We met with Temperley London’s celebrated designer Alice Temperley MBE to hear all about gorgeous new wedding dresses from the Aurora collection and archive gowns from the Heritage collection
Who is Alice Temperley and why was she in Edinburgh?
Alice Temperley is one of the most revered names in British fashion. Her designs often appear on the red carpet and have graced the likes of HRH Princess of Wales, Beyoncé and Madonna. She dressed Pippa Middleton for her wedding to James Matthews and earned an MBE for her services to the fashion industry in 2011.
Bridal boutique Rachel Scott Couture hosted ‘An Evening with Alice Temperley’, a luxury shopping experience featuring all the latest bridal and eveningwear looks from the celebrated designer. Tie the Knot Scotland was invited along to chat to Alice, preview wedding dresses from Aurora, the new 2024 Temperley Bridal collection, and see some archive gowns that now make up the Heritage collection.
What are Temperley Bridal wedding dresses like?
Temperley Bridal’s signature aesthetic is bohemian, romantic and feminine, with intricate embroidery, sequins, artisan lace, and shimmering embellishments featuring prominently in the Aurora collection. We were impressed by the artisanship and hand embroidery that featured on the dresses we saw.
The new Aurora line pays homage to the bridal bouquet and floral arrangements, from individual blooms, to cornucopias of intricately engineered garlands. It is also influenced by one of the most romantic periods of history, the Renaissance.
Alice said: “These wedding dresses are a year in creation and take weeks to embroider; they are works of art that we hope will be handed down over generations to come. That whole sense of history is important to me.”
We also got to see some dresses from Temperley’s Heritage collection. These are the label’s iconic pieces from earlier seasons that have been pulled out to be worn by celebrities on red carpets repeatedly, and often, stylish brides who are keen to add colour to their big-day look. “We think it’s amazing that brides aren’t getting married in dresses that are traditionally white. And more importantly, why should dresses like this go into a ‘sale’ cycle after three months?,” says Alice.
What advice does the designer offer to brides-to-be about to start shopping for their wedding dress?
We asked Alice what her top tip would be for brides that are just starting out on the journey to find the dress. She told us: “All eyes are on you, so make sure you feel super comfortable in it. Brides should feel like the dress is a second skin and move in it with ease. There’s a lot of thought and work that goes into our dresses in that regard. All of their linings have stretch, and even with our most embroidered pieces, there is give and comfort.”
Where can you buy Temperley Bridal in Scotland?
Temperley Bridal is available exclusively at Rachel Scott Couture on Dundas Street in Edinburgh. The boutique’s owner, Rachel Snedden, said: “What I find truly unique about Alice Temperley’s work is no matter how much colour, detailing, overlays or texture she adds to each design, the main focal point will always remain the bride wearing it.”