Some wedding dresses begin with a sketch, a fabric swatch or a picture saved months before the proposal, but Lily’s began with a single, heartfelt message. Jo, founder and designer of Julita London, had admired the singer-songwriter and poet behind Ava Lily for years, and when Lily became engaged to actor and poet Lucas Jones, Jo reached out simply to say congratulations and offer to help.
What followed were months of fittings full of laughter and connection, two creative women dreaming up a unique dress together, and the result was a gown that swept into a dramatic lace train for the ceremony before being hitched up with ribbons into a more playful look Lily could dance in.
Ash of Joy, By Ash was there for Lily’s final fitting at home, and her beautiful analogue photographs are so full of warmth and tenderness that you can almost feel the silk and hear the conversation in the room!
We adore this story because it captures the pure joy of having a wedding dress made for you by someone who has taken the time to truly know you. If you’ve been tempted to use AI to picture yourself in your dream dress, bridal designer Solunah Studio shared a post this week that’s well worth a read, gently explaining how those images can set expectations no real fabric could ever meet. Lily’s experience is the loveliest antidote to that, a dress dreamt up through friendship and conversation, draped and pinned on her own body, with every seed pearl stitched and every length of lace placed by Jo with Lily in mind.
No AI-anything can replace that kind of talent, intuition and care, so if you’re dreaming of a dress made just for you, start where Lily did, with a real conversation with a real designer, a human being who’ll listen, understand you and bring your ideas to life with their own two hands.
How Lily met her wedding dress designer, Jo of Julita London
When singer-songwriter and poet Lily became engaged to poet and actor Lucas Jones in 2025, Jo felt compelled to send her a message. Having admired Lily’s creativity from afar for years, she reached out with no expectations, just genuine excitement for her engagement and a heartfelt offer.
“Congratulations on your engagement! I adore your talent. Been following you for a while ❤️ If you need any help with wedding dresses, or just to connect you with great suppliers let me know. (Just saying, I haven’t reached out to anyone about creating their dress before… but my goodness, how I’d love to create for you!) 🏹”
As fate would have it, Lily lived just a few minutes away! Their first meeting was meant to be a quick introduction, but three hours later they were still talking about creativity, art, music, love and, eventually, wedding dresses. It was clear from the start that this would be far from a conventional bridal appointment, and the beginning of a joyful collaboration built on trust, shared creativity and friendship.
Their first meeting was meant to be a quick introduction, but three hours later they were still talking about creativity, art, music, love and, eventually, wedding dresses.
Designing a bespoke wedding dress: where to begin
When Lily first replied to Jo’s message, she admitted she had no idea where to begin. The idea of designing a bespoke gown felt both exciting and overwhelming, and Jo’s response gently reframed everything:
“It always starts with you. Designing a gown is a journey into the essence of who you are, the shapes that make you feel incredible, the way you want to move and feel on your day. Do you dream of something floaty you can dance in? Or perhaps something structured, yet romantic… The tones and textures you’re drawn to, soft blushes, ivories, or something unexpected. It might be a detail from a loved one, a lyric from a song that moves you, a memory you want to carry with you. These are the threads that come together to create something personal. It doesn’t need to be overwhelming, just start with what feels like you and beautiful things will follow ✨”
From that moment, the process became beautifully intuitive. Lily arrived with ideas for her wedding dress and, as with so many bespoke commissions, the design evolved organically along the way, with every fitting becoming another conversation and another chance to refine each detail until the dress felt completely and unmistakably hers. It’s this back and forth, the ideas sparked between two creative people, that makes working with a designer such a gift.
A convertible wedding dress with a detachable lace train and hood
One of the most special aspects of Jo’s design was its ability to evolve throughout the day, so that instead of changing into a second dress, Lily’s gown transformed alongside each chapter of the celebration. Detachable lace godets allowed the dramatic ceremony train to separate into two flowing lace cape wings, which could also be bustled at the back to create yet another silhouette, while an oversized lace hood introduced a beautifully poetic look for bridal portraits after the ceremony.
Each transformation was thoughtfully considered, letting the gown move from the solemnity of the ceremony to the freedom and joy of the celebrations without ever losing its romance.
For the evening, long statement ribbons gathered the skirt into a playful hitched high-low hem for dancing, and Lily changed into a delicate ‘Lily of the Valley’ pearl-drop mini veil, bringing a fresh, whimsical spirit to the transformed gown.
Lace wedding boots made from the dress offcuts
The lace boots were never part of the original plan – Jo had found them months earlier in a second-hand shop for a creative shoot and, almost on instinct, offered them to Lily to try. They fitted perfectly, and Jo later customised them using lace offcuts from the gown itself, so that every precious remnant of fabric found its place and became part of the story.
It’s such a lovely example of the instinct and generosity a designer brings, the kind of happy, unplanned moment that only comes from being in the room together.
A final wedding dress fitting at home, shot on 35mm film
Ash’s photographs, shot on 35mm film (Kodak Ektacolor Pro 400) during Lily’s intimate final fitting at her home, are a joy to look through. The softness and grain of film suit this dress so perfectly, and Ash has held on to all those last precious moments before the dress left Jo’s hands: the final tweaks, the careful placement of every lace appliqué and seed pearl, every ribbon tied, every layer adjusted and every detail checked one last time.
There’s something especially poignant about a final fitting that takes place at home, where the dress begins its gentle move away from the atelier and into the life it was created for. Months of ideas, sketches, fittings and handwork all narrow into this tender, personal moment before everything changes, and for Jo it marked so much more than finishing a dress. It was the close of a creative journey that had begun with one heartfelt message and grown into a friendship.
The joy of working with a bespoke wedding dress designer
Bespoke bridal design is about listening, interpreting, refining and making a piece that reflects a bride’s style and her story too, and it can be one of the most joyful experiences of planning a wedding. Perhaps that’s what makes a bespoke wedding dress so extraordinary, because it becomes part of the wedding day itself.
It gathers the emotion of the morning preparations, the anticipation before walking into the ceremony, the quiet glances of love, the vows, and the shreds of confetti that find their way between the seams forever. It holds the embraces and laughter shared throughout the celebration, the light streaming through glass, the movement between gardens and reception spaces, the scent of flowers, the joy of conversation and the atmosphere of a day unfolding gently around it, until those memories become part of every seam.
Long after the day is over, it remains an heirloom, carrying Jo’s exquisite handwork and the joyful imprint of a love story lived within it.
Some other designers we LOVE
If Lily’s story has inspired you to explore having your own wedding dress or look designed, you’ll find a wonderful collection of independent and international bridal designers in our directory, who create beautiful gowns and bespoke pieces with real artistry and care. Each of them understands that women come to this moment with different bodies, stories and ideas of beauty, and every one of them would love to start that first conversation with you and help you find something that feels beautifully and honestly you.
