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What happens during a bespoke hat consultation?

Choosing a bespoke Mother of the Bride hat is much easier when you know exactly what to expect throughout the process. During our one-to-one consultation at my Rose Garden Studio in Winchester, I’ll guide you through a wide variety of shapes, along with a range of complementary colours and a whole host of options for trims, so that together we can create a hat that complements your outfit, feels comfortable to wear all day, and reflects your style and personality. This page explains every stage of the process, from your initial enquiry, right through to when you collect your New Hat in a few weeks time!

​​Bespoke wedding hats designed around you

​​​A bespoke consultation is perfect if you would like a unique hat created specifically for your dress, for the scale of the wedding venue, and, most importantly, just for you.

 

Rather than choosing from a display of generic designs available on the High Street, we’ll work together to create something completely individual. I’ll draw on my years of experience specialising in designing hats for the Mother of the Bride or the Mother of the Groom, so you can relax, enjoy the appointment, and feel fully supported and confident at every stage.

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My aim is simple: I want you to feel completely at ease and beautifully finished on the day, from greeting your first guests to taking the last photograph. 

Simon standing with a Mother of the Bride customer at the Marvellous Millinery studio in Winchester

Step 1 – Before your appointment: making your initial enquiry

Your journey usually begins with a telephone call or email.

 

When you first get in touch, I will:

  • Ask a few simple questions about the wedding date and venue

  • Note whether you are Mother of the Bride, Mother of the Groom, or a special guest

  • Ask about what stage you are with your outfit

  • Talk through any early ideas you may have about colours, hat shapes or overall style

From there, we choose a convenient time for your consultation in my Winchester studio. I have appointments available over seven days a week, so it makes it easier to work in with your diary.

 

Ahead of your visit, you are very welcome to:

  • Browse my Bespoke Hat Portfolio to see the range of designs I create

  • Look at my Happy Customers gallery for real-life inspiration

  • Make a note of any hats, trims or colour combinations that particularly appeal to you

Please bring your dress, shoes and handbag along to the appointment. If that is not possible because your outfit is being made for you or away for alteration, please provide sketches, photographs and fabric swatches for us to work from together.

Simon from Marvellous Millinery in Winchester standing with Mother of the Bride customer inside the studio trying on a purple wedding hat

Step 2 – Your personal consultation in my Winchester studio

Your bespoke consultation is a calm, unhurried appointment where we can focus entirely on you and your outfit, helping you feel relaxed and valued throughout the process.

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Please remember, when you place your order, you’ll be speaking directly with me - the person who will create your bespoke wedding hat. I take care of every detail we discuss, from the overall style to the personal finishing touches, so nothing gets lost along the way and your hat feels completely “you”. The right hat should feel secure enough that you forget you’re wearing it. No wobbling, no pinching, and no constant adjusting in photos.

 

During your consultation, we will:

  • Hang your dress so we can clearly see its colour, neckline and proportion

  • Lay out your shoes, bag and any jewellery that you are considering wearing

  • Try different hat shapes – perching styles, saucers, picture hats and pillboxes – so you can see how each one flatters your face and hairstyle

  • Explore colour options, comparing fabrics and hat materials in natural light

  • Look at potential trims such as handmade silk roses (made petal by petal), bows, curls, feathers or crystals

  • Discuss practicalities such as comfort, security, travel and storage

Many ladies tell me that ordering their wedding hat has been one of their favourite parts of the wedding planning! There’s absolutely no pressure to “know what you want” in advance – my role is to guide you, make suggestions, and gently refine the options until a favoured design plan emerges, regardless of your experience with millinery or style choices.

Hands pointing at fabric swatches, discussing color options for a mother of the bride wedding hat

Step 3 – Agreeing on your design and placing your order

Once we have found a shape and style that you love, we’ll work together to refine the details, ensuring you feel involved and confident in the final design.

 

We will:

  • Confirm the primary hat colour and any contrasting tones

  • Decide on the exact placement and scale of trims

  • Discuss how the hat will be secured (for example, with a band or elastic)

  • Consider how the hat will look in photographs from all angles

  • Talk through timings, including the wedding date, and when you will be able to collect your hat

When everything feels right, I'll write down the agreed design details for us to go through together so that we both have a clear record of what I will be creating for you.

 

I ask for approximately 6–10 weeks to create your bespoke hat, depending on the time of year and the complexity of the design. I will then contact you as soon as it is ready to try on and take home. 

Simon of Marvellous Millinery in Winchester steaming sinamay inside his studio for a Mother of the Bride wedding hat

Step 4 – The creation period: your hat takes shape

Once you have left my studio, your hat immediately begins its quiet materialisation from our agreed planned design, to the finished piece.

