Making My Wedding Dress - Part 1: Inspiration
It feels like one of those cliché things that a girl always dreams of her wedding day. But for me, in some ways, that was true. And now that I have found my perfect man, I’m planning this dream wedding day to be the culmination of everything my partner and I love and to be my greatest creative project yet. Of all the details that I thought about in planning for this day, the wedding dress was never a super clear vision for me... until lately. Shortly after we got engaged I was struck with a thought ‘what if I made my wedding dress?’ I’ve been sewing clothing as a devoted hobby for only a few years, my skill levels have evolved quite a bit, although I would in no way consider myself an expert. Once the thought entered my head, however, it grew and grew until it became an external declaration ‘I am going to make my wedding dress!’ It’s a fun sentence to say and I love seeing the looks on people’s faces when I say it, a mixture of excitement and maybe a little skepticism.
To me, designing and creating my wedding dress is more than just saving money on a gown (although that certainly plays a role). I am coming to realize this feels like an incredibly personal journey that I am embarking on. This process not only results in a one-of-a-kind heirloom garment that I can pass down but also serves as a meaningful reflection of who I am. I want to document and share this journey for a few reasons. I want to always remember this process with its ups and downs, filled with the successes and mistakes I’ll inevitably make along the way. And maybe I’ll find someone going through this process too, maybe it’ll help them.
So. I’ve declared my intentions... now what? I asked this very same question on a Seamwork message board and got some incredible insight. I’ll link it here if you’d like to reference it. But like anything, the first step is pulling inspiration. I started by pinning anything that grabbed my attention to see what themes would immerge. Below were some of my favorites. As you can see it’s vintage-inspired, with lots of lace, traditional elements like buttons down the back and botanical-inspired motifs.
My inspiration
A very special heirloom
One other very significant aspect to my handmade dress would be to use elements from my mother’s dress. She so graciously is allowing me to take any part of her dress for me to incorporate. I cannot fully express how meaningful this is to me. We’re going to get it cleaned since it’s been storage for a few decades or so but otherwise it was in excellent condition. It’s a little Princess Diana for my overall desired look (it is from 1990 after all!) but I think some of the lace or beading could be incorporated seamlessly into the design.
Trying on dresses
Two weekends ago I went with some of my girlfriends to try on some dresses. My goal was to see what dresses would really work for me, i.e. my body height and type and also how comfortable I would be. Also, wAdmittedly I was nervous. Going to a bridal boutique felt like being accepted into some kind of exclusive club but when else would I have the opportunity to go? Turns out it was way more fun than I could have hoped. Shout out to my best friends, Michelle and Mia, who really showed up too. They were furiously taking notes and photos, so detail-oriented and really just the best hype women. Fueled by coffee and probably a little adrenaline I tried on maybe a dozen or so dresses. None of them felt like the one but there were definitely some elements that I liked and would want to incorporate in my design. I also got a really good sense of fabrics and layering that I think will be so useful later. Overall, it was a great experience and I highly recommend that even if you know you’re making your dress this experience was invaluable.
So what did I think?
So I pulled some inspiration images, I tried on some dresses and I really spent some time reflecting on this dress and here is everything I know so far:
This bodice must have a sweetheart neckline. I just felt like it flattered me perfectly and I just felt so delicate and pretty in it.
I probably won’t have sleeves. This realization took me some time to accept. I tried on a number of dresses that had longer sleeves it, not pictured above, and I just didn’t like it. I wanted to, especially since so many of the inspiration images I pulled had longer sleeves. But I think my favorite sleeve was actually the off the shoulder option. I think I am going to make it detachable for better mobility throughout the night.
Buttons down the back of the dress is a must. It is just so charming! I think I am going to make mine decorative though and have the dress come together with an invisible zipper.
My dress is going to be pretty simple in design. I really thought I was going to love a lot of lace appliques and intricate details but when I tried on those dresses I just felt like it was... too much. I think there might be some detail in the lace but definitely not as much as I thought there would be.
A BLUSHER VEIL! Not pictured above, but I did try on a cathedral train blusher veil and absolutely adored it. It made me feel absolutely giddy. I think this could be a good opportunity for me to incorporate some of my moms dress as well.
I think I found the patterns!
What I thought was going to be more elusive was actually finding a pattern that would check some of the main structural boxes but still allow me to add on some of the elements I loved from trying on dresses. After not even that long searching I actually think I found them! For the dress I think I am going to use McCall’s M7718 with the addition of the train and off the shoulder sleeves, although make them detachable. The shape is exactly what looked best on me when trying them on. Best part is that this pattern was $4.99! I’m so excited I can hardly contain it! I also purchased a Butterick Veil pattern collection that includes a trimmed blusher veil which is absolutely what I want.
So what’s next?
I feel like I was able to accomplish so much in just the few short months of my research and development. It’s helping with some of the initial anxiety I had going into what feels like a monumental project. Once my pattern arrives in the mail (yes, I am going analog) I want to start getting into the fabric search. I think I am feeling more daunted about buying fabric than anything else truth be told! If you have any great resources please leave them in the comments below.
Thanks for following along, until next time!
