Designing Your Dream Dress

How on earth do you get started with designing your own wedding dress with Sarah Foy Couture? For some brides-to-be they never even considered having a dress made. For others, they just couldn’t imagine finding their dream dress in a shop. So today I am going give you the run down on how it works. The first few simple steps I have for designing your dress 

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Step 1- Start dreaming 

The sky is the limit with designing your own dress so don’t hold back. Let your imagination run wild – there will be plenty of time later to rain yourself back in. But for now, think big

Think colour, think separates, think outside the box. Look at your wardrobe, what style and shapes do you like to wear. How does this help? If you can get a feel for what necklines, bodice shapes and general looks you like on yourself, they can be translated into a wedding dress style. Or simply give you a feel of what you know looks great on you.

Start asking yourself questions like how do I want to feel on the day? Regal, elegant or maybe you want to feel relaxed and stylish.

Step Two- Consultation

Honestly, this is a chat, a sit done with me (or zoom currently) to chat all about your wedding. I ask a bucket load of questions to get a real feel for your day, your personality and style. It gives you an opportunity to get to know me. Because here is the deal - The relation between a designer and a bride is a very personal one. You need to know and feel they have a clear idea of what you need and want. That you can trust them with your vision.

Don’t panic if you have no idea of what you are looking for or only have ideas for elements of your dress. It’s my job to help you get clear on what you want and what will get you the vision you have in your head.

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Step 3- Sketches

After chatting with you and getting to know you and your wedding. I set about gathering ideas. I play around with rough sketches and what I can only describe a doodle, flesh out ideas. I always want to have a dress that is balanced and that works well 365 degrees around. So, making sure that features and elements of the dress you want to include work well together and still gives the overall look you are after

Then I sit down and put together four designs that really work for your wedding dress. Variations of particular features you are looking for. This helps to give you a feel for the options you have with your design. 

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Step 4- Your Exclusive Designs 

Your exclusive designs are delivered by post so you will have a lovely sketches in your hand to dream over. When you have had time to look over and digest the designs. We work together to discuss what you love and what didn’t work for you. Mix and matching between the four designs till we get the outline idea of what we want to create for you.

We start to explore deeper into the design with fabric swatches and creating embellishment samples that we may like to work with.

To this day – 15 years on I still adore this process. Yes, you can design your dress and I am here to guide you and make sure it’s the best possible design for you for your wedding day. 

Tell me what your big worries are about getting your dress made. What problems are you having with the vison you have for your wedding day?

Want to book a virtual chat with me? Email info@sarahfoycouture.com

 

 

 

 

 

Shimmering Beauty

Yippeee! I am back seeing brides this week. I can’t wait to see, chat and fit dresses again. I am so lucky to design unique dresses for my brides. I love how every dress is different and that every bride gets to have a dress that is tailor made for their style, shape and personality. Todays bridal muse Ciara was meant to wear a fully beaded sea green dress and when I see these photos I couldn’t imagine her in anything else. Thank you Ciara for the fun chats and for sharing your day with us .

Whats your best memory of the big day?

We hired the band tropical storm for the drinks reception and start of the meal. They are a 3 piece Filipino band and go around to different people and take requests of songs. One table requested Sweet Caroline and the room exploded. Everyone up on their feet dancing, swinging napkins, holding hands, and this was all before dinner. I turned to Richie and said ‘all of these people are here for us’ and we just had a look around, laughed and got back to singing! It was such a brilliant moment and set the tone for the evening of partying!! 

What advice would you give brides planning their wedding?

Where to start! As a make up artist who has been involved in hundreds of weddings, and I’ve also been a bridesmaid five times, I think I know weddings quite well!! Be organised so that you can just enjoy the last few days of lead up without having to run around and get things you could have done weeks ago! Then for the morning of the wedding make things as easy as possible so you can enjoy it. Have people around you that you really want there and have a bit of craic and no stress. Then once you get to the venue enjoy every minute. If something goes wrong laugh it off, there is nothing you can do about it. Enjoy the day, it only happens once and goes by so quickly!

What was the biggest worry about getting your dress made?

I suppose being a curvy girl I just wanted to have a dress that fit me and ‘would do’ I kind of never thought that I could actually feel really amazing in it. But I did. I felt amazing, it was special! It was also so ‘me’. I never once felt pressured to wear a white dress or a veil. I love them on other brides, but it’s not for me. Sarah was brilliant at giving me what I didn’t know I wanted!! 

What part of wedding dress process was most fun? 

Apart from seeing Sarah and having the craic? Hmm, maybe knowing that my dress was not going to be traditional and every time I saw it I loved it more. I kept thinking of peoples reactions to a green fully jewelled wedding dress and it would make me laugh! I never do anything traditional! I also loved what Sarah did with my mams dress, getting a dress my mam had previously loved and completely reinventing it to a new dress. My mam was so happy with her dress.

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It was such a pleasure to design and make this dress for Ciara and what a spectacular day she had. Check out her amazing suppliers.

Ciara’s Dream Team

Photographer; Julie Cummins

Videographer: Keith Malone

Hairdresser: Megan Murphy Hair

Ciara’s rings and earrings: Chupi

Flowers and room decor: Frog Prince

Mother of bride and flower girl hair pieces: Rosemary Keating Design

A Hero's Wedding dream Photographer

It is the final day of A heroes Wedding Dream competition and who better to talk to today then the lady behind it all. Not only did she rally us all together, she worked incredible hard to get the website up and the competition under way. Today we chat to one lucky frontline works photographer Aoife O’Sullivan.

