One of the most exciting parts of the wedding planning process is definitely choosing THE dress. I didn’t go about doing this in the conventional way most do. I found the dress I fell in love with in VIE Magazine’s wedding edition the summer before when we were in Florida and saved it. Unfortunately, it was a Berta Bridal gown that cost over 10k and was definitely very far outside my wedding budget. Since I knew exactly what I wanted I decided not to go dress shopping and just have my dress made from scratch!
I am very blessed to have an amazing woman in my life who kept me when I was little and is an unbelievable seamstress. Ms. Charlotte Lay took my dreams and truly made them a reality. I literally showed her a photo of the dress I loved and she pieced together different patterns to create it.
She took my measurements for my custom gown and then we picked out the fabric. We needed a lot of lace for the dress and got it from Hancock Fabrics. We had to get some from other stores shipped to us since the local one didn’t have enough. During this period of time Hancock Fabrics ended up closing our local store. We had gotten our fabric just in time!
We decided to alter the original dress idea so that the V in the front wasn’t as low to keep it more modest. We also added sewn in cups to eliminate the need for a bra which I highly recommend. Spanx were also a must because of the fitted aspect of the dress to avoid a show! I highly recommend bringing the exact undergarments and shoes you’ll be wearing to every fitting. This will help your dress to fit and look the best it can on you!
Since I got married on the beach I decided to go without shoes. Definitely don’t feel like you have to wear sky-high heels! Flats are definitely an option and bare feet too! I’m not really a heels type gal so even if I had gotten married in a different setting I doubt I would’ve worn anything with much height!
Another thing I never thought I’d want for my wedding day was a veil. It’s just not something I ever saw myself wearing. I ended up deciding a few weeks before the wedding that I wanted one. We luckily had leftover lace from my dress and my seamstress was able to create one. We went with a knee-length style and I loved it. It made me feel very bridal and I would recommend having one to any bride. This would definitely be an area you could cut costs by having your veil made instead of buying it in a store.
My biggest tip of all when choosing the dress is to not let too many people have an opinion. In the end you’re the one wearing the dress and if it makes you feel beautiful on your special day that’s all that matters! Have fun with the process and know that you will be a beautiful bride! Good luck with the dress process to all my future brides. Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll be glad to help!
Love,
Megan
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