A Dress A Day

A dress.
Mostly every day.

August 04, 2007

January: Nice Day for a White Wedding


Vogue 2979


Do you know what has always been one of my pet peeves? Brides who get married in the dead of winter in strapless or spaghetti-strap gowns. I know, I know, it's YOUR DAY, and you can do whatever you want, but is "whatever you want" to go around with goosebumps in all your pictures and a honeymoon with a brand-new head cold? (And no, a shawl doesn't really work.) I always think "Oh, she looks so beautiful ... and she'd look even better if she wasn't shivering ..."

Enter a dress like this, which is so gorgeous I almost want Mr. Dress A Day and I to renew our vows so I could get away with making (and wearing) it. (Although it's a BIT ostentatious for a vow-renewal ...)

I'd make it in peau de soie, maybe with little white velvet buttons (or, ooh, ooh, white velvet *piping* and midriff band).

If you're getting married in early 2008, you probably have plenty of time to make this or have this made (I'd wait until the weather cools off a bit before tackling velvet, but that's just me, still in Taipei, where it's 90F and even thinking about velvet leads to heatstroke).

The special bonus you January brides will get for picking a dress like this, and not something strap- or sleeveless? You won't have to spend every minute of the next five months doing (or thinking you should be doing) triceps dips.

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77 Comments:

  • At Aug 4, 2007 1:42:00 AM, Anonymous saidee said…

    Beautiful gown, excuse me, DRESS, and good point. My pet peeve is that so many brides insist on following whatever the current trend is whether it suits them or not. Strapless styles are not as universally becoming as modern brides seems to believe. Given RTW prices, sewing your own or finding a dressmaker to sew something different AND becoming is a reasonable choice.

    And while we're on the subject, why put on elaborate weddings that require taking on debt and/or limiting the guest list? Why do wedding guests need to be wined and dined and then dance the night away? It's not the great prairie and your guests are not staying several days to recover from making a long and arduous journey just to attend your nuptials. That must have been the original destination wedding.

    I advocate making out the guest list, THEN deciding what kind of wedding you can afford that includes all those near and dear to you and your sweetie. Whatever happened to the simple tradition of serving cake, punch, and champagne ?

    There, I feel better now. After all, what you don't spend on the party you can spend on your dress and your going-away outfit. Vintage, of course. (Does anyone even do the going-away thing any more???) Oh dear, I am sounding quite old, I'm afraid.

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 2:04:00 AM, Blogger Susan W. said…

    So, did you make your own wedding dress, Erin? Can we see a picture?

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 2:54:00 AM, Blogger Erin said…

    Susan, sadly, I didn't make my own wedding dress, and I've always regretted it (it's the ONLY thing I regret about my wedding ...). But I was a student and trying to write my master's thesis at the same time ... and my mom worked in the bridal dept. of Belk's Department Store, so it just didn't make sense.

    Dang, I guess Mr. Dress A Day and I *really* need to do that vow-renewal thing, huh?

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 2:56:00 AM, Anonymous Kate in England said…

    Is that dress not a blatant "homage" to Grace Kelly's dress? If that doesn't make it timeless style, I don't know what does.

    I always wanted a winter wedding, but my mother said the only thing she could think of that winter weddings had in their favour was the opportunity to wear velvet and fur. I do love that idea.

    As it was, I married a December-born man so we decided to get hitched on a very dark, rainy, wintrous 1 September. And much to my horror I wore a strapless dress - to respond to Saidee, above, it's more a question of the lack of choice than a desperate desire to wear strapless for a lot of people. For the past 10 years, almost every dress on the market has been strapless. On the plus side, the miserable wedding-dress search did trigger my interest in period costume/vintage/whatnot. So it was genuinely life-altering.

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 3:36:00 AM, Blogger mamafrog said…

    I was a December bride (The 2nd, thirty years ago next year!) and we did a wedding like you suggested Erin. Some of the members of my large family donated the cakes, picture-taking, etc. It was great and I have so many memories of family that are no longer around. My dress was an off the rack prom markdown. It was cream colored with Juliet sleeves, and a square neckline that had to be covered up with a lace shawl since it was a bit low for me! I didn't have quite enough bosom to carry it off and no time to take it up. It was made out of a sheer cotton over a satin skirt, very romantic style. I wore flowers in my hair, since it was the 70's! Still have it packed away too. My oldest daughter wanted a different style when she married, but maybe the youngest will want it someday!

