Hi, I'm getting married in a year and a half, and am planning to wear my mom's wedding dress. I'd like to honor her memory (she passed away when I was little), so I'd like to wear this dress...or at least some version of it. First off, it is several sizes too big, so it will be a job for the seamstress to make it fit (it's a size 10-12 right now, and I'm a size 2). Also, it is a Victorian style, with ruffles and lace and a high collar. Everything from the waist down (A-line, train) is beautiful, and it would have been exactly what I would have picked myself. However, all the lace and ruffles going on from the waist up is too much and is too costume-y. And the lace itches.
I have some ideas about how to re-style the dress--if the seamstress is good at his/her job, they should be able to do it--but my question is, how do I find someone that has this kind of expertise? A seamstress who specializes in wedding dresses, particularly re-styling older ones? If anyone else has had this same issue, let me know what you did.
Thanks!