Wedding Custom Wedding Dress - Did you consider it? What did you decide - Why?

[HappilyInLove]

WOW, very pretty!!

 

[Sparkalicious]

THIS dress is the dress that I am currently loving the most ... I should be seeing it, in person, next week sometime. I can''t wait!!

I would love it if I could add more tiers in the back ... take them higher, you know? and ... I would love to change the shape of the skirt ... Make it more trumpety instead of so Aline. I would love more volume at the bottom as well.

I LOVE this dress. I wish that the designer would make the changes that I would like but keep the price the same ... I think that I might be sold then.

 

[Sparkalicious]

Front detail ...

In addition to the other alterations that would make it "perfect" for me ... I would love to change the threading/beading to incorporate softer gold colors instead of silver as our wedding colors are pistachio and gold and gold looks better on me than does silver.

 

[Sparkalicious]

Back ... Love the "pooling effect of the tiers" This is my favorite view ... Especially when I visualize it in more of a trumpet shape and with higher tiers of ruffles and more fullness. To die for ... to me! I feel as though since I want to change so much that maybe I should go for a different dress ... maybe the custom one but I will certainly ask the designer to see if these alterations are something that he would consider doing. If so, maybe we can talk.

 

[Sparkalicious]

Thanks HappilyinLove ... which one?

 

[blondebunny]

all of those dresses are soo pretty! :-0 I just spent about 2 hours going through dresses on brides.com seeing if i found anything that sparked my interest... and sadly NO.. only bits and pieces...grrr...why cant these designers read my mind and make a dress for me

 

[Sparkalicious]

Date: 12/2/2008 7:00:54 PM
Author: blondebunny
all of those dresses are soo pretty! :-0 I just spent about 2 hours going through dresses on brides.com seeing if i found anything that sparked my interest... and sadly NO.. only bits and pieces...grrr...why cant these designers read my mind and make a dress for me

Thanks Blondebunny - Do you really like them? Anything you like in particular or don''t like? Do you have any ideas about amalgamating them into one dress OR have you come across any dresses that look that they have all or most of those components? ugh! Frustrating, huh? I''m trying to resist custom but I''m thinking that I have too many desired "components" in order to be able to buy something that has already been designed.

I went dress shopping yesterday and tried on a tiered ruffle skirt dress that is more "romantic" than what I''m looking for exactly but it looked *meh* ... I was disappointed but ... I''m at it again today. I''m heading out to another bridal shop and going to give it another shot. I''m keeping my fingers crossed that I come across something that has potential to be "the" dress and that is within my budget.

2 hours! Wowsers! ... Which designer''s style are you most drawn to and what are your desired "components" ... we''ll see if we can try to help you out!

 

[Sparkalicious]

Ugh! I''m so disappointed. I believe that the old "bait and switch" is still in effect.

I was really getting used to the idea of custom and the fact that it *might* work within my budget. I had spoken with the designer several times and had an understanding, I thought, of the parameters within which I would like to keep the cost ... well, lo and behold, at my most recent consult, the big gun - head designer was available for a consult and she joined us and managed to sketch up my perfect dress. It was fabulous and exactly what I am looking for ... Once she knew that I was "sold" on it ... she said that they wouldn''t be able to do it for less than $xyz, which is about $2,500+ in excess of anything we had ever discussed before.

I''m annoyed but more than that, I''m super disappointed. My dress hunt continues but nothing, nothing so far has been exactly what I am looking for. A couple of dresses have come close but need some "refining" = alterations, which = $$ ... If I am going to spend a ton of money on alterations, I would rather just go custom but now I am put off the process a bit b/c I don''t want to invest my time and emotions with another designer only to have them accomplish the design I seek and charge me an exorbitant amount of money.

I''m whining, I know. I just needed to vent.

Wow - I''m blabbing ... I think that I don''t want to bore anyone else with the details so I thought I might share my distress with my fellow BWW''s who might be able to relate or commisserate. Thanks for reading.

For those of you who may be design mavens - With regards to the dress that I posted above ... Do you have any idea on how easy/not easy it might be to alter that dress to have more of a trumpet silhouette and is that even a good idea? I think that it looks much nicer when it is pulled in a little tighter in the hip area and a little less A line. Also, I would love to bring up the tiered pleat to start a little higher to get more of a "cascading" effect on the train ...

Anyone able to help with Photoshop at all??

 

[elrohwen]

Sparklalicious, I think that last dress you posted is awesome.

