Dresses & Gowns

The process of having your bridal gown custom made by a designer is well worth the effort. And the internet has made designing your own custom wedding dress online  much easier.  Here is a step by step guide to you create a custom wedding dress or your dreams:

1. Timeframe  ~ Custom wedding gowns typically take less time to make than ordering a designer brand.  On average it can take anywhere from 2 to 4 months to make, depending on the complexity of the design and how busy the dressmaker is and how far in advance they require a booking. Be wary of shops that offer 30-40 day delivery.  This is a typical promise from many of the Asia based online bridal shops.  However, you never want to risk not getting your wedding dress on time.  Order as in advance as possible is always best.  In general you should start looking around as soon as you can, and allow at least 6 to 8 months wherever possible.  Smaller dressmakers could make a wedding gown in 3 months, but larger businesses will need more time to coordinate their orders.
2. Budget ~ Despite popular belief, it is not necessarily more expensive to buy a custom made wedding gown versus an off the rack bridal gown.  Compared to David’s Bridal and exclusive designer label bridal gowns, a custom made wedding dress is in most cases the better value when you consider the quality of workmanship, originality of design and the fact that you are getting exactly what you want in YOUR size, color and style with little to no alterations.  A smaller sized dressmaker with lower overhead has a lot to offer in terms of value for money and friendly personal service.  Depending on the quality, fabrics selected and amount of work involved, most custom couture style bridal gowns will cost anywhere between $600 to $5000. I’ve found the old adage to be true, ‘You get what you pay for’.  Be cautious of custom bridal gowns offered well below $500, as this is typically accomplished by using the cheapest fabrics and beading available.  Also not much in the way of customer service is offered at this price point as vendors able to achieve lower prices are depending on volumes and will make the sale and hopefully deliver and usually you are lucky if anything more in the way of customer service or support is offered should you encounter a delay or snag with your order.  A tip to keep the price down, is to try to reduce the amount of hand work such as beading or embroidery, and keep the style simple.  Using man-made fibers such as polyester rather than silk can help reduce the price however, the bulk of cost is in the labor. 
3. Choose Your Bridal Style ~Before you choose your dressmaker and design your own wedding gown, take time to look around and try on different styles at your local bridal shop.  Try on different skirt and bodice shapes to see which ones flatter your figure best. The most flattering shapes will disguise your weaker points and highlight your strongest, and it is wise to keep an open mind and consider all options.  Also identify styles that do not flatter your figure, so you can eliminate them from your list of possibilities.  Color selection can also be aided by trying on gowns in various colors to see which shades suit your skin and hair coloring.  Don’t be afraid to seek advice from the salesperson, and bring a friend along to give you an honest opinion. Collect pictures of gowns that you like for one reason or another (sleeve, neckline, color, fabric, etc.) and use these pictures to help describe to your dressmaker the bridal style you are after.
4. Choose Your Dressmaker ~Finding the right designer dressmaker is key and may require a bit of research.  Look in the classified section of your favorite bridal magazine online or in print. Modern Bride, the Knot and Wedding Channel are great places to start.  Also helpful search Yahoo! Under search terms like: custom wedding dresses.  Wedding service directories like weddingwire.com or topweddinglinks.com are also helpful., visit bridal exhibitions, and use the various internet wedding websites.Ask your friends and family if they can recommend anyone.  Word of mouth is the best advertisement a dressmaker can have.  You should look at the quality of their workmanship in their sample gowns, and inquire about their pricing.  
5. Design Your Gown ~Once you have chosen your dressmaker, the fun can begin.  Designing your own wedding dress should be very satisfying, exciting and enjoyable.  Be honest and tell your dressmaker exactly what you want, and let them guide you with their knowledge and experience.  They should be able to tell you if the bridal style you want will suite your figure and colorings, and they may suggest other alternatives to improve the look. With your budget in mind, let them give you a few options or variations on your style, and take a few days to think about it before you decide. 
6. Select Your fabrics ~While designing your dream bridal gown your dressmaker will suggest fabrics that are best suited to your preferred design.  The cut of the dress greatly affects the fabric selection.