There is something very special about a wedding dress. It is not just another dress you have picked from your closet or the neighborhood showroom. It is your dream dress. The dress! The same dress you probably spent hours making rough sketches of as a teenager, as you imagined yourself getting married to your first boyfriend, and the same dress you envisioned walking down the aisle in, Mamma Mia-style, as you witness the wedding scene playing out in a Hollywood romantic movie! Calling it “just a dress” might be the most impertinent thing ever, as for you this is a dress which holds in its delicate laces the hopes of a romantic heart, and in its slippery silk glides the love you hold for your sweetheart. It holds so many feelings and emotions in its tender thread and sparkling embellishments that it is only normal that you want it to be just perfect and fit your vision perfectly! And hence, the exciting search commences!
You have your inspiration ready and know just what you want, but as you dive into the sea of white dresses, trying one pretty dress after another, scouring bridal dress shops, and flipping through countless brochures and wedding magazines, your sparkling enthusiasm tends to dim a little. Nothing feels right and none of those perfect floaty dresses have spoken to you yet. You are still waiting on that soulmate dress to show up, the one which will dazzle you with its elegance and fall into you like pieces into a puzzle. Well, if you're a bride who hasn't found the right fit in a dress yet, have you considered custom wedding dresses? Known in the fashion world as "bespoke," this type of dress is envisioned from scratch, crafted with perfection, and tailored to a bride's unique specifications. Bespoke wedding gowns are for the square pegs in the round holes, the brides who want to personalize her dress to her liking, and find bits and pieces of dresses she loves and wants to combine into one dress. This is for the bride who wants a style that might not really be ‘trendy’ at this second, but it is what her heart is set on. It is for the brides who challenge the general demographic of the wedding industry and come in sizes that are not readily available in bridal stores. Any bride who wants to create their own fairytale wedding dress irrespective of the prevailing trends and available sizes, here is all that they need to know about getting a bespoke or custom wedding dress!
The process: So you have decided you want a custom wedding dress. Now what? The first step in designing a custom wedding dress is arranging for a consultation with your designer. You can ask your wedding planner or other wedding vendors for any recommendations for the same. Or you can also ask your newly married friends or family who got a custom dress done. Do online research and take a look at the custom gowns they’ve created and whether they complement your style. The consultation meeting is where the designer will ask for initial pieces of information like the theme, the color palette, the venue, and the season you will get married in, and what are the elements you definitely want in your dream dress. This is also the time when the designer gets the opportunity to assess the bride’s body type and recommend silhouettes accordingly! After the initial meeting, a fashion illustration of design options is made and both parties work to do modifications and finalize the design which is perfect as per the bride’s vision. After pinning down the final design, over 50 body measurements are taken to develop patterns with just the right fit. Accordingly, there is a mock-up created and there is a lot of fine-tuning of the fit which is done along the way. A custom wedding dress will typically require 2-3 fittings to perfect the form before the bride walks down the aisle in her unique creation.
The cost: You think of a bespoke wedding dress, and you can almost feel your pocket getting instantly lighter! While it is easy to think that any custom wedding dress will mean a major blow to your bank account, it is not always so! The cost of your custom wedding dress will depend largely on the complexity of the design and the cost of the materials. Talk to your designer with the specific budget in mind, and have them make recommendations based on your budget. Most of the time, they will be able to create something that you will love within the budget you have in mind. However, one thing you should consider is that the cost of a custom gown might seem a little steeper than a dress off the rack with a similar quality of the fabric, but a custom dress already includes costs for alterations. While you can buy a dress for a cheaper price tag, the alterations done later to get the perfect fit can be a significant added expense. While a custom dress might cost a little more, it is well worth it when you think about the made-to-order fittings, the uniqueness of the designs, and the way there is only one of its kind in the whole world! Customization is surely a beautiful expression of a bride's personal style and makes for a precious keepsake memory, something that is worth the added pennies!
The timeline: So how long does it take for a custom wedding dress to be ready for you? Honestly, the timeline for a custom wedding dress is entirely conditional on the designer’s prior commitments of work. The average timeline is 3-6 months, but for designers with quite a rave following, it might be wiser to approach sooner than that. If you are going for more intricate details like custom fabrics and more intense embroidery, the timeline can stretch accordingly, so talk to your designer to get clarity of when you can expect the dress. While some designers do have the flexibility to create a custom wedding dress at shorter notice, others do not deliver in anything less than 6 months, so do your research, especially if you are working with a time crunch!