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I’ve been a photographer in one guise or another since graduating from Art College back in 2009 (this is despite my final degree being in sculpture!) . Photography had been a hobby of mine for many years (can’t believe I’m old enough for it to have started out in the dark room!) and when I graduated I moved abroad to San Francisco for a year and landed my first job as a photographer. I haven’t looked back since!

I know it may sounds cheesy but I really do thank my lucky stars every day that I get to do photography as my job, and even more than that, the fact I get to capture weddings – often one of the most important days in people’s lives. I ADORE weddings, they are full of so much happiness and love and I walk way from every single one on a total high. I am there alongside the couple and their families for every single important moment of their day and it really is such an honour.

Covid 19 has hit the whole wedding industry so badly. We have seen many broken hearts and indeed had our own hearts broken many times too. What I can’t get over however is the selflessness, the compassion, and the hope that all my couples and my peers in the industry are showing during this time. I have been very overwhelmed by it all at times and along with the heart ache my heart has soared with pride and happiness. The number of wonderful vendors coming board our A Hero’s Wedding Dream Competition has been a real highlight for me. What started off as a small idea in my head has now grown in to the most amazing giveaway that has far exceeded my wildest dreams. I simply can not wait till we choose and tell our one lucky and deserving winner that they have won. It will be a thank you and recognition from us that they so so deserve . I feel like a huge portion of the country have ridden out Covid -19 in our homes protected by a bubble...but yet there have SO MANY selfless people going out to work and facing it every day. They have been battling to keep us safe, keep us alive & keep us in comfort and this competition really is about saying thank you from the bottom of our hearts to those incredible people who have been working on the frontline throughout.

Honestly my dreams for the future are simple...I just want to get back to doing what I love. I was already eternally grateful for the job I got to do and having to take this forced break from it has given my time to reflect and realise if anything that I appreciate it all the more. How many people can say they get to spend their work days at wedding capturing people’s memories? It’s a job I will never take for granted and really all I want is to go back doing it again and to embrace every love filled, tear filled and gratitude filled second.

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Thank you Aoife for sharing with us. Check out and send some love to Aoife O’Sullivan Photography

www.aosphoto.com

instagram @aoifeosphoto

The front-line workers are the people keeping this country running and this is our way to give back. If you work in a grocery shop, if you spend your days on the road delivering all our packages. If you know a nurse, a doctor, anyone helping their community we want to hear their story. Check out www.aherosweddingdream.com.

Keep dreaming

Sarah





A hero's Wedding Dream Hair

I love designing dresses, but as I always say to my brides you need to think about the whole look. A dress can look beautiful but if you have everything right - the hair, the makeup it can be spectacular. Today I have Hair Maven here to tell a snippet of their story.

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I have been in the industry 25 years and love every aspect of hair. I have a loyal salon based clientele as well as being a wedding and editorial hair stylist. I get great joy out of the different aspects of my work and I have been feature in Irish and international publications.

It was Aoife Callaghan who gentle nudged me into the wedding industry and I have not looked back since. It is an honour to be part of a couples wedding day, meeting their families and friends. Helping a bride feel completely amazing on her big day is what I love about being involved in the wedding industry.

My signature look is laid back texture but i’m also a fan of Hollywood and super sleek looks. I want my brides to feel like the best version of themselves for their wedding day. So it is all about the journey from trial to wedding day building a friendship and understanding my bride - it is my favourite part of my job.

Thank you, Michelle, for sharing. Check out and send some love to Hair Maven on social

 www.hairmaven.ie

Instagram @hairmaven.ie 

The front-line workers are the people keeping this country running and this is our way to give back. If you work in a grocery shop, if you spend your days on the road delivering all our packages. If you know a nurse, a doctor, anyone helping their community we want to hear their story. Check out www.aherosweddingdream.com.

 

Keep dreaming

Sarah

 





Hero's Wedding Dream Team

Not long now ladies and gents, the final entries for the hero’s wedding dream must be in by 31st May. We are gifting a lucky frontline worker a wedding. The venue, the dress, hair ,makes up, singer, llamas –yes you heard right wedding llamas. Want to know more about the suppliers involved . Between now and the competition deadline. I am going to introduce you to the team behind the scenes. A small snippet of their story, their big dreams and how they are dealing with the covid-19. Today I have Catherine from Nails by Cathy

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“My career started when I was in college doing special effects makeup for tv and film. Obviously like any student I needed a part time job so I decided to do a nail course to make extra money. It turned out I was pretty good and I loved the effect nails had on people’s self esteem, they would literally walk in one person and leave a fresher more confident version of themselves and that was the reason and I ended up choosing to stay in the beauty industry.”

“Its knowing you can make the impossible a reality. I have done clients who’s bodies have abused by illness and medications where they believed I had my work cut out for me but I love nothing more than proving them different. Which I have for so many women, throughout the years. I have had clients burst into tears of joy with the results so there really is no question where my passion is. Also if you ask any nail addict, there is really nothing like being told your nails are gorgeous!! It’s a complement that people can accept without any down play or excuse.” 

“Through the the COVID 19 crisis there is not a lot I can do for my clients only good home care advice. I am however preparing to return to work with protection screens and new sanitation measures in place “

“In my future, as well as looking after my loyal clients, I would love to promote myself as a nail consultant, offer the full bridal experience and be the go to person for bridal nails in the country. Also, I would like to do more session work such as ad campaigns and editorial work.”

Thank you, Catherine, for sharing. Check out and send some love to Catherine on social

Instagram @nails_by_Cathy

 The front-line workers are the people keeping this country running and this is our way to give back. If you work in a grocery shop, if you spend your days on the road delivering all our packages. If you know a nurse, a doctor, anyone helping their community we want to hear their story. Check out www.aherosweddingdream.com.

 Keep dreaming

Sarah