Mum making wedding dress?

[Cliveybaby]

My DP and I have recently got engaged, and my lovely mum has offered (told me she's going to) to make my wedding dress.

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience of this (from either side), and how you found it?

She's a pretty experienced seamstress, made her own dress nearly 30 years ago, all our clothes as little children, and done lots of alterations etc.

Obviously I'm very lucky to have a talented mother, and if it all works out it'll be wonderful, but I'm wondering if anyone has any tips/ worries?
I have a few worries:

• that it'll take her ages and she'll find it very stressful and not enjoy it (although she is semi-retired and seems to like working hard/difficult projects she was a nurse )
• that I won't be able to visualise it as I'll only see the finished one when it's done (unlike for example trying dresses on in a shop)
• leading on from that - that if I change my mind, I'll be stuck with it, as I couldn't possibly tell her!

I bought in a medium size boutique. to be honest, especially if you know the style ypu like, too many dresses can be overwhelming as tbh, they are all similar. I tried on 3 in one shop, and 4 in anorher shop and that was it, any more would of been overwhelming because once I knew the style I wanted, the differences between them all were very subtle

Are you having flower girls or junior bridesmaids? It would be far nicer experience to make & design a dress for a child than the bridal dress or even adult bridesmaids. She could also do ring pillows or accessories - bag maybe? A lace shrug for you?

My mum & I get on very well but we rowed a lot in the run-up to my wedding. It does strange things to normally rational people!

I'd tell her that you'd worry it would be too stressful & you just want to have a lovely experience together - going dress shopping & choosing themes/colours

No just adults (in their early/mid 20s). I'm not one for faff so will probably go for minimal accessories! (had to google what a ring pillow is!)
Thanks, I thought a massive place would have more choice but I think I might just get totally overwhelmed! (I've only recently been brave enough to go to TK maxx by myself!)

Go to one you can take pictures of yourself in the dresses in so you can remember what you liked about them.
Also get your Mum to look at the weight and layers of net and how the underneath is constructed. Most of the work goes on in the petticoats and the under-bodice (if you are thinking a big style dress)

You might find something amazing in the process.

Is taking pictures not standard? Do some shops not let you?

Some of them won't let you. Some will.

My aunt had her MIL make her wedding dress and it was fantastic. All lace and a beautiful high necked Edwardian design. She wouldn't have found anything like it in the shops, it was all flouncy Diana style dresses at the time.

Trying lots of dresses on is a good idea because what you think you might like, isn't necessarily what would suit you. If your mum has an eye for what suits then that will help. The lady I bought my dress from was happy to video me in the dresses and for me to go away and make a decision, no pressure at all.

My mum made my dress, though it was very simple, and not very traditional. Like yours, she'd made her own, and plenty of our clothes as children. For me it mostly worked well; the dress fitted (I've got a big bust and narrow shoulders) and had the high neckline I wanted - at the time almost everything was strapless, whereas I wanted long sleeves. However there are a couple of niggles with it; you have to know if you could raise that with your mum; I only saw them at the last minute, and the one I'm thinking of would have been difficult to fix.

I knew I wanted a very simple dress - though my mum ended up having to alter a pattern significantly (she found a version of what I wanted as a top and skirt; I didn't have a waistband at all). If you want a boned corset, you may want to discuss that in advance (or buy it separately). My mum made a mock dress which she fitted to me before making the real one - partly because I was living overseas until close to the wedding, so while I sent (accurate!) measurements, she hadn't asked for my shoulder width, and my bust suggested I needed a much bigger top. She was able to correct this, and we chose material together.

I would have to have had my dress made because it was so different to anything commercially available at the time (including non-wedding dresses); I didn't try any on as I wanted something very different. However if you don't yet know quite what you want (and you want something a little more traditional), then trying possibilities on in a shop sounds like a great idea.

My mum is making my wedding dress but she is a couture dressmaker for her job and has made quite a few wedding dresses and altered hundreds. I have no doubt in her ability to make whatever I want and make it fit me perfectly.

I went to try on dresses for the first time today and I have completely changed what I wanted! What I thought I wanted looked awful when I tried it on. I’ve now discovered that a mermaid style suits me better, and I hadn’t even considered that as an option because I’m plus size. It actually made my figure look incredible and much slimmer than in the princessy style dresses.