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Can't Find the Perfect Wedding Dress?
Design it Yourself...

After months (or years) of looking at bridal magazines and online wedding sites, you have created an idea that is your dream wedding dress. The sleeves from one, the bodice from another, the line of a third. You know just the color and material, how the material will drape when you put it on and the way you will feel when you see yourself in THE DRESS!

You gather your best friends or maybe your Mom and your sisters to hit the shops and set out to find the perfection you know is waiting in the bridal boutique. You may be lucky and see the dress you want, but more often what you find is the same pieces of perfection scattered around in different dresses. Everyone gushes about how wonderful you look, but you look at your reflection and just know that you haven't found the dress that will fit the occasion.

Have you caught yourself wishing that you could take each of these bridal gowns and combine them into your perfect wedding dress? You are not alone.

Brides today have more choices than ever before when they are picking a wedding dress. Many of the old rules have been tossed out. For example, gowns aren’t always white, they’re not always big and poufy, and they don’t have to include trains that go on for miles. Vintage dresses are just as modern as the latest designer offerings. Wedding dresses are not always gowns and some brides are stunning in very stylish minis. A bride can feel free to choose a wedding dress that fits her body type and personality. The number of options makes picking the right dress more difficult than ever for today's brides.

Are you looking for romantic or racy? Will your gown be out of a fairy tale or a fashion magazine? Are you thinking white, off-white or a stunning dark color? Will your gown be long, short, mini or have a detachable skirt to let you dance the night away at your reception?

Sew, Make Your Own Gown

To truly have a gown that is yours and yours alone, consider making your wedding dress yourself. According to couture seamstress JoAnn Musso, brides should not be intimidated by the thought of making their wedding dress. “The skills needed to make a wedding dress are all ones a home sewer has used before,” she says. “Set in sleeves are set in sleeves. Don’t let the fact that they’re on a wedding dress make them seem more difficult than they are,” she says.

Musso, who lives and work in Dallas, makes custom wedding dresses as part of her couture business. While she firmly believes every bride should have the dress of her dreams, Musso feels it is also her duty to help a bride select a dress that will be flattering. “The bride will have this dress for the rest of her life to remember her wedding day,” she says.

Dress silhouettes break down into four basic shapes

A-line, which is narrower at the top, flaring gently wider toward the bottom, works well on most figure types, and is good for disguising bottom-heavy figures.

A sheath dress features a figure-hugging silhouette with a defined waist, and flatters well-toned bodies.

The mermaid dress is close fitting through the bodice, down through the hips and to about mid or lower calf where the skirt flares out; it is not an easy style to wear or to move in.

A ballgown is fitted at the bodice; with a very full skirt, which can hide many figure flaws

Visit a bridal shop and try on different styles of gowns.
This will help you determine what looks best on you and will give you a feel for the latest trends. Maybe you like the bodice of one gown, the embroidery on another and the fabric on a third dress. The beauty of making your own dress means you can pick and choose exactly the elements you want to include in your perfect gown.

Starting with the right sewing machine is important.
“Today’s computerized sewing and embroidery systems make even a project like a wedding dress much easier than it used to be,” says Gayle Hillert, vice president of education at Bernina of America, a premiere sewing machine company. “For example, Bernina accessory feet make sewing fine fabrics easy and there are a variety available, like hemming, pintucking and edgestitching feet that enable home sewers to add couture elements quickly and successfully.

Pick the right fabric
Many fabric stores have bridal or special occasion sections with appropriate fabrics and notions. If you don’t find what you’re looking for locally, there is a wealth of fabric resources on the Internet. Musso reminds brides that natural fabrics like silk (a popular bridal gown choice) wrinkle easily. If that’s a concern for you, consider looking at manmade fabrics or blends.

Create a test version
Fabrics for wedding dresses are expensive. You may want to make a trial version of your dress with a less expensive fabric for fitting purposes. Muslin is often a good choice, but look for a material that behaves the same way your dress fabric will so you can get an idea of the look and how it drapes on your body before you go on to the final product. This also gives you a chance to do a “dry run” on the sewing. If you have questions about the construction of the dress, you can work that out on the muslin, too. There are many books available on sewing your own gown that can answer questions and provide tips and “tricks of the trade” as you go through the process.

The details make the dress
The variety of embellishments available to provide the finishing touch for your wedding gown is almost unlimited. Beads, crystals, feathers, lace, screen prints and embroidery are just some of the options you can use to add a personal touch to your masterpiece. Embroidery is especially popular this season, and with the right sewing machine, it can be easy to add this special touch to your wedding gown.

The most important piece of advice that Musso has for a bride who is making her own dress is to start early! “If you don’t give yourself enough time, it can cause a great deal of anxiety and pressure.”

The goal is to wind up with the perfect dress and a happy bride. With all the other details you’ll be dealing with, making your own gown can become overwhelming. Don't be shy about asking a professional with a bit more experience if you start to feel overwhelmed.

Good luck and congratulations!