Of all the fairytale wedding details most brides hope would turn out perfectly on their special day, a stunning gown that fits like a glove has to be at the top of their list. For many brides, however, this proves a bit more challenging than expected.
If you’ve ever trodden the off-the-rack path, you probably spent hours trying one gown after another, only to find nothing that truly spoke to you. Perhaps you’ve even found a few with one aspect you loved, but not all in the same dress.
If this is the case, then it’s high time you consider custom-making your wedding dress. When you work with a talented luxury bridal design and couture house like Nour Sabi and other reputable studios, you can personalize every detail of your gown to create a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.
Why Choose a Tailor-Made Wedding Dress?
There are many reasons a bride might want to go the bespoke, couture route, but here are four of the most compelling ones:
1- Individuality
You’re unique, and so should be your wedding dress. A custom-made gown lets you incorporate your distinctive style and taste into every design aspect. From fabrics and beading to necklines, silhouettes and sleeves, you can work with your designer to bring your vision to life and create a dress that radiates your personality.
2- Flawless Fit
Unlike off-the-rack wedding dresses that expect you to fit into a specific mold and often require several alterations, custom-made gowns are tailored to your exact measurements and body shape.
Each stitch, cut and fitting celebrates your figure and accentuates your best features, so you never have to choose between comfort and style.
3- Sentimental Value
When you collaborate with a skilled design house, you can incorporate anything of sentimental value into your dress. It could be a keepsake beading, lace from a family member’s gown or something else you’ve always treasured and were saving for your special day.
The experience of creating a bespoke dress with pieces of your loved ones’ history woven into it will also be a beautiful memory to cherish. You can also pass it down as a family heirloom to be altered and worn again by your future daughters or nieces.
4- Quality Craftsmanship and Materials
Although not all design houses can claim expert craftsmanship, top-quality materials and client-centered service, some bridal ateliers like Nour Sabi and similar studios can confidently do.
From the very first sketch to the final touches, every step of the dress-making process is carried out using the finest avant-garde materials and intricate hand-beading and embroidery techniques.
Every encrusted jewel, delicate lace appliqué and exquisite crystal is carefully selected and masterfully sewn to create a work of art unique to every bride’s vision.
4 Tips to Remember When Planning a Bespoke Wedding Dress
If you’ve already decided to get a custom wedding dress made, here are four things you should do to make the process go as smoothly as possible:
1- Set a Realistic Budget
Before choosing and meeting with your dressmaker, you should have a budget in mind. A realistic figure will help you determine what fabrics and design elements you can use and highlight any limitations your budget may bring.
For example, say you settled on a mermaid-style gown with full beading and a ruffled skirt made from expensive tulle. Later, you discover that your budget doesn’t allow for enough fabric to fill out the skirt and make it as grand as you envisioned.
This means that you’d likely have to alter the skirt’s shape or use an affordable tulle fabric. For your designer to work within your budget and include all the elements you wish to have, you should clearly outline what you can and can’t afford.
2- Keep an Open Mind During the Design Phase
You’ll undoubtedly have an idea of how you want your gown to turn out, but it’s important to be open for that idea to change. Making a wedding dress from scratch is a creative endeavor, and like most artistic purists, it can organically evolve, so be prepared to experiment and accommodate new concepts.
In allowing yourself to try on different fabrics, patterns and silhouettes, you may spot something you like more than your initial inspiration. Although this might not always happen for every bride, entering the design process with an open mind will make the experience more enjoyable and expose you to style elements you may not have thought of.
3- Start Early
Custom-making a wedding dress takes time. Between deciding on the concept, sourcing fabrics, fittings and final alterations, it can take anywhere from six to eight months.
The process usually starts with the designer creating a toile, a test version of the gown made from cheap fabric like calico, to assess the concept in a real-life setting and begin work on the base of your dress.
For the first few fittings, they’ll focus on perfecting the shape and fit before moving on to decorative elements like beadwork, lace and crystals.
Most design houses recommend starting as early as possible so you have enough time to make adjustments and not be rushed in the final weeks leading up to your wedding.
4- Trust the Experts
Trusting someone else’s creative input on how your wedding dress should look doesn’t come easy for most brides. But when enlisting the help of a professional atelier and couture design house with years of experience crafting personalized, high-end bridal gowns, you can safely step back and rely on their expertise.
Provide your dressmaker with as much inspiration and information as possible about your concept and style, ask questions whenever you need to, and communicate any concerns you have, but also trust in their vision.
Make Your Dream Wedding Dress a Reality
Custom-made wedding dresses are an investment in a one-of-a-kind piece that is uniquely yours and whose sentimental value will last a lifetime. Find a talented designer who understands your vision, can work within your budget, and provides you with expert advice and service, and watch your dream dress come to life.