How to Create Your Own Bridal Gown

A woman's wedding day is the most important and special day of her life. It's her chance to wear a pretty gown, have all eyes on her, and feel like a real life princess. Many people say the dress is the most important part of the wedding planning process and, while that may or may not be true, it is definitely a big part and holds a lot of importance. Creating your own bridal gown can be a fun and special process. It will be sure to be a one-of-a-kind design and something you can cherish forever. Plus, the process is really exciting and will create some wonderful memories.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Go through bridal magazines and tear out photos of your favorite dresses and design elements. Keep all these in a folder with notes about what you liked about them. Go to bridal salons and try on numerous dresses. Try on everything, even dresses you normally would just pass by, because you never know what will look good on. Have a friend or family member take photos of you in the dresses.

2. Print out the photos. Look through all the photos and tear-outs. Piece together all your favorite elements. Cut and paste them together on blank paper to create a complete dress. Or go on the internet and design your dress online. Sites such as Wedding Dress Creator and iVilliage's wedding pages allow you to create a gown from scratch based on the things you like best. The site links are listed in the resources section.

3. Go to fabric stores with the design photo in hand. If you want to redraw it so that all the elements are in a cohesive unit on a model of yourself that is fine, it's just up to you and your artwork or drawing skills. Look at swatches and choose your fabric. Make sure when you pick out the different fabrics that you lay them next to each other to ensure they complement one another.

4. Look for embellishments such as beads, pearls, rhinestones and crystals. When looking at these, hold your swatches of fabric up to them. You typically want them to complement the fabric, not necessarily match it perfectly. If you have a matte fabric, you should avoid an ultraglossy embellishment or a matte embellishment because one will stand out too much and the other will add nothing to the gown. Choose embellishments that will highlight your features and enhance the fabric and dress. If using more than one embellishment on your gown, make sure they are complementary.

5. Take your design and fabric to a seamstress to have it made or ask a family member who is good as sewing to make the dress for you. She will likely want to make it out of muslim first to create a mock-up. Allow them to measure you, and ask to go in for several fittings as it progresses. Soon, you will have the dress of your dreams.

Tips & Warnings

• Look at dresses and designs for several months, so you can be sure that you have seen everything and like what you have created
• Don't choose a design or style you've never tried on before, as it may not look the way you think it will when on. Be sure you know what looks good on you.

Resources

• Online Wedding Dress Design Program
• Design Your Wedding Dress Online
• Wedding Dress Designer