Beginning the search for your perfect wedding gown is an exciting time for a bride but that excitement can quickly turn to frustration and despair if the one’ proves elusive or even impossible to find.
Some brides have really specific ideas about what they want in a wedding dress, while others are just looking for a certain something that can be hard to find amongst off the peg’ gowns, however spectacular and in these cases, having a dress made to your specific requirements can be an ideal solution.
It’s a common misconception that having your wedding dress made by a dressmaker is a cheap solution, so if you’re thinking about bespoke for financial reasons then prepare to be disappointed. The quality materials and more importantly the skill that goes into making a dress with the same wow factor’ as a shop-bought designer gown usually mean that the price tag doesn’t differ much from what you’ll pay in a boutique bridal shop. The difference, however, is that you can be assured of a unique dress that not only fits you like a glove, but incorporates elements of your own ideas and personal style.
Finding a Dressmaker
The first step towards having your wedding dress custom made is to find a good dressmaker, and one of the best ways to do this is by word of mouth. Truly talented dressmakers are few and far between but their reputations tend to precede them, so ask around amongst family and friends and keep your ear to the ground in wedding circles for details on which dressmakers are worth talking to.
After that it’s a matter of making an appointment to discuss your requirements you may want to see more than one dressmaker at this stage, assuming you’re lucky enough to have more than one in your area. Listen carefully to what they say during these initial consultations you want somebody that is receptive to your ideas, but realistic about what can be achieved both in terms of practicality and budget. Ask to see examples of their work; most good dressmakers will keep a portfolio of photos and maybe even a few samples for you to look at.
Also, find out how they like to work some dressmakers prefer to stick pretty closely to a pattern, while others have some design experience as well and can help you create a more individual gown. Finally, get some quotes and remember that cheapest isn’t always best! A dressmaker worth their salt will always charge a little more than their less talented counterparts.
The process
Once you’ve decided who will be making your dress and discussed some initial ideas, the process is fairly straightforward. You’ll need to have a more in-depth discussion about your exact requirements, and once the final design is pinned down, the dressmaker will need to take your measurements.
You’ll also need to decide on fabrics and there are a number of factors to consider, from budget constraints to characteristics of the various materials available. Your personal preference will of course come into play here, but you should trust your dressmaker’s professional opinion about what will work best for your particular design as well. Often the best thing is to go along on a fabric shopping trip so you can see and touch the fabric on the roll to help you better understand how the finished dress will look.
When you’ve finalized the design and purchased your fabric, it’s time for the exciting part! Your dressmaker will begin to construct your dress, beginning either with a muslin toile’ or mock-up of the dress (worthwhile if your fabric is very expensive, or if you’re finding it hard to form hard and fast ideas about what you want) or by constructing a shell of your gown in your chosen fabric. At your first fitting, you’ll be able to try this on so that the fit can be tweaked before extra elements like boning or lining can be added. It’s important to consider lingerie at this stage and if possible, purchase your bridal underwear so you can wear it for each fitting. Subsequent fittings will be needed to perfect the fit of your gown and at this stage you can make other decisions such as how low you want the neckline of your gown to be, or how long you’d like your train.
You can also play around with embellishments and other design details until you find what works best before your final fitting, during which you should try on your dress with your lingerie, shoes and accessories to ensure you’re happy with the overall look. Your dressmaker will then make any final tweaks before removing all loose threads and having your dress pressed or steamed, then bagged and hung ready for the big day and your big moment in the spotlight!
