Have Your Perfect Wedding Gown Made For Your Perfect Wedding

There are many reasons to have your wedding gown made for you and quite a few ways to accomplish this.

You may be hard to fit. Not every bride is going to look like a runway model. But every bride is going to want to look fabulous. Rather than having someone remake a bridal gown, have someone make it from scratch if you can find the fabrics and the right person to make it.

You may want something different. I look fabulous in black. I was being married in the middle of the winter in Pennsylvania. I was 55. White wasn't going to cut it! I was also being married in a big ol' drafty building. I wanted to be comfortable. Black Velvet was perfect for me. (a few borrowed diamonds? Whew!)
You may not be interested in current styles: If you have an era that is perfect for you, but you don't want, can't find, a vintage dress. Have it made!
Who's going to make it for you?


You can make it: if you know how to do this AND you're willing to start far enough in advance that you're not going to be sewing the night before the wedding, go ahead. I don't advise brides to do this if they're procrastinators. And you might not want to do this as your first sewing project.

You can make it with a friend: but only a very good friend who is going to both put up with and call you on the carpet for the hysterical "it's ruined, it'll never be what I want" rantings that move you toward a wedding gown.
A friend or family member can make it for you: If they're confident about doing it and willing to undertake it, it's great. A dear friend made mine. She was astonishing and so was my dress. Turns out she's a couture level seamstress and I have a dress to prove it.

A seamstress or tailor: There are still people who make clothing. This may not be the cheapest way to have a dress sewn, but it will still probably be cheaper than buying and it will be yours and yours alone! HINT: check references on lots of things. You don't want people who sew well if they're not timely. You sort of need your wedding dress before you waltz down the aisle at your wedding ceremony and make the wedding vows that will create your marriage!

It's not always easy finding someone who sews. Now, it's true, I know a lot of people so my odds are greater of knowing someone. But if I could find someone in nowhere Pennsylvania who did not just sewing, but design, my guess is you might too! And with a little work on Google or even a (gasp) phonebook, you could find someone. The woman who did my dress was a casual friend who became a very dear friend over the course of making my dress. It was a thoroughly wonderful experience! But once you've found someone to sew:


Find out what level of sewing they're comfortable with
Go pick a pattern. You may want to go together for this.
Get very good instructions about fabric. Either fabric determines pattern or pattern fabric, so decide which you'll choose first. (I was fabric first!)
Get all the necessities at once: lining, underlining, zipper, buttons, thread, trim. Whatever you're going to use, gather them at once. This is one more way to keep track of your budget. (Lining and underlining mean fewer uncomfortable undergarments!

Get this started early so it's finished early and hanging in your closet. It's always fun to be able to peek into a closet and say, "I'm getting married!" And then go on planning your wedding and your wonderful life with your sweetie beloved!



By Ann Keeler Evans