it out, she saw what I had seen: the white wasn’t the dress, it was the stage. The golden fireworks came alive only because of it.

The gown we created together had an elegant, flattering silhouette that let the fabric sing. Every sequin dancing. I gave her dramatic bishop sleeves to bring movement and balance, finishing them with crystal buttons that sparkled like miniature fireworks. It was a joy to watch the whole look come together – a gown that was glamorous, a little rebellious, and absolutely her.

I’ll never forget Emma trying it on for the first time, seeing herself in the mirror and laughing in that surprised, delighted way brides do when the dress isn’t just a dress anymore – it’s them. And on her wedding day at The Barn at Banchory, she walked down the aisle shimmering, radiant, and yes, very much a firework.

For me, that’s what bespoke is all about. It’s not just the fabric or the stitching, it’s creating something that tells a story – her story. Baby You’re A Firework will always remind me of Emma’s fearless spirit and the sheer joy of making something that breaks the rules in all the right ways. Photos are courtesy of Jamie Emerson Photography.