If I were in your position, I think I would keep looking for a ready made dress; I just wouldn''t feel comfortable going custom. I considered going custom myself, but my design would''ve been extremely simple and not hard to do. I''d really worry that with a complex design, the dress wouldn''t turn out exactly how I wanted and I wouldn''t have time to go back and buy any of the other ones I had liked. I guess if you could really trust your designer to understand your vision there''d be less to worry about. They''d have to prove that they get it.

I''m sure you''ve already thought about this, but I was just letting you know what I would do

I think that, like Emeraldlover found, there may be a perfect dress out there for you, it just might not be exactly what you think you want. So keep trying them on and hopefully one will speak to you! Good luck on your search and if you do go custom, I''ll be super interested to hear about the whole process.

 

[Sparkalicious]

Date: 12/16/2008 1:56:54 PM
Author: elrohwen
Sparklalicious, I think that last dress you posted is awesome.

If I were in your position, I think I would keep looking for a ready made dress; I just wouldn''t feel comfortable going custom. I considered going custom myself, but my design would''ve been extremely simple and not hard to do. I''d really worry that with a complex design, the dress wouldn''t turn out exactly how I wanted and I wouldn''t have time to go back and buy any of the other ones I had liked. I guess if you could really trust your designer to understand your vision there''d be less to worry about. They''d have to prove that they get it.

I''m sure you''ve already thought about this, but I was just letting you know what I would do

I think that, like Emeraldlover found, there may be a perfect dress out there for you, it just might not be exactly what you think you want. So keep trying them on and hopefully one will speak to you! Good luck on your search and if you do go custom, I''ll be super interested to hear about the whole process.

Thanks elrohwen! I appreciate that.

I love that dress as well.

I hear you about keeping in simple if you were to go custom ... I tend to agree. I think that the more complex the design gets, regardless of the custom designer, the greater the potential that they will not get it "right" or envision it exactly the same as you, thus increasing the likelihood that you may be disappointed with the end result, right?

I am keeping my fingers crossed. I would prefer to buy the "perfect" dress from a wedding designer than to have to go through the custom process ... I think that I will likely end up going this route and incorporating some alterations to make it a more "custom" finished product.

Thanks for chiming in ... Your advice was very helpful!!

 

[Sparkalicious]

Okay .. so earlier I was really discouraged given my disappointment with the "custom" process, as described above, however, I had another bridal dress salon appt this afternoon and it was really encouraging.

The pictures posted above, in previous posts, are of a dress I really like right now as it has many of the elements that I covet for *my* perfect wedding dress, however, the skirt is more Aline than I would like ... I would prefer it to be more of a trumpet shape and for the tier pleating to start a little higher up for a greater or more impressive cascading effect, of sorts. This dress is at the top end of my budget and to "alter" it to incorporate this change will likely put it up quite a bit higher $$.

This brings us to today ... There is a dress that I really like (actually, coincidentally, it was the very first dress I ever picked up at a bridal salon to check out) - I LOVE the bodice (absolutely gorgeous in person) but am not really keen on the bottom part of the dress and train b/c it doesn''t have the tiered ruffle element that, to me, is a MUST for my dress. To circumvent this issue, I found a "skirt" on another dress by the same designer that I think would work beautifully and give me more of exactly what I am seeking. A consultant at the salon, who also happens to be a designer, was able to sketch up an amalgamation of the two dresses and it looks amazing. I LOVE it AND the designer says that they should be able to make it happen ... Of course, it would cost quite a bit more, however, since this dress is at a much lower price point, any additionals will still come in significantly under budget.

All this being said - I''m confused ... Not sure which one to go with and somewhat leery that allow they would be working from a sketch that details the design, that it might get lost in translation somehow and I will not necessarily be happy with the final. I''m really interested in your opinions on the dresses ...

Which one do you prefer and why? I find that differing perspectives really often highlights points I may not have considered and helps out quite a bit.

The first dress is the one posted above ...

The second dress would be a combo of the dresses posted below. The bodice of 1859 and the skirt/train (cathedral length) of 1804. It''s hard to visualize but the sketch pulls it together really nicely ... IF I can take pics and post them since if I scan it, it will be a PDF that I don''t believe I can post. ugh.

Looking forward to your thoughts! Thank you!!

You guys have been incredibly helpful and insightful so far ...

 

[Sparkalicious]

1859 front
Love this bodice.

 

[Sparkalicious]

CB1859 back

Not necessarily keen on this train. I want a cathedral or semi-cathedral train but I would like some sort of tiered ruffle of sorts.

 

[Sparkalicious]

CB1804 back ...

