Our Embroidery Studio not only adds bespoke embroidery onto new wedding attire, it also restores precious garments that have been passed through the generations, in particular veils.   Many of the veils been worn by grandmothers and great grandmothers, but the delicate fabric often has holes or tears and has lost its colour.  The RSN’s Embroidery Studio cleans and repairs this much loved garment so it is ready to be worn by the family’s next bride-to-be.

One of our clients, Amy Lamond, brought in a much treasured wedding veil which was first worn as a shawl by a friend of Amy’s great-great-grandmother, a ‘Mrs Westbury’, when she was presented to Edward VII (then Prince of Wales) in 1890.  The daughter of Amy’s great-great-grandmother then wore it as a wedding veil later the same year (Mrs Thompstone).   Afterwards, it was loaned to Amy’s great-grandmother Kathleen Amy for her wedding in 1925, then again to her daughters, Judith (1953) and Susan (1960).

The veil was subsequently gifted to Amy’s family by Mrs Westbury’s grandson, and has been worn a further seven times so far, including for Amy’s wedding which took place in September.

Amy Lamond said: “I’ve always known I would wear the veil when I married (it is 100 years older than me!) and deliberately chose a dress that would show it off beautifully. I also displayed the photos of when the veil was worn previously in a timeline at our Wedding Reception, which was a real talking point. It was so special to wear the veil knowing so many women in my family had done so before me, especially as my grandmother Susan is sadly no longer with us.

“The RSN Embroidery Studio did a great job of spot cleaning and refreshing the veil so it looked its best on the day, as it hadn’t been worn since 1993 and had some slight staining. My mother and I had a memorable day bringing it down to the Studio at Hampton Court Palace, a great experience in itself! The advice on how to look after it was very useful – it is now safely stored in a conservation box and I hope it will last another 100 years’.”

If you have a wedding veil that needs restoring, please contact our Studio for a quote.  Our embroiderers also create new commissions, including initials embroidered onto a wedding dress, hand embellished with crystals, personalised cufflinks and bespoke ring cushions.

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