Real Weddings – Kosibah

Category: Real Weddings

January 12, 2023

TRUST THE PROCESS – KOSIBAH REAL BRIDE LOUISE.

Louise was based in Dubai, getting married in a South African vineyard and had all her fittings at the Kosibah London atelier.

I designed and created a strapless gown with an embellished Lace corseted bodice and a ballgown skirt with layers of tulle with varying hem lengths behind to form a soft waterfall effect.

The stunning views of the Franschoek landscape made the perfect backdrop to the Cape Province destination wedding.

Please play the video to view the process.

What are your thoughts or questions about the process involved in the creation of this gown? Please leave your comments below.

December 22, 2022

TRUST THE PROCESS – KOSIBAH BRIDE DENISE.

The creation of Kosibah Bride Denise’s bridal gown from sketch to destination wedding.

Denise, the Birmingham based photographer behind Lensi , had a clear vision of where her wedding was going to take place and how she wanted her dress to look like. The wedding was to take place at the fabulous Villa Balbiano, an awe-inspiring property on the western shore of Lake Como, Italy.

Denise wanted one of my figure enhancing fishtail bridal gowns with a strapless bodice and a full tulle skirt with a dramatic cathedral length train. She was especially particular about the 3D Lace appliques that were to embellish the gown and after seeking options in the UK and US, the Lace piece from which the appliques were harvested was sourced and purchased from Australia.

The appliques were cut out from the Lace piece and further embellished in the Kosibah atelier with Swarovski diamante crystals. These were the hand stitched unto the bodice of glitter Lace fabric with a duchesse satin underlay.

The gown had a built in corset laced up at the back and with a zipper with decorative fabric backed buttons.

The ensemble was completed with a cathedral length plain tulle veil.

Wedding Location – Lake Como, Italy.

Please play the video to view the process.

What are your thoughts or questions about the process involved in the creation of this gown? Please leave your comments below.

December 16, 2022

The gown and the Bride – Kosibah gown Irina and Kosibah Bride Elizabeth.

Kosibah specialises in couture gowns designed and made from scratch for each individual bride right from when the design is sketched out in real time in front of the client taking in all manner of variables including the size and shape of the client as well as any religious, traditional, venue location etc. elements that may influence the style to creating the gown using over 26 precise body measurements and couture methods.

However, some brides choose a style from one of our Collections made over the years and either replicate it, or tweak it to suit their personal tastes. One such Kosibah gown is Irina from the Bienvenue Collection which was chosen by Kosibah Bride Elizabeth for her wedding at Tretower Court, Powys, Wales.

Irina in antique white duchesse satin has a draped structured bodice, with a built-in corset, falling to a circular floor length skirt with a chapel train. The skirt had a built-in petticoat which added volume. Delicate beaded appliques are stitched on the bodice and skirt.

The original version was strapless, but Elizabeth’s had draped off-the-shoulder sleeves.

December 1, 2022

TRUST THE PROCESS – KOSIBAH REAL BRIDE CHIOMA IGWE.

Chioma wanted to look and feel like a modern Princess on her wedding day to Noble Igwe Nigerian blogger, curator, fashion, PR and styling Entrepreneur.

Her Ballgown wedding dress featured a corseted bodice with a drop waist leading to magnificent ballgown skirt with deep pleats and a dramatic cathedral length train.

3D Lace appliques were cut out from a Lace fabric piece, embellished with Swarovski diamanté crystals and then hand-stitched unto the bodice, off the shoulder dropped sleeves and skirt, as well as her bespoke cathedral length tulle veil.

Location : Lagos, Nigeria.

Please play the video to view the process.

What are your thoughts or questions about the process involved in the creation of this gown? Please leave your comments below.

November 24, 2022

TRUST THE PROCESS – KOSIBAH BRIDE KIYERAN

Kiyeran was very clear about two aspects of her couture bridal gown when I sat down with her at our first consultation together…. She wanted drama at the back of her gown and a very low back.

Both goals were achieved with her corseted gown in champagne silk duchesse satin and ivory beaded lace appliques, with a sheath skirt silhouette in the front of the gown a dramatic ruffles at the back leading to a chapel train. The skirt train was designed to be bustled up to create a different look for the wedding Reception and for ease of movement during dancing.

The look was completed with a tulle cathedral length veil.

Location – One Gt George Street , London, UK.

Please play the video to view the process.

What are your thoughts or questions about the process involved in the creation of this gown? Please leave your comments below.

November 17, 2022

The creation of Mother of the Bride Elizabeth’s couture outfit for her daughter’s Traditional Engagement ceremony.

Elizabeth commissioned a couture gown for her daughter’s Traditional Yoruba Engagement ceremony which took place a few days before her white wedding. I decided to create an gown that fused Yoruba and Western style elements.

