Made your own wedding dress?

sjb1024

I've always thought it would be cool to make/design my own gown . Because my budget will most likely be too tight to afford most of the gowns I would want, it seems like a nice way to get my "dream dress."  It wouldn't be anything insanely difficult, but it's a bit more difficult than things I've done in the past.  I was just wondering if anyone had done it before and could offer advice. Thanks!

kkpantzlaff

I am doing something similar for my dress (and I'm also a bridal seamstress, so I do this for clients a lot too.)  I browsed the $99 rack at a bunch of stores until I found a dress that was a good base, and now I'm fancying it up to my liking (I'm changing the neckline, adding some flower detail, and maybe adding a train)

If you can envision it, it's often easier to create a completely different look by changing the neckline, straps, adding overlays, adding trim, removing trim, etc. than to make a dress from scratch.    Any dress that has good bones will work.  Good luck!

(and if it's not too vendor-y to offer, I'd be happy to answer any questions you have)

cqbride

When I got engaged, every other professional seamstress that I talked to warned me off of making my own dress. They cautioned me that wedding planning is hectic enough, and that only makes it more so. In the end, I had it made for me. No, it didn't save me any money, but it was a wonderful experience and the only enjoyable part of the actual planning process. In retrospect, I am so very glad that I didn't make my own dress.

Sue-n-Kevin

I haven't made my dress yet, but plan on it. I've got over 30 years of sewing experience however, so if you have enough experience and don't plan on gaining or losing a lot of weight, go for it.

I'd also caution you to take into account what's been said already. How many other things are you doing DIY? Can you manage it all? I have over 18 months to do everything I need to get done, so I'm not in a rush.

Having said that, I found a picture of a dress that I loved. I lucked out and found dupioni silk for $5 a yard at Joann's and bought the whole bolt of 12 yards. The wedding dress pattern I bought is a simple A-line with a sweetheart neck. I want some ruching on the top, and found a separate pattern with a top like that and will work the two together. If you have a lot of sewing experience, you can do it. Remember though that working with chiffons, silk or satin is difficult even for seasoned sewers. There are a ton of trims and beadings you can buy at sewing stores to make it lovely.

I do like the recommendation above to find something really cheap that has "good bones" and change it to match your dream. This is especially true if you can't get the fabric you want at a discount, because bridal fabrics can be VERY expensive, particularly if you want laces.

I will however tell you that it's best to make your first try out of muslin which is inexpensive and you can make any mistakes on that.

Good luck.