Dresses by style and occasion
An engagement party dress has two quite different jobs. If the party is yours, it is the dress in every photograph shared afterwards, and plenty of women choose white or ivory for it. As a guest, you want to look dressed for a celebration while leaving that pale end of the colour chart to the woman getting engaged. We make both to order in Pakistan and ship them to wherever the party is: ten designs, from an ivory frock trimmed with gold lace to gowns that reach the floor, in S to XL or cut to your own measurements, with every change written into your quote before we cut.
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Quick answer
The Gilded Seam makes engagement party dresses to order in Pakistan, for the woman getting engaged and her guests. Six embroidered designs can be made on a white base, and two frocks are already ivory with gold. Every dress comes in S to XL or cut to your measurements, and can be made sleeveless. Making takes 5 to 7 working days after your quote is paid.
10 designs
Each design is made to order in your size or to your measurements. The pictures are design previews made before sewing, so the finished piece is confirmed in your written quote.
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10 designs shown
£127Regular £159· 20% offDesign previewSale20% OFFfrocks · party
An ivory organza frock with gold lace across the bodice and shoulders, sheer flutter sleeves and a layered skirt edged with a gold lace border.
£100Regular £125· 20% offDesign previewSale20% OFFfrocks · party
An ivory and gold brocade frock with puff elbow sleeves, a fitted bodice and a full skirt.
£87Regular £109· 20% offDesign previewSale20% OFFdresses · everyday
An ivory maxi dress with a round neck, long balloon sleeves and a full gathered skirt, embroidered with colourful wildflowers on the sleeves and along the hem.
£87Regular £109· 20% offDesign previewSale20% OFFdresses · eid
A royal blue floor-length dress with a V-neck, a square embroidered yoke and embroidered cuffs in silver and white, flowing into a full flared skirt.
£112Regular £140· 20% offDesign previewSale20% OFFdresses · eid
An emerald green anarkali-style frock with a round neck and long sleeves, a floral embroidered bodice and a full flared skirt with scattered motifs and a deep border.
£79Regular £99· 20% offDesign previewSale20% OFFdresses · party
A powder blue fit-and-flare dress with a square neck and long sleeves, embroidered with trailing wisteria across the bodice and sleeves.
£76Regular £95· 20% offDesign previewSale20% OFFdresses · everyday
A lilac tiered midi dress with a round neck, long gathered sleeves and a floral embroidered bodice, finished with an embroidered scalloped hem.
£68Regular £85· 20% offDesign previewSale20% OFFdresses · everyday
A rust wrap dress with a tie at the waist and long sleeves, embroidered with ginkgo leaves along the wrap edge and around the cuffs.
£56Regular £70· 20% offSale20% OFFeveryday · party · dresses
A floor-length chiffon maxi with a split band collar, full balloon sleeves gathered at the cuff, and three soft tiers. In seven colours.
£127Regular £159· 20% offDesign previewSale20% OFFfrocks · party
A rose gold sequin gown with a V-neck on fine straps, fitted to the hip and falling to the floor, with straps that cross over an open back.
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White has become the usual choice for the woman getting engaged at a Western party: it feels like a celebration and picks you out in a room full of guests. It need not look like a wedding. A frock that stops below the knee, or a long dress with colour in its embroidery, says engagement rather than ceremony, and you will wear it again.
Three of the designs here are ivory as drawn. Six of our embroidered dresses, the Wildflower among them, can also be made on a white base, agreed in your quote:
Pure white is bright and cool, ivory carries a little warmth, and off-white covers the whole family of soft whites, as telling the whites apart explains. Ivory is often easier to wear close to the face and under warm restaurant lighting; a crisp white looks sharp outdoors in daylight. If you have a shade in mind, attach a daylight photo of it to your quote request. Screens shift colour slightly and most pictures here are design previews, so expect a small difference in shade.
Plenty of women skip white for the engagement and keep it for the wedding. A soft colour still sets you apart if it is clearly yours: the Tiered Maxi in Rose Pink or Lavender for an afternoon party, the powder blue Wisteria, or the rose gold gown for an evening dinner. Tell your closest friends what you will wear, so nobody turns up in the same shade.
Expect three kinds of picture: close-ups of your hand with the ring, the two of you together, and wide group shots. For the close-ups, a sleeve that ends neatly at the wrist frames the hand, as the embroidered cuffs on the Royal Blue Yoke Dress and the Emerald Rose Anarkali do, while the short flutter sleeves on the gold lace frock leave the whole arm clear. Stark white can lose its detail under a flash, so embroidery, lace or a woven pattern gives the camera something to catch; see which colours photograph well.
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As a guest, the one firm rule is to leave white, ivory and cream to the woman getting engaged, unless the hosts have asked everyone to come in white. After that, read the invitation for the time and the place, and pitch your outfit a step above a birthday dinner and a step below a wedding. If the couple come from a South Asian family, our guide on what to wear to an engagement party as a guest covers the mangni side.
These seven work well for a guest, in the colours they are drawn in:
Mid-tones and jewel shades are the safest bet: they look festive and stand apart from a white or ivory dress in the photographs. Pastels such as lavender, sage and powder blue suit a garden or an afternoon, while navy, maroon, emerald and royal blue hold their own at a dinner. Black is usually fine at an evening party, though some families prefer brighter colours at a happy occasion, so ask the hosts if you are unsure. Steer clear of very pale shades that could pass for white in a picture. For more ideas, see our wedding guest dresses and party dresses.