The gown comprised of an off the shoulders corset bodice with 3/4 length sleeves and a trumpet silhouette skirt with a puddle train. The heavily beaded burnt orange tulle fabric with 3D flower detailing was backed with a satin underlay. I harvested some of the flowers to be hand stitched strategically throughout the gown.

The outfit was completed with a traditional head tie called a gele and shawl worn over the left shoulder in a bespoke Nigerian fabric called Aso-Oke handwoven in silk threads and embellished with pearls and burnt orange beads.

Location: The Resort At Pelican Hill, Newport Beach, CA.

Please play the video to view the process.

Heavily beaded fabric that the 3D flowers were harvested from

What are your thoughts or questions about the process involved in the creation of this gown? Please leave your comments below.

September 29, 2022

TRUST THE PROCESS – KOSIBAH BRIDE SANDRA.

The moment I found out that Sandra would be getting married in the Grade II listed Anglican church St Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge, I knew I had to create a gown befitting of the church’s spectacular location and interior.

Sandra’s gown in antique white silk Zibeline comprised of a strapless corseted bodice with a sweetheart neckline. The ballgown skirt, with an in-built petticoat of multiple layers of tulle had a sweeping cathedral train. It had a removable tulle chemise with capped sleeves and a bataeu neckline. Both the chemise and gown were embellished with hand stitched Lace appliques.

A Lace edged tulle cathedral veil completed the ensemble.

Location: London, UK.

Please play the video to view the process.

What are your thoughts or questions about the process involved in the creation of this gown? Please leave your comments below.

December 23, 2016

Top 5 Kosibah Destination Brides for 2016.

Hi there, thanks for checking out this blog post. As the end of 2016 draws in, I thought it would be an ideal opportunity to look back at Kosibah Real Brides who got married in a different country from which they usually live.

This is more pertinent to me as a bridal designer who has recently relocated to New York from London after successfully running my business there for 25 years.

It’s a huge leap of faith to have a destination wedding because even if you have the most efficient and well connected wedding planner, you are still physically removed from where your dream day will take place.

I’ve had the great privilege this year to work with some amazing brides to create couture gowns for their destination weddings. I’m pleased that at least getting their couture gown made is one thing they can be part of from start to completion.

Here is the list. Please let me know which is your favourite Kosibah Bride or wedding destination.

1.Kosibah Real Bride Louise. Destination: Cape Town, South Africa.

Louise wore a couture full skirted bridal gown with a beaded, corseted bodice and a tulle skirt bustled behind with multi length layers, stiffed at the hemline with horsehair crinoline.

2. Kosibah Real Bride Funmilayo. Destination: Venice, Italy.

Funmilayo wore a couture fishtail gown. It had a removable chemise with 3/4 length sleeves which she removed for the informal part of the wedding reception.

3. Kosibah Real Bride Amina. Destination: Chateneauf-de-Grass (near Nice), France.

Amina wore a silver gray French Lace and Duchesse Satin couture gown styled to reflect her Nigerian heritage. The corseted gown had a fitted skirt with a detachable tulle overskirt.

4. Kosibah Real Bride Julianna. Destination: Santorini, Greece.

Julianna wore a couture bridal gown featuring an illusion tulle bodice embellished with Lace appliqués and a modified fishtail skirt in soft tulle with a cathedral train.

5. Kosibah Real Bride Layal. Destination: Lake Como, Italy.

Layal wore a couture bridal gown with a fitted beaded Lace bodice with an intergral corset and delicate covered buttons over the dress zipper and dropped shoulder strap sleeves. The fishtail skirt was made up of over 50 meters of Tulle gathered into rose swirls and ruffles on the surface fabric of Duchesse Satin. A matching cathedral veil with hand stitched Lace edging completed the ensemble. Photos by Jide Alakija.

I look forward to reading your comments. Thank you.

July 2, 2015

Kosibah Real Bride Yve.

Today I share with you images from Kosibah Real Bride Yve’s wedding. Creating Yves dress was a joy for many reasons. For one, she was getting married to my good friend Deb and I knew a lot of our mutual friends would be seeing my work ‘in real life’ for the first time. It was also an opportunity to create a fusion design that incorporated aspects of Deb’s Asian culture.

I decided to use Sari Fabric, deconstructed and put back together with silk duchesse satin. We chose a rich burgundy red and gold sari.

The wedding took place in the grounds of the magnificent Tudor mansion Leez Priory with the wedding breakfast in a hall within the mansion.

Here is a short video captured and edited on my iPhone that encapsulates the whole day.

August 23, 2014

Kosibah Real Bride Asia- A couture Nikai bridal gown.

