Hey Babes!
Super exciting news- I got married! Yes, finally it was my turn to pour over guest lists, pick the perfect wedding dress, try to coral a gang of bridesmaids (more on that to follow) and just stress out in general, and let me say, I have a WHOLE lot more respect for all of you brides-to-be out there! Whew!
So, one of the biggest things I got asked (and still get asked) is did you make your own wedding dress?
No. I did not make my dress start to finish, BUT I did take a more simple and elegant gown I picked out from Ever After Bridal in Cleveland, TN and made some alterations...
Today, I am so excited to share with my wedding dress story!
How do you know that your wedding dress is meant for you?
Okay, so I know a LOT of people have asked and answered this question the same way I am going to but really there is no better way to describe it- You just know. There's not a lot of ifs and buts and questioning to the process. You have this knowledge of just "This is it." For some people, it brings them to tears, for others, they don't realize that dress is the one until they have tried on others and realize in their mind they are comparing everything to that favorite dress. The specifics of how you know "This is the one" vary but the premise of "you just know" stays the same. For me, it was no different.
I walked into Ever After Bridal one day to meet with some of my appointments at the shop and BAM! Bianca by Maggie Sottero had just come in and they had her on a riser in the front of the store and AS SOON as I saw her, I knew she was the one! Honestly, I didn't even have to try her on or anything. After working with lots of wedding dresses I already knew the style that looked good on me and what vibe I wanted, and Bianca checked all the boxes! It was love at first sight.
So before I even had a date or a venue, I had my dress ordered!
Now, you all know I had to made it a little extra special, so when it came in July of 2018, I set to work!
The first step was to add that pop of color... Now for a bride, I felt the best pop of color would be a soft blue (for that something blue) so I found and ordered several yards of a soft blue silk organza and added it under the ruffle in the front of the dress! Perfection!
Once the blue detail was added, it made the flowers pop so much better and you could see the leaves that no one had even noticed before! I then took the pearl centers of the flowers out and replaced them with some dark blue glass beads to mirror the Anemone flowers my florist was putting into my bouquet! One the flowers started popping, the fun part began!
For a different feel, I had ordered some silk butterflies for our boutonnieres as well as to put in my maid of honor's hair. So I added a few of these to the dress and realized I just wanted more of a garden feel! By then we had decided to get married in an outdoor courtyard with a floral arbor so I really wanted to mirror this garden fairytale feel on my dress!
So the spiderweb began to slowly come together on the side along with three tiny pearl spiders, from there I pulled out some old beads and the rapidly turned into tiny dragonflies and itty-bitty- pearl caterpillars! Still, I just wasn't sure that it was enough.
So I pulled out my old stash of embroidery floss my mother had passed on to me and began stitching away! Tiny pale blue swirls started to work their way down the dress with clear glass beads intertwined for the feeling of a fresh morning dew!
Alright! I was almost done with all of my customization, BUT with so much detail on the front, I felt that the back just needed a little something extra to make it shine. With a little brainstorming, I came up with the idea to add detail by adding sparkly buttons after every third covered button and voila! I had sparkle on both the front and the back! I stored the dress in the bag and left it at Ever After until the magical day finally came!
The afternoon of my wedding, my maid of honor somehow zipped me into that dress (despite my coffee and macaron filled tummy and off I headed to my first look with my groom!
What do you think? Do you love custom dresses or are you more a fan of traditional styles? Comment below with your thoughts!
