Articles Miscellaneous

Choosing your Wedding Lace

As with your Bridal veil, shoes, cake etc… your wedding lace is an opportunity for self expression and a little self indulgence. It should be a reflection of your person, relationship and mood, all the time blending with your other bridal choices. A beautiful wedding lace helps to shape the overall presentation of your wedding day appearance you should consider deeply before you choose a design and always choose a reputable specialist, experienced supplier and brand - world renowned Nottingham lace is generally acknowledged as the Brand leader - Nottingham has for centuries been recognised as the world’s lace capital

Lace is thousands of pockets of air held together with threads as fine as those in a spiders web - it is a unique piece of fabric of varying size, shape, colour, and texture.

There are several styles of lace, designated generally by the names of their manufacturing processes ie Embroidered Tulle , Guipure ( also referred to as Venise), Corded ( also known as Re-embroidered or Alencon) - these are the three lace which are the most frequently used in wedding gowns, however there are others such as Leavers, Cluny, Raschel, which we do not intend to discuss here

Lace is created from in a variety of fibres - cotton, polyester, nylon, silk, viscous etc and in various widths from narrow trims of 0.25 inches (6mm) up to 70 inches and more ( 1750mm +) The edges can be straight, or scalloped or a combination of both.

One point which should be appreciated at this early stage is that the pattern design on the lace invariably runs vertical /across the width (this is dictated by the machine manufacturing process for the lace is produced in lengths up to 9 metres, 14 meters or 32 meters long . The narrower Fine Cotton Laces (sometimes referred to as Heritage lace) is produced by the Leavers technique and is usually available in the longer lengths.

Bear in mind that you it is usual to be asked to buy lace in minimum quantities of 1 Metre and when purchasing a small metreage, there may be a small additional cutting- charge

Ensuring the quality in the manufacture of lace material demands great attention to detail , skill and expertise - some of the machines have over 40 000 moving parts and remember they are handling a fibre which is as fine as the strands in a spiders web. However the creation of the lace fabric is only the first stage in its manufacturing cycle, bleaching , dying and finishing are to follow and each process in itself demands an increasing level of attention to detail to ensure and maintain the overall quality of the product and value thus not wasting hours upon hours of labour and metres of waste . This attention to detail, absolutely necessary in the overall manufacturing process, is why Nottingham lace is world renowned.

Modern Lace making has it roots in Nottingham originating with father of lacemaking the Rev William Lee in 1589. Generations of Nottingham families have grown up with and passed on the “lace making gene” and today still have the pride and skill in producing this “ aristocrat of textiles” . So when looking at laces and arriving at your decision , remember, it is not only the pattern which is of interest, but also the stability of the colour, the stability of dimension, the quality consistency of each thread, the material quality and appearance. Just because you may be offered Nottingham Lace does not mean it is made in Nottingham . Many overseas produces (USA, Russia, China, Japan , Poland, Europeans, South America) have purchased second hand lace making machines (of Nottingham origin) and pass off the lace produced as Nottingham Lace - Do not be mislead, look for the authenticating Trade mark label ( A triangular logo depicting a scroll of fabric. - the background will all white or alternatively all black)

Right now we have explained the background we can progress with the information require for a Bride to choose a lace which best suite her application.

Embroidered Tulle - The majority of lace produced for wedding gowns fall into the Embroidered Tulle category - This is a fine net with embroidered designs added. Its price is normally dictated by the material ( silk, cotton, polyester, nylon, viscose etc., etc) and the number of stitches required to formulate the design pattern - the more elaborate the design the more expensive the product. Widths vary from the trims of a few inches up to all-overs of 70 inches or there about,. It possible to buy various widths of the same design to coordinate within different features of a gown ( referred to as particular family of design) Embroidered Tulles are usually used as diaphanous sleeves and the over layer of a gown - Please note it is quite difficult to adapt an all-over to use as a veil, as the width maximum is usually 70 inches, but more importantly the pattern will be “sideways on, in one direction” . Prices can be £100+/M for the more exotic material, designs and metallic finishes. There are many,. many thousands of designs available but very few sources of selection and supply A bride should attempt to decide on the generality of a lace design, width and the form of the edge she prefers and then seek assistance in bringing forward before her all the variations close to her preference, variations which are currently available and in stock.

Most available designs are floral in nature although a few geometrics have stood the test of time and fashion. It should be noted that examples of pure silk lace are few and far between, the material is quite expensive, very delicate and fragile. Custom design and manufacture is available by specialist sources but minimum costs for “one-offs” are extremely high

Guipure ( Venise)- The Guipure lace is a heavier style, usually used in the creation of boleros, jackets etc. A very versatile lace, in that it can be cut into, without fear of fraying, to use sections of individual pattern as motifs, appliqués, trims etc. The material used is very instrumental in the finished lace cost ( plus there are many more stitches etc) but cottons, polyesters, viscous, metallic, are usually readily available Costs vary from a few £’s/M for “trims” to £100+/M for “all-overs”

Corded ( Re-embroidered /Alencon) - This lace is possibly the most intricate of all the laces, it is a lace pattern fabric with a style based on net, appearing as several derivatives

A simple mono Corded pattern (having a raised outlining thread to aid definition ( hence the term re-embroidered)

A cord of metallic re-embroidery

A corded pattern with the addition of any various combination of beads /pearls/sequins

This Corded lace is used as a single later fabric or as an over layer . The re-embroidery produces areas of patterns with varying interesting densities which introduce attractive features in design and often is cleverly used to highlight or conceal personal/gown features,.

As you would expect, lace with this style of detailing does fall within the top echelon of price

Colours Most laces are produced as White Olde White, Ivory or Cream. The demand for other colours is much lower, therefore manufacturers and stockist will not take the risk of carrying unpopular stock colours. It is possible and preferable to have a colour change by using a specialist dyeing after the lace is purchased, however not all laces will accept a colour change, Always check BEFORE purchase as to the suitability of lace to accept dyeing.

We hope these “Hints and Tips” has equipped you with a little knowledge to enable you to begin your lace choices, if you would like to see a selection of weddinglace visit their specialist website

Article published with the kind permission of Elizabeth Cooke - Nottingham Lace
(Click here to visit their site)