Katie and Ali have known each other for quite some time. We both started our businesses around the same time and have been active in our circle community of friends and other local businesses. We’ve even worked on a few projects together here and there. When Katie came to me with the news that she and Dan were getting married, we were so excited for them for many reasons, mainly because of their proposal story! We won’t go into all the details but let’s say it involved the one and only Bono who helped Dan propose to Katie on stage. I know right!
Katie and Dan planned this incredible destination wedding at a castle in Ireland. This is truly the stuff of dreams. First, a celebrity proposal and now a castle wedding it’s like a real fairytale. It goes to show just how much these two love each other.
How it started
Our consultation started like every other, where the bride showed me a bunch of images that she really liked and told me what made her feel the most beautiful. White was not an option, and we settled on soft purplish, bluish-gray laces. A lot of the custom wedding dresses that we make involve appliqué, needlework in which pieces of fabric are sewn onto a large piece to create an entirely new fabric. It’s more time-consuming, but it exemplifies the special custom design process.
If you are a bride and you want a dress that somebody else already wore, then you can find that very easily. But if you’re looking for a wedding dress that’s made-to-measure with you as its muse, you can’t find that anywhere else. Katie wanted a custom soft purple lace wedding dress, and that’s what we designed for her.
The process
The dress is made up of about three different laces. As with any boned bodice, we started with the foundation. It’s important to make sure that the dress is comfortable, that it sits well and it creates the shape the bride wants.
From there, we continued to build a dress around that shit. The bride knew that she wanted a more conservative dress but one that showed off her assets and made her feel like a movie star. Or should we say a queen! Because Katie looked like a queen on her wedding day!
We lovingly placed all of the leaves appliqué onto the bodice and hand-stitched it in the pattern. We also embroidered the sleeves so they were a bit more delicate. There’s a really beautiful silver trim detail around the neckline zipper and sleeve opening that finish it off nicely. Katie loved the idea of a flowing bottom, so we used yards upon yards of soft tulle in colors like ivory gray and purple to create a beautiful effect.
Lastly, her train was detachable. At first, she didn’t want a train, but Ali convinced her that it would be a beautiful touch and make her feel all the more bridal. We used more appliqué to create a seamless transition from the skirt down to the train. She was able to remove the train for the rest of the wedding!
How it ended
As you can see from the photos, this day was magical AF It was magical and the epitome of a fairytale wedding day. The groom wore a custom tux from our friends over at Bureau. We always make a nice pair! The night ended with fireworks and dancing. We’re waiting for someone to write a book about this love story.
We’re so happy for these two! We feel honored to be chosen to create such a masterpiece. To this day, Katie‘s dress is one of the most intricate that we’ve ever created. the detailing on this dress is one-of-a-kind, which makes made-to-measure dresses special. It’s one of those dresses that you shed a tear when finished. Partly because you can’t believe you just made something so beautiful, and because you had to say goodbye.
Photos courtesy Bruno Rosa Photography
If you’re interested in having your vision come to light with a custom wedding dress, let’s get started!
