Adding Decorations to Wedding Dresses

Make your gown your own with special accessories.

Wedding dresses can be expensive. If your budget doesn’t allow you to purchase a unique, one of a kind dress that no one else will ever wear, consider purchasing a dress off the rack and then customizing it to make it your own. Select a new wedding dress from a discount or chain wedding dress shop or an antique store that you like overall and which fits into your budget. Then, use beaded fringe trim, rhinestone or other bead appliques to dress up your gown into one that reflects your beauty and style.

Things You'll Need

• Wedding gown
• Beaded fringe trim
• Rhinestone or flower appliques (optional)
• Fabric measuring tape
• Iron-on adhesive hem
• Ironing board and iron
• Thread

Instructions

1. Select a wedding gown, with or without a veil, that you like. Purchase beaded fringe trim in a style and color that you like. Consider clear, white, ivory or a light or dark color that complements the color scheme of your dress and wedding decorations. Look at teardrop style beads, oval and square beads designed to look like colored jewels and a variety of other styles that create a subtle or striking look. Consider a small, rhinestone beaded or feathered fringe hem for the veil, if you are wearing one.

2. Measure the hem of your dress (and veil if you’re wearing one) with a fabric measuring tape. If your gown has a train, measure that as well. Write down the figure in inches and purchase enough beaded fringe trim and iron-on adhesive hem material to match that length.

3. Place the dress on an ironing board. Turn an iron on to its lowest setting.

4. Turn the dress hem over so that the inside faces out. Remove the plastic on one side of a strip of iron-on adhesive hem. Press the uncovered side against the wedding dress just above the existing hemline. Fuse it to the dress by running a warm iron over the plastic covered side.

5. Remove the remaining plastic from the iron-on adhesive hem. Lay the hemline of the beaded fringe trim with its right side facing down, on top of the adhesive hem so that the beads or feathers poke out just below the hem of the dress.

6. Place a warm iron over the trim to fuse the trim to the adhesive fabric, securing it to the inside of your wedding dress hem. Work six inches at a time until you have rimmed the hem of your dress and train (and veil if applicable) with the special decorative trim.

Resources

• Decorating Studio: Beaded Fringe Trim
• Decorating Studio: Feather Fringe Trim