RE-STYLED WEDDING GOWN

I had a bride contact me since she wanted to wear her Mom's wedding gown and veil on her special day, but wanted to update them a bit and wondered if I could/would do it for her.   Since I've always wanted to work on a project like this, it was a resounding YES!   I was excited to be a part of the transformation.

The gown was in amazingly good shape....a little staining on the lace on the hemline, but other than that it looked great.  As for the fit, both Mom and daughter were very similar in size and height, so I really didn't have to worry about alterations.  

The bride knew that she wanted a deep "v" in the back of the dress, removing the zipper from the top of the neckline to the waistline seam. Other than that, she was open to ideas to make it more current.

The bell sleeves were so unique and are certainly current again, so those absolutely had to stay. But, the high collar in the front was definitely going to have to go!

I discussed a simple, yet classic "v" neckline for the front as well.  I also suggested the vertical bands of lace on the front and back bodice should be removed, making the gown more classic and simple. The train was very wide and long making it a definite keeper. A "one button" bustle swept it up nicely!

The veil was very dated with a typical "juliet cap" from the '70s/'80s. I suggested a simple lace trimmed elbow length veil to allow the beautiful sleeves of the gown to shine through and also showcase the clean neckline.

We chose to use the lace that was on Mom's veil for the new veil, as well as using pieces of it on the garter set. I even had enough leftover so she could give some to her florist for her bouquet.

The bride will be changing out of this gown after the first dance to a sassy little reception dress I made for her.  I'll be sharing that next!