Custom made dress?

lildropofsunshine

How do you go about getting a custom made dress, especially one that is based off a dress you’ve seen/tried on in stores? 

I still have lots of time before I need to choose and buy my dress and all that, but in order to get something that is 100% mine and unique at a much lower cost, I’m planning on having my aunt make my dress (and yes, she is fully qualified, she makes wedding and other dresses for a living, and she has made me a custom formal gown before so I know her work first hand as well). 

I still need to go shopping with my mom which I’ll do at Christmas, but I’m pretty sure I know what I want in a dress already.

My biggest concern is fitting. I live in NY and my aunt is in NH. Yes, the dress she made me before fit perfectly, but I know wedding dresses are a lot more complicated.

Anyone else get a custom dress?

aliwis000

I did not get a custom dress but if I were in your shoes I would just ask your aunt.

I am sure she gets these questions all the time if she works with brides making wedding dresses.

She should be able to tell you want to look for etc. I would imagine you would take her with you when you go shopping so she can start to see your style etc.

Just my thought! HTH!

lildropofsunshine

I can't go shopping with her because like I said, I'm in NY and she's in NH...I can send her pictures, but that's about the best I can do.

STARMOON44

Can she drive down for a day? Or you could drive up to Boston and meet her there? I do think you need to anticipate getting yourself to and from NH 2 or 3 times for fittings at least.

lildropofsunshine

Boston?

Anyway, I may be able to get to her in NH or have her come to me, but I absolutely can't count on it because I will [hopefully] be working as a nurse, so my free time could be very limited. We'll see once I get closer to everything though. I still need to decide on what I want for a dress!

lembaslover

I have a custom made dress. I got it for a much cheaper price on a website online. The owner has a small store but it was in like South Dakota or something like that and I'm in Maine. I opted for custom sizing so I had my mom help me get all of the measurements she required. When I got the dress and tried it on it fit perfectly! I wasn't involved in the process of that so I can't help you there but it sounds like if your aunt is good at making dresses then she should have no problem getting your measurements to fit. 

I had a corset back that way it would allow for small differences either in her dress making or because I'm trying (unsuccessfully so far) to loose weight and wanted to give myself the room to do it without the pressure of it being a week before my wedding and I need to drop 2 inches or the back wont zip up. Plus I think the corset looks really nice. 

I don't know where you are in NY but I'm from western NY and now live in Maine it's only like a 7.5hr drive and part of it is through NH so it really shouldn't be a big deal to either meet in the middle or even if one of you has to go the whole way. I make weekend trips a couple times a year and it's not a big deal.

Maggie0829

lildropofsunshine said:

Boston?

Anyway, I may be able to get to her in NH or have her come to me, but I absolutely can't count on it because I will [hopefully] be working as a nurse, so my free time could be very limited. We'll see once I get closer to everything though. I still need to decide on what I want for a dress!

Starmoon probably suggested Boston as a midway point for both of you.

lildropofsunshine

Maggie0829 said:

lildropofsunshine said:

Boston?

Anyway, I may be able to get to her in NH or have her come to me, but I absolutely can't count on it because I will [hopefully] be working as a nurse, so my free time could be very limited. We'll see once I get closer to everything though. I still need to decide on what I want for a dress!

Starmoon probably suggested Boston as a midway point for both of you.

Maybe. I was just a bit confused. Boston isn't halfway for me though -- my aunt is about 6 1/2 hours away, and Boston is about 5 1/2 hours away.

TrixieJess

I haven't had a custom made wedding dress, but my mother made one for my aunt for her wedding. I had to help her with some of the finicky things at the end. Keep in mind that simple is better and that you will need fittings at each stage of the structure. If you want a corset top or anything with boning, you will need several fittings to make sure that it fits properly before zippers or buttons can be sewn. 

As well, keep in mind things like crinolines and trains that will need to be hemmed. This will require you to have your shoes ahead of time. So keep this all in mind when picking a style.

Maggie0829

lildropofsunshine said:

Maggie0829 said:

lildropofsunshine said:

Boston?

Anyway, I may be able to get to her in NH or have her come to me, but I absolutely can't count on it because I will [hopefully] be working as a nurse, so my free time could be very limited. We'll see once I get closer to everything though. I still need to decide on what I want for a dress!

Starmoon probably suggested Boston as a midway point for both of you.

Maybe. I was just a bit confused. Boston isn't halfway for me though -- my aunt is about 6 1/2 hours away, and Boston is about 5 1/2 hours away.

