The Dress
The wedding dress is an absolutely crucial element of every wedding. I mean, it’s the one time in your life when you get to spend a significant amount of money on a dress for a very special day! Hopefully the dress you choose is going to make you feel like the most beautiful and fabulous version of yourself — it’s important! Or at least it was to me! haha!
I spent so much time first, doing research on Pinterest on different styles and details of dresses that spoke to me. Then I spent time going from one dress shop to the next (I think we went to 5 different shops in the Salt Lake City area) trying to find THE ONE — and, let me just say, it was not easy. Not because we didn’t see beautiful dresses, but because I was really specific with what I wanted. I was open to trying new dresses –but, in the end, I really just wanted a dress to make me forget about the details I had in my mind already.
So, there were so many beautiful ones that got me thinking about what the real-life elements of a dress that were the most important to me, and which ones made me look beautiful.
One of the first dress shops I went to was Alta Moda in Salt Lake City where I found a few dresses that inspired me the most and helped me to better understand what I was looking for! Here are a few of the ones that I loved the most and the things I initially liked about them:
I really loved the 3-dimensional appliqué on this one, and I considered the look of adding a bishops sleeve, but I just wasn’t feeling it. Overall the busyness of the appliqué, volume of the skirt and the color of white was too stark for me — but this one got me thinking more about 3-d appliqué!
Next, was one I felt so drawn to. It felt so interesting and whimsical — it was like a tailored boho style. I loved the swiss-dot sleeves and beautiful flower embroidery! The scale of the flowers really worked and it got me excited about finding a dress that has the mix of flowers, beading and netting of some kind. In the end, the sleeves were just a bit much for me but I really loved all the little delicate details.
Ok, so this one surprised me. It actually ended up being my favorite of the ones I tried on! The fit was so perfect and I loved how the vines trickled into the skirt. The way the vines comes off of the neckline and sleeves is so dainty and whimsical and was almost exactly what I was looking for! I just wished it had some applique and was more of a floral design instead of the vines. So, by process of elimination, I figured out the little details on style, color and volume for me.
I really just wanted the dress to feel like me, Madeline. Not just a beautiful dress, but when I saw it — it was meant for me!
So, of course, after visiting shop and after shop, I was starting to feel discouraged I would have to settle. But, after some digging not the internet, my mom and I discovered a brand on etsy (of all places!) called JBridalStudios who made stunning hand-made dresses in Lithuania! Initially, it felt kind of crazy, but I decided to take the risk and buy my dress from her because her dress had literally very element of the other dresses on this one! So crazy!!
It was delicate and simple, yet filled with hand beading and sequence that were so subtle. The appliqué was gorgeous and filled with sequence leaves combined with delicate little floppy silk charmeuse flowers. The netting created a background for the flowers to feel airy and light and strategically placed to be elegant and modest. The skirt was a double layered tulle in an off-white color.
Honestly, it was one of the best decisions I made! Luckily, the dress was in my budget, she was so easy to work with and when I received the dress in the mail it fit my body like a glove and was literally, exactly all the things I had dreamed of!
It completely set the tone for every other aspect of planning our wedding from the venues to the fonts we used on our wedding announcements and every decision in between (more about that later). Needless to say– the dress is so crucial!! And, let’s be honest…it’s the funnest part!!
xoxo,
Madeline