Today I am sharing with you the process of creating Kosibah Real Bride Asia’s couture gown for her Nikai ceremony held in Tanzania.

It involved hand cutting appliqués off the French Lace fabric and reassembling them on silk tulle, by hand, thereby creating a bespoke fabric for the center back panel of the fishtail skirt.

Asia teamed her gown with a head-wrap in the same silk satin as the gown underlay and wore an embellished veil for the ceremony.

This gown would also be perfect for a Reception dress after a white

Please let me know what you think.

June 11, 2014

Kosibah Real Bride Charlotte

It is always a great show of confidence in one’s work when as a designer you get to create bridal gowns for more than one member of the same family. It was such a case in today’s Kosibah Real Bride Charlotte as I also got to create her sister’s bridal gown a couple of years later.

Charlotte wanted a fitted fishtail gown with some texture in the fabric. I created a gown featuring an asymmetrical empire-line bodice hand-draped in silk duchesse satin with a Swarovski embellished knot leading to 2 detachable shoulder straps. The corseted lower bodice and fishtail skirt was in textured silk tulle with Swarovski diamante crystals added on in the Kosibah Studio.

I also made the dresses worn by the 2 Bridesmaids (one of whom I later made a wedding gown for), the Mother of the Bride and the Grandmother of the Bride. As I usually do when I can, I arrived in the morning to dress the whole bridal party.

Charlotte, the daughter of Lord Boateng, a peer of the realm, had the privilege of getting married in the beautiful St Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey with her reception taking place across Parliament Square at One Great George Street , a magnificent Grade II listed, four-domed, Edwardian building .

Charlotte removed her silk tulle cathedral veil after the wedding service and just before cutting the cake with her new husband, removed the detachable shoulder straps which created a more informal look to her dress.

Enjoy the images, especially the interiors of both St Margaret’s Church and One Great George Street.

March 15, 2014

Kosibah Real Bride Anu.

I share with you today’s Kosibah real bride Anu’s wedding with very fond memories. Her wedding was one of those rare ones that allowed me to fully display exactly what Kosibah can do for a wedding party. I dressed Anu and her 6 bridesmaids not only for the wedding, but also for the evening party afterwards where they changed into Afro-Centric eveningwear.

The wedding was held at the magnificent St Marylebone Parish Church , Marylebone Road near Regent’s Park where the couple were able to take some wonderful photographs after the service, and the Reception took place at the London Hilton on Park Lane .

Anu wore a fitted empire-line fishtail gown, with an integral corset laced up underneath the zipper featuring decorative covered buttons. The bodice was ruched in ivory organza and the skirt was in ivory silk duchesse satin with a champagne tulle beaded Lace overlay. The removable cap-sleeved chemise top was in the Lace left sheer.A cathedral tulle veil edged in the same lace completed the ensemble.

As Anu wanted to celebrate her future husbands Ghanaian heritage, I suggested we used a fabric called Kente-Oke as well as duchesse satin for the bridesmaids dresses. Anu’s husband’s tuxedo jacket was made with Kente-Oke as well.

For the evening party, Anu changed into a fitted sheath gown in salmon Silk charmeuse and beaded lace and her bridesmaids in knee-length fitted dresses in Woodin fabric.

A short video clip of the wedding beautifully captured by Joseph Young can be viewed here

Please leave a comment after viewing the photos below. I’d love to know what you think.

January 14, 2014

Kosibah Real Bride Amina.

Today’s Kosibah Real Bride is Amina. She wore an empire-line corseted dress in champagne duchesse satin, with a champagne silk organza overlay featuring old gold Lace appliques embellished with Swarovski diamante crystals. Amina opted to wear her hair in loose curls tumbling over her right shoulder. On her head Amina wore a champagne tulle cathedral train with hand stitched Lace edging to match her gown as well as a bespoke jeweled headpiece by Kyles Collection. The wedding service took place at the beautiful St Peter’s Church and the reception at the English Heritage former stately home Kenwood House.

Kyles Collection .

January 4, 2014

Happy Anniversary to Fola and Akin Esho.

Here are images from the wedding of the CEO of Wed Magazine and Wed Expo Akin Esho and Kosibah client Fola which took place exactly one year ago today in Lagos, Nigeria.

As is the case with most of my bridal clients, I was there to dress Fola and attend the wedding.

Happy Anniversary Fola and Akin, I wish you many more years of marital bliss.

Hair and Make Up was by BMPRO MAKEUP and the cake was by Cakes By Tosan

March 20, 2012

KOSIBAH BRIDE – Aluna

This wedding was set in Brompton Oratory Catholic Church, South Kensington, London and the bridal gown was inspired by the bride who wanted a DEMURE style.

Bride: ALUNA

Wedding Year: 2008

Wedding Style: Demure