She was probably guessing. since you said you live in NY and she lives in NH.  It was just a thought.  No more then that.

lildropofsunshine

I want a ballgown with a corset back. I was actually just talking to my aunt last night about the dress and she's super excited about making it for me!

TrixieJess

lildropofsunshine said:

I want a ballgown with a corset back. I was actually just talking to my aunt last night about the dress and she's super excited about making it for me!

You do realise that this will require several fittings. You will be going back and forth to your Aunt's. This is a dress that has to be fitted exactly to your frame. 

lildropofsunshine

TrixieJess said:

lildropofsunshine said:

I want a ballgown with a corset back. I was actually just talking to my aunt last night about the dress and she's super excited about making it for me!

You do realise that this will require several fittings. You will be going back and forth to your Aunt's. This is a dress that has to be fitted exactly to your frame. 

I'm sure we'll figure it out. What we did last time was she sent me a mock-up and I had it pinned then sent it back and she then made the actual thing. And doesn't having a lace-up back make things easier to fit? I'm also lucky because I'm pretty much a true bridal size 12. With many of the dresses I've tried on in that size, the only alterations that would be needed are hemming and bustling.

TrixieJess

lildropofsunshine said:

TrixieJess said:

lildropofsunshine said:

I want a ballgown with a corset back. I was actually just talking to my aunt last night about the dress and she's super excited about making it for me!

You do realise that this will require several fittings. You will be going back and forth to your Aunt's. This is a dress that has to be fitted exactly to your frame. 

I'm sure we'll figure it out. What we did last time was she sent me a mock-up and I had it pinned then sent it back and she then made the actual thing. And doesn't having a lace-up back make things easier to fit? I'm also lucky because I'm pretty much a true bridal size 12. With many of the dresses I've tried on in that size, the only alterations that would be needed are hemming and bustling.

No, the boning has to be fitted to you first. The seams all have to line up properly. Corsets are very difficult to make properly. My mother took two years of bra making in order to be able to make dresses with bras and corsets in them and they are difficult as heck! It's one of the reasons that wedding seamstresses make a lot of money on alterations.

lildropofsunshine

Oh. Never would've guessed because my dress that she made for me has boning in it and a zip up back and it only took about 2 weeks for the whole production and shipping process back and forth.

TrixieJess

lildropofsunshine said:

Oh. Never would've guessed because my dress that she made for me has boning in it and a zip up back and it only took about 2 weeks for the whole production and shipping process back and forth.

Then you are very lucky to have a very good seamstress who is good at what she does. This is one of the reasons a) wedding dresses are costly and b) alterations are costly.

lildropofsunshine

TrixieJess said:

lildropofsunshine said:

Oh. Never would've guessed because my dress that she made for me has boning in it and a zip up back and it only took about 2 weeks for the whole production and shipping process back and forth.

Then you are very lucky to have a very good seamstress who is good at what she does. This is one of the reasons a) wedding dresses are costly and b) alterations are costly.

It helps that she's been making dresses for eons! She was making them before my cousin got married...and that was I'd say at least 12 years ago, I'm pretty sure more.

TrixieJess

lildropofsunshine said:

TrixieJess said:

lildropofsunshine said:

Oh. Never would've guessed because my dress that she made for me has boning in it and a zip up back and it only took about 2 weeks for the whole production and shipping process back and forth.

Then you are very lucky to have a very good seamstress who is good at what she does. This is one of the reasons a) wedding dresses are costly and b) alterations are costly.

It helps that she's been making dresses for eons! She was making them before my cousin got married...and that was I'd say at least 12 years ago, I'm pretty sure more.

Eons is before 12 years ago...ahhh...to be young...

lildropofsunshine

TrixieJess said:

lildropofsunshine said:

TrixieJess said:

lildropofsunshine said:

Oh. Never would've guessed because my dress that she made for me has boning in it and a zip up back and it only took about 2 weeks for the whole production and shipping process back and forth.

Then you are very lucky to have a very good seamstress who is good at what she does. This is one of the reasons a) wedding dresses are costly and b) alterations are costly.

It helps that she's been making dresses for eons! She was making them before my cousin got married...and that was I'd say at least 12 years ago, I'm pretty sure more.

Eons is before 12 years ago...ahhh...to be young...

I'm not that young. At least I don't feel it. But it's hard to when you grew up real quick with your family moving 3000 miles away and being 15 years older than your youngest sibling.