Instructions
I am very sorry, but, as this was my wedding dress, I am not selling the pattern I created. It is made up of multiple pieces; however, and I am sure that most of you would be able to come up with something similar by looking through available patterns out there.This dress is made up of a silk corset with a lace-up back; a 3 tiered silk skirt with a lace-up back (there are two buttons and ...
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Difficulty:
Category: Sewing
Type of item: Clothing
For: Women
Style: Victorian / Steampunk, Romantic, Traditional, Formal / Bridal, Classic
Materials
Silk, satin lining, illusion, chiffon, satin, pearls (fake and real), boning, trim, satin cording,
What was your inspiration?
Emilie Autumn.
I've seen her in gorgeous corsets and skirts that looked like beautiful messes falling apart, so I wanted to create a dress that was fairly simple in structure but had a very fantastic bustle (there is a layer of silk and three kinds of illusion and chiffon in the bustle- all of different colours).
Sandy Spika.
She created the dress in Taylor Swift's "Love Story" music video, and I loved the movement/ flow of the dress as she ran, so my dress is made of baby silk and has three layers of skirts (very heavy) to acheive that beautiful flowing effect.
Vera Wang.
Vera had a line of dresses that were all white with a shock of red feathers or flowers attached to the side. I was not a fan of the placement, and feathers had no place on my dress, but I loved the red. Using left over pieces cut from the red dresses of the shorter of my bridesmaids, I made satin roses and attached them to the back of my dress at the waist where the bustle meets the corset.
What are you most proud of?
Besides saving myself a few thousand dollars just by making my own wedding gown, I am probably most proud of how worry free the dress is. It was made as a lace-up, so If I lost or gained weight, it would still look good and would not need last minute alterations. I also made it so that the train and bustle were completely detachable. In this way, once the big ol' walk down the aisle was completed, and I was ready for a little dancing, I could remove the extra length and poof in minutes, so uncle what's his name who may have too much to drink wouldn't accidentally step on me as I walked by and tear my dress.
In addition, by removing the pieces instead of tucking them up, it also took off some extra weight that I didn't feel like carrying around all night- BONUS!
What advice would you give someone starting this project?
My first bit of advise (and this goes more so for those who are interested in making a wedding dress) is to make sure that you know what you are getting into. Not only are wedding dresses super special and important (because it is one of the main focus points on a brides day), but something like this needs a lot of structure and layers... and hand work.
Because a wedding dress is very important, I would also advise to do some recon. Go into a bridal boutique and try on some dresses of different styles and colours, so you know what would look best on you (this is an A-line borderline ballroom cut which looks good on most body types, but I used a cream colour as a base because my skin is pale, and diamond white would have made me look sickly); you don't want to spend a month or more working on a dress in your spare time just to try it on and realize you hate how it looks on you... and now you're out a couple hundred dollars and still need a dress.
Lastly, I would suggest you plan your timeline carefully. You need to make sure that you give yourself enough time, but that you keep it close enough to your wedding as you can if there are any weight changes happening. Unless you have someone on hand to fine tune your dress closer to the day (or if you've taken the time for a lace up) extra work on a wedding dress can cause a lot of extra stress that is not welcome to most brides.
Now I know that a lot of this advice may make the project sound a little daunting, but it's only meant to keep you on track if you are interested in a little DIY. I am a trained wedding planner and a seamstress, and even I had stress when I planned my own very DIY wedding, so I want to make sure I'm handing out the best advice I can to any interested DIYer.
My best advise for the bride to be who decides to make her dress or not. HAVE FUN. Not everything will go as planned, but you're marrying your best friend and that is the only thing that matters at the end of that day.
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