Did any of you make your own wedding dress?

[SomethingBlue]

I'm thinking about it -- I know what I want, and I made a very similar evening dress a few years ago, so I think it's within my capabilities. But I'm also really afraid of it looking crap, or of stressing myself out. I love the idea of it, but at the same time I'd like to feel confident that I'll look nice! If any of you did this, I'd love to hear about it.

I think I'd faff with a shawl, but a good quality lace bolero might be OK. Sorry nickel!

The whole conversation about bias vs not has steered me towards a much easier pattern, this one . I reckon a nice princess seam would give me the shape I want without the angst (I do feel a tiny bit anxious about reattempting my old evening pattern, because there's added pressure on this dress and the fabric is likely to be pricier!). The bust is too plungy but I could alter that quite happily I reckon.

That's really lovely and simple - I think the black one is rather nice with the hanging down bits at the back....

Yes, me too! Or I might consider the bow. The chest would need a major overhaul, but I like the ease of fitting the skirt to rib with the princess seams.

ooh, yes, i like that pattern :)

my least favourite is B and my favourite is C

oh a wedding dress thread! I love a nice frock.
I'm a member of the the sewing forum too, I remember your dress Nickelbabe. It's a real beauty, wonderful colours.
I made my dress a few years ago, a princess seamed strapless whatnot. A bit simple, but I had an antique lace veil and it worked together really well. Making your own dress is great - not many oppertunities in life to sew yourself such a fancy outfit. I would have forever regretted wearing a shop bought one.
I have since started dressmaking as a job so have made about 10 wedding dresses so far and altered loads more. No big frocks in the house at the moment due to recent baby addition though! (lurking mostly on this forum these days rather than sewing one!)
I like view C. I think that is a great looking pattern, lovely shape.

Oh, thanks for the cheering post, WhaleFish! I must confess I have become totally despondent on this whole subject, hence not checking in to the thread. I have concluded that I probably haven't really had enough practice to do make my own dress confidently . But I loathe pretty much everything I've tried on, except a Jenny Packham (£1,200 at half price!). And it still wasn't quite right. I've got an appointment with a dressmaker but I'm worried it won't be quite right/insanely expensive. Paniiiiiiiiic.

You CAN do it, if you made the dress you mention above, then you will manage just fine - I certainly didn't mean to put you off, just to point out things to be aware of, in order to help you get it right - whalefish is right, its a lovely thing to do & you will be very glad that you did it yourself :)

but if you DO decide to go the Dressmaker route - one bit of advice DON"T mention that its a wedding dress, say its for a ball, or you've won a cruise or something, - the styles you are looking at are not obviously Bridal so you shouldn't have a problem with making that believable - maybe even start off talking about doing it in black or another dark, non weddingy colour & then change your mind, as you've decided to go with a colour to show off your tan

trust me, its no myth that the minute you mention wedding the price jumps right up - we all do it

PS & think of it as a DRESS - not a Bridal gown, it will make it seem a whole lot less daunting

rockinhippy you are a very inspiring dressmaking mentor! It wasn't you who put me off so much as my mum, though I think she is being unnecessarily sceptical. She is a much better dressmaker than I am, but lives far away so can't do it herself. Alas I have already let the "W" word past my lips whne I made an appointment with a local dressmaker -- I felt like I have so little time left that I can't mess around. I'm afraid it will cost loads though.

The Jenny Packham dress was so beautiful, I have never tried on such a high end garment before. I can see now why people shell out, but I don't think it's my way of doing things.

Oh, and thanks for the timely reminder that it's just 'a dress'! I never thought I was the type to lose sight of that. I think my bridesmaid hyped me up a bit with her burning curiosity and excitement. She's 6 though .

I'm glad I cheered you up :) Weddings can get people worked up into a frenzy about getting it just right. Though the dress is probably the fanciest frock you will wear, you are only wearing it once so it always seems a bit bonkers to me to spend so much money on it which could be spent on your honeymoon! (don't tell any of my clients that though. I've not been charging nearly enough though so far, and don't charge any more for bridal work than regular stuff....hmmm I maybe a sucker)
A lot of people with very little experience make their own dress. Give yourself plenty of time and you can manage it.

All that would concern me is thread plucking and blood stains - I have a terrible habit of catching my finger! I stick to curtains. Personally I would rather buy an antique style (jenny Packham) off e-bay. Stressssfulll.

don't worry, you can get most blood stains out with your own spit.
and those you can't - there's always Vanish

I don't remember ever drawing blood while dressmaking! I do have cold, bony fingers though...

i didn't draw any blood whilst dressmaking either...until i started making my wedding dress!

This topic makes me think of <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=snow+white+mother+finger&um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&biw=1280&bih=850&tbm=isch&tbnid=vCc7izGF9kRBbM:&imgrefurl=www.allposters.com/-sp/Snow-White-s-Mother-Pricks-Her-Finger-Posters_i1871084_.htm&docid=Lr-zO-gCZsYSQM&w=338&h=450&ei=W0dNTvr1KtGr8APDo6S3Bw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=438&page=1&tbnh=182&tbnw=143&start=0&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=60&ty=69" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Snow White's mother!

ooh, i'll tell my favourite story about drawing blood!

when i was doing my HND, we were doing a white man's shirt. I was sewing the pocket, which was a quite tricky stitch line, so I was holding it with my thumb and finger gripping, and my hand upturned.
suddenly I was sewing through my finger!
I pulled my hand away as instinct (not the celverest thing to do!!)
and the first thing everyone said was "did you get blood on the shirt?" (i have to admit, i checked that before I even checked my finger!)
I'd done 2 stitches right through my finger (you could see it where it entered the nail, come up on the other side of the finger, and the running grip had marked the nail too)
Thankfully the needle didn't break, so I just had a plaster.
[faint]

Good grief!

eghhh I have so close to doing that more times than I care to remember. Always makes my stomach turn when I think what I nearly did... so far fingers fairly unminced.

Sewing is mild when it comes to injuries. I worked in a glass workshop for a while...perpetually leaky fingers. Doesn't stain the finished product though!