This is not the right road for everyone. Having your wedding dress designed and made for you is a completely different experience then taking the retail route. We have all heard or experienced one dressmaking disaster or another. Some brides I have talked to are terrified of having their dress made because they can't visualise the finished dress or have had a bad experience with a dress maker before......flash back to ill fitting debs dresses.

So who does get their dress made? All brides general have a vision of how they want to look on their wedding day. As they start the dress research they will fall in love with a neckline, a fabric maybe even stubble across the perfect dress that ticks all the boxes. However, not all brides find all the elements they want in one perfect dress and that is where a designer can step in and come to the rescue.

Research Your Designer

You will be working closely with your designer so you must trust and get on with your wedding dress creator. You need to feel that you can ask questions and make changes. You are putting a lot of trust in this person so they need to be the right fit. So do some research check out websites, blogs and forums for what reviews you can find. Ask friends and family, even other wedding suppliers of designers they recommend, they will point you in the right direction. 

Consultation

That first meeting with a bride-to-be is really for me to get to know that person, to get a feel for their wedding and to answer any concerns she may have about having a dress made. I welcome pictures and images as it helps me to see what styles you are drawn too, helping me to get inside your head so I can design the perfect dress for you. So write down a list of questions to ask and get your scrape book out with images. Also have a budget set out, that way a designer will only show you fabric and embellishment that is within that price range. 

Communication 

Keep the lines of communication open with your designer throughout the whole process. You must feel that you can ask questions and query decisions you are making. Although I believe I am good at reading people I am not a mind reader, so talk to your designer, they need to know if you are concerned about some aspect of the dress or if you want to try out something else. Ask and they will help you any way they can. Don't forget they are the experts and they may have just the solution to your problem. Speaking from my own experience I want all my brides to love their wedding dress and so am happy to make changes and experiment with different aspects of their dress.

It is one of the most exciting times of your life and if you are lucky enough to be going down this route it is an amazing experience to have a hand crafted dress made especially for you. Do keep an open mind and let the designer guide you a little along the way. You will be amazed as you see your dress developed in front of your eyes. The right dress reflexes your personality, fit like a glove and make you shine on the day.

Pop over to our Facebook page and see past brides reviews and pictures. 

With passion

Sarah