Terms and conditions - Bespoke Commissions
Blue Lady Couture is part of Joanna's Bridal. I specialise in creating custom bridal and historically inspired clothing and accessories. Everything is carefully handmade to the highest standards by me at my home studio near Lincoln, UK. I particularly like to specialise in historically inspired and fantasy styles.
I very much hope your item will be perfect for you, but sometimes problems do arise and I make every effort to resolve them as quickly and efficiently as possible.
BESPOKE COMMISSIONS
Design and Research Fee
I can only provide very basic pricing quotes upon initial enquiry and reviewing your ideas and inspiration.
For Bespoke Commissions, I take a non-refundable down-payment of £75 to provisionally book the overall order into my future schedule and cover my time to source some fabric and trim options as well as to draw up sketches for the design. I normally do the D&R about 4-5 weeks after booking (or as my schedule allows at busy times). After I have completed the D&R I will then provide a PDF document for us to discuss in further detail and help you finalise your choices. This can be done in person or via email. I will also at this point be able to give you a more exact quote based on the fabrics I source. The quote can only remain valid for 7 days from receipt of D&R PDF or date of in person consultation. Once you are happy to sign off the final design and fabrics a further non-refundable deposit of 50% of the quoted total will be required to confirm the booking. Failure to pay the 50% deposit on time will render the provisional booking and the D&R as cancelled. The 50% is used to secure the main quantities of fabric for your commission as it can and does go out of stock from some suppliers.
The D&R Fee is non-refundable 14 days after booking and is also non-refundable if you decide not to proceed with the full commission. The D&R fee is in addition to the full quote. The quote includes estimated labour, specific fabrics and trims, plus sundries and notions. It does not include shipping as this can be hard to estimate until the final parcel is weighed.
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Service and Payment
Upon completion of the D&R detailed above the Customer hereby agrees to engage Joanna’s Bridal/ Blue Lady Couture to provide the Customer with services consisting of designing and creating a gown/ garment(s)and all associated items required as detailed on your invoice and in the D&R PDF.
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The service will commence upon payment of the additional 50% deposit detailed on invoice, based on the quotes given in your D&R, and the service will be completed before the agreed date (date of event if neccessary).
Upon receiving the non-refundable 50% deposit this shall be used as pre-payment for the main quantities of fabrics to secure the agreed colours and design and will secure you into my schedule. Please bear in mind any material costs quoted are estimates and may be subject to change. They are given as a guide only to allow you to plan your budget. Fabrics can and do go out of stock and securing them as soon as possible is very important. I do reserve the right to substitute fabrics if neccessary and pass on additional costs incured.
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Upon completion of the service, final payment is expected to be received in full before any goods are released. The Customer will be notified and invoiced before the agreed date of completion. The customer will also be expected to pay for any additional cost of materials, haberdashery and sundries accrued detailed in the final invoice.
Under no circumstances will goods be released until payment has been received in full and in light of this we do not accept personal cheques for final payment.
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Alterations
The agreed service cost of the goods includes all reasonable fitting alterations. I reserve the right to charge additionally for all non-reasonable alterations which may include excessive weight loss or gain and pregnancy. You must contact us as soon as you become aware of any changes which may affect the fit of your garment.
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We recommend you purchase your bra/underwear as soon as possible and you must wear it to all fittings as different shapes, styles and age can affect the shape of your body, particularly in the bust. It is reccommended to consider appropriate period undergarments and base layers for historical costume which can be discussed at the D&R stage.
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Adjustments to Design
Reasonable adjustments can be made to the agreed design providing Joanna’s Bridal/ Blue Lady Couture deems such requests as reasonable, given the factors covered by this contract. I reserve the right to charge for additional labour and fabrics incurred. It must also be noted that the design provided is an illustrative representation of the finished garment for the purposes of this contract and for ongoing reference throughout the contract period. You will be consulted throughout the design and construction process and you must be honest with me at fittings to ensure your commission progresses smoothly.
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Termination
In the event that the customer wishes to terminate the contract, notification must be received in writing. The point of termination will determine whether you will be expected to pay towards the amount of work completed. Termination within twelve weeks of your wedding/ event will require full payment of your outstanding balance, whether or not you collect the garment(s) ordered.
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In the event that Joanna's Bridal/ Blue Lady Couture needs to terminate the contract as a result of illness, injury or death written notification will be made to the customer and the customer shall be entitled to a refund of all monies paid which may or may not include all or part of the deposit.
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You have a 14 day cooling-off period to cancel your order entirely and receive the 50% deposit back. The D&R fee is not refundable at this point.
Miscellaneous
Due to the nature of our work, we reserve the right to pass reasonable cost increases of fabrics and
components onto the customer. However, we will in the first instance advise you the customer.
We reserve the right, if fabrics become unavailable, to substitute fabrics of equal value or better quality.
All design work produced remains the property of Joanna's Bridal/ Blue Lady Couture and cannot be copied, reused or resold without written consent.
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Long Distance Commissions
​Wherever possible we recommend you attend the studio for fittings and it is your responsibility to allow time for fittings/ alterations ahead of your event. I will take on commissions where it is impractical for the customer to attend fittings. In such circumstances, I will make the required garments to the agreed measurements, but this does not guarantee a perfect fit and I take no responsibility in such instances. You accept that it may be required to have alterations done locally at your own expense. It is your responsibility to allow time for this ahead of special events. You will also be required to pay for fully insured courier delivery. We cannot accept returns that are the wrong size or if you change your mind. The items will be made to the measurements supplied by you and it is unlikely we would be able to resell the item. Please double check your measurements and ask us if you are unsure about anything. Once your order is placed we will assist you as best we can to take correct measurements or recommend you ask a local seamstress to do them for you. Do be prepared to have some alterations done locally. Dress making is a fine art and a perfect fit cannot always be guaranteed due to all body shapes being unique. We do not cover the costs of any alteration work.
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Please see our Classic Collection and Delivery Policies.
International delivery may be a minimum of an additional ten days. Your item may get delayed in customs. We take no responsibility for this or any charges incurred.
UK orders will be sent via Royal Mail first class recorded or Special Delivery, international orders via Royal Mail's 'International Tracked' or alternative couriers depending on value. You will be required to sign for your package. This gives us both peace of mind that your order is on it's way and is delivered safely. International orders may be subject to import duty and taxes. These are entirely the customer’s responsibility to be aware of and pay for.
We take no responsibility if your order does not arrive in time for your special event, providing it was despatched within the time frame agreed. We have no control over the delivery time and only offer it as a guide in the order confirmation email based on Royal Mail and International Tracked. We always recommend you order well in advance and contact us if you are on a tight deadline to ensure there is space in our schedule since certain times of the year can be very busy.
Items will not be shipped until payment has cleared in full.
If your item is FAULTY on arrival, please contact us within 7 days of receipt and we will endeavour to assist you to the best of our ability. We want you to be happy with your purchase, but please bear in mind 'faulty' does not mean fitting issues, but damaged. Please ensure damaged packaging is noted on receipt and photograph if necessary. Take care when opening your package. We do not recommend using knives or scissors.
By accepting your invoice and paying the deposit, you are agreeing to have read and accepted these terms and conditions.
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Last Updated January 2026