The First Time

This is the very first wedding dress I made, almost 5 years ago already. I was in the midst of school and I still had so much to learn. There were so many things I would do differently but at the end of the day, that doesn't matter. "M' looked beautiful. I'm sure a lot of that is genetic (I'm not lying when I say I have beautiful brides) but I'd like to think the dress helped. The skirt was 6 layers of tulle (you know how annoying tulle is to work with? It attracts everything and shifts and slips...grrrr...) and I love the ethereal effect a tulle skirt has. The top was corset style and the back was laced from both the bottom and the top to meet at the waist. The ribbons from the corset were peach and ivory and tied to the front of the dress to define the waist.
I also love the accessories that 'M' chose for her wedding day. The silver cuff was her mother's (right 'M'?), the gorgeous vintage necklace was a gift from her husband-to-be and the earrings were ... actually, her third choice. I was a bridesmaid and it was my job to agree with 'M' every time she found a pair of earrings she thought would go better with her dress. Third time was the charm and they looked beautiful!

I didn't make the bridesmaid dresses (well, except for inserting that piece of lace to make the dresses grandmother approved). We found them at a store in Toronto and couldn't originally make the plunge because they were quite expensive. After finding nothing comparable, we went back for the dresses and found that some had been sold, so we couldn't have a complete set of the same colour. Which worked out even better, two girls got black dresses and two girls got champagne and everyone was happy (which is not always how it goes when you're a bridesmaid...admit it!).
And for once, the famous last words of 'you can wear that dress again', came true... I've worn the dress often since...


I love this picture... we look so carefree and foolish laughing at ....hmmm, what was it?... I honestly think I was putting the moves on her. Classy. And now we're almost grown-up... 'M' is the mother to a beautiful baby girl and I'm... still foolish. Together though, we're a shopping force to be reckoned with, especially during final winter clearance. It's even better now as we get the big changeroom because she has a baby...