When the wonderful time of life finally arrives to commit to another, the choices for wedding gowns are endless but indulging your own fantasies and having the fortitude to stick to your own style can result in the most stunning and unique of wedding gowns when creating your own bespoke dress.
Many brides dream of their ideal dress but what does the process of creating your own bespoke gown actually involve and how long does it take? We take you through one bride's journey from bridal boutique disappointment to her beautiful bespoke wedding dress.
Like most newly engaged girls, Alisa was full of excitement as the time came to select her own wedding dress and via plenty of online research and a few Pinterest boards she had a good idea of what style she wanted. Alisa said, " I was one of those brides who had a fixed idea of which wedding dress I wanted. I was so in love with one Australian designer, that I immediately went to her boutique to try the dress of my dreams... Let’s just say it was a small disappointment. Her dresses were beautiful, but they just didn’t work for me."
Like many brides the ready made dress in the boutique wasn't quite right. It's so disappointing and demoralising to come away from wedding dress shopping without the dress of your dreams. Alisa persisted and tried on some dresses in Helsinki, were she lives, "So after that I decided to visit some Ukrainian wedding dress designers and found Esty Style. I knew that my dress could be created by them and I'd have a style that suited not just my body shape but my personality too. I was so excited to create my perfect dress."
Alisa made an appointment and sat down with the designer showing her images of dress styles she liked, they looked through a few laces together and started to sketch out what the dress would look like. Alisa didn't feel the lace samples they looked at suited her and she wanted something with colour. "I wanted something champagne, beaded and with floral motifs. So I started looking for bridal laces online. That’s how I found Bridal Fabrics." Alisa set about browsing the website, "I was inspired by the sketch my designer Svitlana had created and I knew that I wanted a coloured and beaded wedding dress so once I found Bridal Fabrics website, I ordered all embellished lace samples! It was really hard to choose. All of them were stunning, but Blake was just outstanding. It is so delicate and unique. I loved the color, the beading, the floral motifs and I haven’t seen anything similar in any other wedding dress. It just ticked all the boxes."
Armed with a clear design and the lace and fabrics in the colours she really wanted, Alisa and her designer began the process of making the design a reality. Esty Style chief designer Svitlana worked with Alisa to create an absolutely new design, using the lace to great effect to Alisa's choice and specification emerged a unique gown that fit perfectly. Alisa said, "All their dresses are made to order and they really put the bride’s interests first." A good designer will always listen to the client and work in partnership to turn her dreams into reality. Participating in the design process is one of the joys of a bespoke wedding dress. Your own personality and style is naturally integrated into the dress.
But what about the commitment and the appointments? Alisa said, "Fittings were a bit challenging for me, because I live in Helsinki, but the dress was made in Kyiv. In total I had 5 fittings and all together it took around 8 months." Alisa's journey is typical in terms of a time frame though some designers can work to tighter deadlines. Some designers do get booked up a year in advance so do make an initial appointment sooner rather than later.
So what did Alisa think about the whole process? "I loved everything. It is really hard to put something first. I totally enjoyed the process, the fit, the color, the fabrics. It was just my dress! My husband thinks that it extraordinary and thinks it is the best dress I ever had. The guests absolutely loved it. Words 'unique, romantic, stunning but still very Alisa' were the main adjectives."
We can all agree that Alisa looks stunning in her wedding dress and so very happy. If you're thinking about a bespoke wedding dress or you've found a lace or a design you love but you're not sure what to do next - get in touch. Alternatively, browse our range of bridal laces for inspiration and remember, we are always happy to help.
Follow us on Instagram @bridalfabrics