Close family tend to stand next to the couple in every group photograph, so it is worth agreeing colours between you beforehand: one shade worn in different designs, or a few colours that sit well side by side. Dresses for several people can go into one quote request, each cut to its wearer’s own measurements; ordering several outfits at once shows how to set that out.
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The venue usually tells you more than any dress code on the card, if the card mentions one at all. This is how the designs on this page fit the usual settings:
A midi ends between the knee and the lower calf; a maxi reaches the ankle or the floor. A midi is easier for daytime, dancing, steps and grass, and it shows off your shoes. A maxi feels more formal and keeps you warmer on a cool evening. The frocks can be made at any length from the knee to the floor, and the embroidered dresses can be cut longer or shorter than drawn. Measure in the shoes you will wear and tell us where the hem should stop. Midi or maxi explains how height moves both, and our midi dresses and maxi dresses have more at each length.
Any dress on this page can be made sleeveless, which makes sense for a summer party in Sydney or an outdoor evening in Dubai. Choose Sleeveless on the order form or write it in the changes box, and it is confirmed in your quote. Going the other way, the rose gold gown can be given short, elbow, three quarter or full length sleeves, and the sleeves on the gold lace and brocade frocks can be made longer. If your arms will be bare, send an armhole measurement too; why sleeveless armholes gape explains why.
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In Pakistani and other South Asian families the engagement is often a mangni or ring ceremony. Some are a few relatives at home with tea and mithai; others take a hall with a stage and a photographer. Rings are exchanged in front of both families, elders may give a blessing, and the woman getting engaged spends much of the time seated while relatives come over to congratulate her. Many families pick a festive colour rather than white for a mangni, so check before you decide.
The Emerald Rose Anarkali is a natural place to start: a closely fitted embroidered bodice, long sleeves with embroidered cuffs, and a full skirt to the floor that settles neatly when you sit, its deep border showing in seated photographs. It can be made in emerald as drawn, on a white base, or in another colour agreed in your quote. The Royal Blue Yoke Dress, with its V-neck set inside a square yoke, works the same way. We do not make lehengas, or the outfit you will marry in. For a suit with trousers and a dupatta, the suits on our Pakistani wedding clothes page work for a mangni too.
Dress a notch above a dawat and a notch below the wedding events: a long dress with some embroidery, in a cheerful colour, is right for most. The Emerald Rose Anarkali and the Royal Blue Yoke Dress already have long sleeves and reach the floor, while the Wisteria and the Lilac Tiered Dress suit an afternoon at home. Some ceremonies include prayers when women cover their heads, so bring a scarf. For something to wear again at Eid, see our Eid outfits, and for the dholki, mehndi and the rest, what to wear to every wedding event.
Engagement parties can come round quickly, so start as soon as the date is fixed. Making takes 5 to 7 working days from the day your written quote is approved and paid in full, and shipping follows, taking a time that depends on your country. Put the party date in your quote request with the design, your size or measurements marked as body or garment, and any changes, such as a white base or a new hem length. Nothing is cut until it is all agreed in writing, and the quote covers delivery to your door with any import duty and taxes, so nothing is left to pay on arrival. See planning ahead for made to measure.
In close-up
Necklines, sleeves and backs from this collection. Tap a name to see every view of that design.
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Design previewYour choices
Initials, a name or a monogram can be embroidered too: tell us the letters and where you would like them, and we confirm the size and thread in your quote.
Anything else you would like changed, ask in your quote request and we tell you honestly whether it can be done.
How to order
Delivery to the UK
Quoted and paid in pounds. Your quote includes delivery to your door and any import VAT, duty and courier fees, so there is nothing to pay when the parcel arrives. Ordering from the UK
Delivery to the UAE
Choose to be quoted in US dollars, euros or pounds. Delivery to any emirate and the import charges are included in the quote. Ordering from the UAE · the Gulf
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FAQ
Yes, and many women do. Three designs on this page are ivory as drawn, and six embroidered dresses, including the Wildflower Maxi and the Royal Blue Yoke Dress, can be made on a white base, agreed in your quote. A daylight photo of the shade you want helps us match it.
Something festive that is clearly not white, ivory or cream. Check the time and venue on the invitation: pastels and midi lengths suit a garden or a lunch, while deeper colours and floor length dresses suit an evening dinner or a hall. Ask the hosts if there is a colour theme.
As soon as you know the date. Making takes 5 to 7 working days once your written quote is approved and paid in full, and shipping time depends on your country. Put the party date in your quote request and leave spare time for the parcel, because we cannot promise arrival by a set day.
Yes. Any dress here can be made sleeveless. Choose it on the order form or write it in the changes box, and it is confirmed in your quote. Send an armhole measurement too, so the edge lies close to the body.
No. We make engagement party dresses, wedding guest dresses and outfits for the events around a wedding, but not the dress you will marry in, and not lehengas. The one exception is a bridal abaya, made to measure like our other abayas.
Ready when you are
Send the design you like with your size or measurements, and we reply with a written quote.
No commitment until you approve your written quote.