Think of this skirt shape & train (cathedral length) combined with the 1859 (above) bodice. The details and any embellishments, of course, would match the beadwork & embroidery of the 1859 dress as opposed to the design reflected on this 1804 dress.

Darn, I wish I could show you the sketch ... When I saw it I did one of those intake of breath "oh" type things.

 

[Sparkalicious]

1804 Front

The details at the bottom would be added to 1859 but matching the 1859 detailing ...

 

[Sparkalicious]

Thoughts?

I know that some of you are so incrediby talented design wise so if you have any feedback or can think of anything else ... Please let me know.

Thank you!! As you may or may not have noticed ... I''m struggling with this!

 

[Sparkalicious]

Anybody? or are the ideas that terrible that nobody wants to comment?

I would really appreciate your assistance as I''m struggling with this. Thanks so much.

 

[blondebunny]

hey sorry i had brighthouse over here trying to fix my stupid internet for the 10th time!! Ok I can totally envision what you like in both.. I think it would look awesome...

I say go for it. Especially if the designer is willing to do it. If it isnt what you want, will they redo it?? I dont think itd get lost in translation really...You want that exact bodice and just stick it on the other bottom... with the same detailing..

Maybe talk to the designer a little more and ask how often they do that and does it usually turn out how the bride wants it? Also if they could include you in part of it ya know.. to make sure its exactly what you want to avoid any problems??

This is a weird question... are they are the same salon?? If so... what about putting both dresses on at the same time? Would that be feasible? Ive seen people do that before.. when they liked one top and one bottom they tried it on together to see if they would like it.??? Just a thought...

See if you can get a pic for us... oh and when you scan something.. you can usually change what type of file when you scan it (atleast on my scanner u can)... or you can change the file type... im not sure what kind of cpmputer you have but i have a mac and in preview I can convert anything to a jpeg you can always send it to me and i could change it for you if u wanted!

Let us know what happens!

 

[iheartscience]

I think it will be GORGEOUS! Seriously, totally not just saying that. I bet if you started a new thread you''d get more people to comment, too.

So will the bodice of your hybrid dress go down further, like in the first dress? And the back of the hybrid dress (the bodice part) will be the same as the back of the second dress? I just love the bodice back of the second dress.

And the ruffles and tiering at the bottom are awesome. I like them better than the ruffles and the tiering on the dress you posted at the beginning of this page, actually.

I think getting the dress this way, through the original designer, is a lot safer than going custom, too. Bummer about the bait and switch...I would have been pretty irritated.

 

[blondebunny]

oh another question would be.. how long is the bodice going to be??? the same as in the first pic... or longer to make it more the trumpet style?? I just wonder if it might look a little strange if the top if the ballgown and then fitted...im just trying to picture it in my head...

hmmm... im off to go look for trumphet gowns with a ball gown/aline type top....

 

[elrohwen]

I think it''s a great idea! Those dresses are gorgeous and by having the designer meld them together, you''re still getting a customized dress, but with lots less worry. I think you should go this route!

 

[Sparkalicious]

Date: 12/17/2008 1:07:41 PM
Author: blondebunny
hey sorry i had brighthouse over here trying to fix my stupid internet for the 10th time!! Ok I can totally envision what you like in both.. I think it would look awesome...

I say go for it. Especially if the designer is willing to do it. If it isnt what you want, will they redo it?? I dont think itd get lost in translation really...You want that exact bodice and just stick it on the other bottom... with the same detailing..

Maybe talk to the designer a little more and ask how often they do that and does it usually turn out how the bride wants it? Also if they could include you in part of it ya know.. to make sure its exactly what you want to avoid any problems??

This is a weird question... are they are the same salon?? If so... what about putting both dresses on at the same time? Would that be feasible? Ive seen people do that before.. when they liked one top and one bottom they tried it on together to see if they would like it.??? Just a thought...

See if you can get a pic for us... oh and when you scan something.. you can usually change what type of file when you scan it (atleast on my scanner u can)... or you can change the file type... im not sure what kind of cpmputer you have but i have a mac and in preview I can convert anything to a jpeg you can always send it to me and i could change it for you if u wanted!

Let us know what happens!

No worries, BB - I knew that you would be by to chime in.

Sorry about your internet ... that is SO aggravating!

I''m glad that you like the idea and think that it will look awesome! I''m even more glad that you actually "get" what I was attempting to describe. The designer is totally willing to do it, for extra money, of course, however, they will not likely "redo" anything if it''s not what I anticipated. I''m assuming that I will have to "sign off" on something before they proceed with fulfilling the design request. I do, however, have some confidence with this route given that they design both dresses and, therefore, are familiar with making both of them and it is not an entirely new, never before executed design, in a sense.