Go dress shopping anyways! Not only going out and trying on a bunch of dresses with some of your closest friends can be a great bonding experience, but it is also fun, and provides you the opportunity to play dress up! Not only does it make a memorable experience, it is the perfect icebreaker if you are new to wedding dresses and helps you to better understand the silhouettes that look best on your body! While it is easy to like a trend, like a square neckline, and swear by it, actually trying it on might help you get a more graphic clarity on the said trend. On the other hand, you might stumble upon a trend or a cut that you never considered earlier but really end up loving! Take notes about things that you love and the things that you want to stay clear of!
Be led by your body. Know your body shape and what works for it. Don’t be led by a dress, but rather be led by your own body. A dress should fit your body and do it wonders, and not the other way around! What are the features you want to highlight, and what are the ones you want to keep under wraps? What makes you feel confident, and what brings out your insecurities? Look at your everyday dresses to tell you what is more flattering on you as compared to the other. Take a ruthlessly honest friend and go shopping to a store to just try on dresses and find a cut and shape of garment construction that works for you perfectly and go with that style of dress. No two bodies are the same and what works on you will not work on the next girl to walk in through the store doors and vice versa!
Let your dress be 'you'. You will feel great decades from now when you look back into your wedding pictures and see a dress that is truly true to your style and is something that you would still wear! So don't compromise on your basic style, and let your natural style come out, be it girly, edgy, classy, vintage bohemian, or retro! This way you will feel at ease on your wedding day and the dress will sit on your skin as a natural extension of you. Custom wedding dress also means you can express your special interests, be it fantasy, anime, or cottage core. This means you are bound by nothing but your imagination, and you can finally choose a dress which is really truly you. If you love a certain dress you want to recreate or a certain design you want to draw inspiration from, don't forget to bring as many pictures as possible so that your designer knows what you are expecting and suggests accordingly!
Find your best designer fit! Before you go ahead in your journey, go and find the custom designer who is the best fit for you! Ask your friends and family circle, go online, and look into reviews. Pay attention to their specific style and whether that matches yours. While it is much more convenient going with the first recommended custom designer you meet, what worked for your friend might not work for you! So go ahead and meet a couple of different options, check out samples, look at photographs, and take your call after that! We do believe the right designer makes all the difference, so once you meet the right designer, you will be several steps closer to your dream dress!
Talk about the budget. Custom wedding dresses can be a magical land, and it is easy to get swayed by additive and special features. And admittedly, it is very easy to lose sight of the budget, especially when that additional custom bow in the back might feel like it will make your wedding dress magical! So bring up the budget often from the very beginning, so that you and your designer are on the same page about price from the start line! This way they can refrain from suggesting material and techniques which are beyond your budget, and you would not fall in love with a dress that is way beyond your expected budget!
You decide your fit! As we said earlier, the dress should be made to fit you, and you shouldn't fit the dress. That is the reason why most people go 'custom' in the first place! So if you are not happy with the way a certain dress is fitting, you have the right to request for it to be altered. Be an advocate for your fit, because who else will? And don't say something is fine unless it absolutely is! Be vocal about your expectations and don't shy away from refittings, and we are sure your custom designer will be happy to help you get your best fit.
Don't forget to have fun! Designing your own wedding dress can be an exhilarating and amazing journey. It lets you and a professional come together to create your dream dress, and this is something that you will remember forever. So don't be too caught up in the details, dragged down by disappointments, and have fun instead! You will only do this once!
Connections lead to decisions. As you make the decision to spend your life with the person you love, it is backed by a connection that feels just right and serendipitous and makes you smile at how it is “meant to be.'' Like the stars aligned, and the universe collided to bring you to your perfect fit! So it is okay to strive for the same for your dream wedding dress! If you want your wedding dress to fit like a glove and feel like it is truly yours, go out there and make it happen! This is a dress that your spouse will remember you forever in. The dress which will mark your home’s hallways. The dress, your children and grandchildren will look back and marvel at. So if you are not ready to compromise and strive for the best, we urge you to do just that! If there was a dress worth the effort, it is this one- your wedding dress!
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