 

During this stage I will:

  • Place orders for all of the raw materials I will be needing to create your unique hat

  • Work carefully on your order in my Winchester studio, paying close attention to proportion, scale and balance

  • Shape and refine the trims so that bows, curls and flowers sit gracefully when viewed from every angle

  • Check that the colours and materials work harmoniously with the fabric swatch or photographs I have taken during your consultation

  • Ensure that the inside of your hat feels neat and comfortable to wear

If we have agreed on any additional checks or fittings, I will arrange these with you during this period, so that everything stays on schedule.

 

I can also liaise directly with your dressmaker if you wish, requesting extra fabric from them early in the process to create your hat, if that’s what we’ve arranged.

Simon of Marvellous Millinery discussing a hat with a Mother of the Bride customer inside the Winchester studio

Step 5 – Collection day: trying on your finished hat

Collection day is always a special moment. It’s not just an accessory. It’s part of the memory you’ll keep when you look back at the wedding photographs years from now. 

 

When you return to the studio, I will:

  • Invite you to try on your completed hat

  • Help you place it at the correct angle and show you how to secure it

  • Check that it feels balanced, stable and comfortable from every viewpoint

  • Make any minor adjustments we can easily accommodate there and then

Many ladies like me to take a series of photographs on their own phone at this stage, so they have a clear reminder of how to position the hat on the wedding morning, either by themselves or with a willing helper!

 

I will place your New Hat in one of my hat boxes so it will stay safe in the weeks leading up to the wedding and for careful storage afterwards.

Simon of Marvellous Millinery Winchester handing over completed wedding hat inside a hat box outside the studio

Step 6 – Last-minute enquiries and “Brisk Bespoke”

Ideally, a bespoke hat is ordered several months before the wedding. However, life does not always work to ideal timings, so if your daughter’s date is fast approaching, please do still get in touch.

 

Because I keep a considered range of materials in stock, I can often:

  • Design a unique perching or pillbox style on a shorter timeframe than my usual 6–10 weeks

  • Suggest existing sample shapes that might be perfect or adapted to your colours

  • Guide you towards a suitable piece in my Ready-to-Wear Collection, if that is the most practical solution

If time is tight, please telephone me on 07968 337446 so we can discuss what is realistic for your date.

Striped Marvellous Millinery hat boxes with lids and printed logo, packaging and delivery.

How a bespoke consultation compares with ready-to-wear

Both options result in a beautiful hat; the difference lies in how we get there.

 

A bespoke consultation is ideal if you:

  • Would like your hat created specifically to complement your dress, shoes and jewellery - perhaps highlighting a variety of different colours or highlighting design elements, to let your hat say that you’ve really taken care of the details

  • Prefer to be involved in the design process and enjoy seeing ideas evolve around your individual requirements

  • Have particular requests around fit, comfort or hairstyle

  • Want a one-of-a-kind piece that is guaranteed not to be seen being worn by anyone else at the wedding!

Ready-to-wear could be perfect for you if you:

  • Need a hat quicker than the bespoke timescale allows

  • Prefer to respond to a finished design rather than visualise one from scratch

  • Have already fallen in love with a specific piece in my online shop

You are very welcome to do a little of both: many clients browse the ready-to-wear designs online, then visit the studio to decide whether to choose a finished piece or commission something bespoke instead.

Bespoke Wedding Hats

Please browse the full gallery of bespoke samples currently in my studio.

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You may wish to choose a design as it is, and I will make it up for you in all the colours of your outfit.

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Or if you prefer, I can also combine your favourite elements of the different designs together to create a one-off piece -

just for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a bespoke consultation take?

Please allow about an hour for your appointment. I never rush consultations; if we need a little longer to settle on the right design, we can continue until everything feels clear.

When should I book my bespoke consultation?

The best time to book is as soon as you have your outfit and shoes - and you’re absolutely firm about your choices! Or, you have confirmed your order with your dressmaker and have selected the colour of the shoes you plan to wear. These two key elements are really helpful for going forward, because essential decisions such as colours, style vocabulary and eye-line level have already been made, which will enable me to springboard into designing a unique hat, just for you.  

 

Because bespoke hats take 6-10 weeks to create, it is wise to arrange your appointment earlier rather than later, so you can make a considered decision. I always say to ladies: your New Hat can always sit in its box for months waiting to be worn, rather than it all being a mad-dash rush for you towards the end!

What should I bring with me?

Please bring:

 

  • Your dress (or, at least, very good photographs)

  • Shoes (and handbag if already chosen)

  • Any jewellery you are considering

  • Fabric swatches, if your outfit is being made for you

 

The more of your outfit we can see together in the studio, the easier it is to create a hat that feels perfectly coordinated.

Do I need to know what I want before I arrive?

Not at all. Some ladies arrive with a clear idea; others prefer to try things on and see what suits them. Both approaches work beautifully. My role is to translate your preferences into a design that flatters you and feels right for the wedding.

​​Next steps

 

If you feel ready to explore ideas for your own bespoke Mother of the Bride hat, you may like to:

 

 

When you feel you would like to talk with me about your New Hat, please get in touch via the website or by telephone on 07968 337446 to arrange your bespoke consultation here in my Winchester studio.

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