Unfortunately, since this is a bridal dress designing company who makes both dresses (Casablanca) is only in touch with the bridal salon ... I''m kind of a third party. It''s going to be a little bit different from actually working with a "custom designer" direct, right? I will be more out of the loop. This is a little scary, however, I figure that if we have good communication and the bridal salon designer is able to effectively communicate, via sketch, my desire, we should be okay. Fingers crossed.

The bridal salon that I''m working with doesn''t actually have either dress in store. Ugh! I''ve seen 1859, in person, but not the other one. I''m hoping that they are able to make the 1804 skirt a little more "trumpet" like as opposed to mermaid b/c I feel as though that would be more flattering. I''ve expressed that and they are letting the designer know.

Thanks for the tip about scanning ... Once I get a chance, I''ll give it a go and see if I can upload it for my dear PS friends.

Thanks so much, blondebunny!!

 

[Sparkalicious]

Date: 12/17/2008 1:09:01 PM
Author: thing2of2
I think it will be GORGEOUS! Seriously, totally not just saying that. I bet if you started a new thread you''d get more people to comment, too.

So will the bodice of your hybrid dress go down further, like in the first dress? And the back of the hybrid dress (the bodice part) will be the same as the back of the second dress? I just love the bodice back of the second dress.

And the ruffles and tiering at the bottom are awesome. I like them better than the ruffles and the tiering on the dress you posted at the beginning of this page, actually.

I think getting the dress this way, through the original designer, is a lot safer than going custom, too. Bummer about the bait and switch...I would have been pretty irritated.

T2O2 - I knew that your input would be helpful ... Also, I figured that my experience, so far, might be some good feedback for you about the "custom" process and what to try to avoid.

Grr.

Hybrid gown! Love it! That will be the new name.

What a terrific idea ... I guess that I just go so wrapped up in the possibility of making this happen that I never even though about the back of the bodice and ... right after I finish posting here, I will be calling the bridal salon to see if they can make sure to incorporate that ... I don''t think that that will be difficult, right? Yes - the bodice of the hybrid should be dropped like that of 1859 ... exactly the same ... except for the fancy new v shape on the back.

Your feedback is exactly what I was looking for ... I love that Matthew Christopher gown above, however, given that it will end up being likely approx $1,500 - $2,000 more than the hybrid dress (completely customed), I''m not sure that it will be worth it even though the material - duchess satin - is to die for and feels soooo good. It''s a beautiful dress but is it more beautiful than the hybrid may potentially be?? T2o2 says no and ... I have to put some faith in that. You know your stuff, lady.

I agree ... I''m beginning to think that this, although somewhat radical departure from the original design is risky ... It may be less so than going completely custom ... and really, why bother, if the dress *is* out there ... just not put together the way that I want it ... yet.

 

[Sparkalicious]

Date: 12/17/2008 1:15:27 PM
Author: blondebunny
oh another question would be.. how long is the bodice going to be??? the same as in the first pic... or longer to make it more the trumpet style?? I just wonder if it might look a little strange if the top if the ballgown and then fitted...im just trying to picture it in my head...

hmmm... im off to go look for trumphet gowns with a ball gown/aline type top....

The bodice will be dropped waist ... the same as 1859 (the first pic) ... It should be fine, I hope. I''m really just hoping for it to be pulled in through the hips so it is less Aline and then very full at the bottom. I don''t want it to be harsh mermaid - If it were to be ... I''m thinking that you are right ... We would have to amend the bodice in some way to ensure that it flows properly.

You are such a gem. Thanks for your assistance!

 

[Sparkalicious]

Date: 12/17/2008 1:23:20 PM
Author: elrohwen
I think it''s a great idea! Those dresses are gorgeous and by having the designer meld them together, you''re still getting a customized dress, but with lots less worry. I think you should go this route!

Love it! Lots less worry will work perfectly for me.

I''m glad that you like the idea and think that the dresses are gorgeous. I was scared there for a moment that no one was responding because they thought that they were fugly and that the idea sucked. I figured that it was better to find out now than to find out walking down the aisle, right?

I hope to be able to scan that design sketch for you guys so that it is easier to visualize.

 

[Sparkalicious]

I''ve started a new thread with regards to this ongoing dress saga. So dramatic ... ugh

It really does, at times, feel like a saga though, as I''m sure that it likely can for a lot of brides.

Hopefully the new thread will make it easier to follow ...

Thank you so much for your contributions to this thread ... you guys have been such an amazing resource in this regard!