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 6:52:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I am with Saidee!!!

    More fabric, please! Weddings are a celebration of marriage; not a drunken and decadent "peepshow" of the Bride! I have always hated those nakee top wedding or ANY gown - fabris dresses us in modesty and beauty and hides a multitude of fault. Fashion is personal; not mass produced. One size does NT fit all!!! Beautiful gown!

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 7:21:00 AM, Blogger Carla said…

    What? A lovely,MODEST wedding gown? Why, why... why, it's beautiful! I am tired of feeling embarrassed for the bride (and groom) when she shows everyone her charms. This dress is wonderful. Thank you for posting it.

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 7:46:00 AM, Anonymous Cath said…

    How 'bout if you made that lovely gown to kneelength (or whatever suits, but not floorlength, is my point)? Could you wear it to renew vows then, do you think? I think it would look splendid.
    And I quite agree about the straps in winter. V. daft.

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 7:47:00 AM, Blogger Favorite Apron said…

    I always want to say "Save It For Your Husband, Honey" when I see those immodest dresses.
    My Nov. wedding dress was a copy of Sarah Ferguson's - my mom beaded and embroidered the whole thing. Thanks Mom!

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 7:47:00 AM, Blogger bani said…

    Preach it sister! I am SO SICK of the strappy or strapless fashion. A hankie on top and a parachute below, that's what it starts looking like.

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 8:46:00 AM, Anonymous Kathyg said…

    I was a Dec bride also, the 15th, nearly 34 yrs ago. My homemade dress was very 70's..Victorian-style, with high neck, long sleeves, heavy white satin and Cluny lace. I adored that dress. Like many 70's dresses, it was floor length, no train, but with yards and yards of illusion veiling attached to a simple white satin "Camelot" cap. It just looked so "right" for a 22-yr old wide-eyed bride and was so appropriate to the 30 degree late afternoon. I attended a wedding 2 yrs ago where the bride was far too big for the small, strapless top of her gown and it was embarassing. The lovely lace of the dress was completely overshadowed by the terrible fit and too much flesh..ugh. Remember when brides were supposed to be demure?

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 9:13:00 AM, Blogger Laura said…

    I was a December bride, with a dress that my mother and I made (and it was modest!). We also did the bridesmaids' dresses and all the flowers and decorations. Thankfully, the church was already decorated for Christmas, so we didn't have to spend too much there. We had friends take photos for us, and ended up with 15-20 rolls of film to go through! My dad told me that he shocked his co-workers when he told them he didn't have to go into debt for the wedding. I have no regrets, it was a wonderful, beautiful wedding! Our marriage has lasted 12 years this year!
    About the dress pattern - I want to make this for myself: crisp white cotton top, dark wine red sash, and a shorter (tea-length), deep navy skirt. Next weekend Vogue patterns are on sale at Joanns, and I plan to pick it up!

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 9:25:00 AM, Anonymous Carol said…

    For my November wedding, I had a dressmaker craft a reproduction of the wedding dress in the 1950 version of Father of the Bride for me. Father of the Bride Wedding Dress

    She did a beautiful job. Unfortunately, I don't have any digital photos of my dress. It was surprisingly affordable.

    A nurse I had worked with occasionally while discussing my wedding plans told me he had seen that a special edition Barbie doll of Elizabeth Taylor in that wedding dress was available. I managed to buy one, so I have a Barbie doll wearing my wedding dress.

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 10:23:00 AM, Blogger Jenna said…

    For my wedding this past January, I struggled to find something between "Poofy Princess" which at 6'1 and a solid F just looked funny, and "Saturday Night Fever". Three solid weeks of looking later, I finally found a dress I could wear. Bare arms - the church and hall were a good 80' degrees - but wide straps and some serious interior work to hold everything up, in, and away from the public!

    Biggest problem I had wasn't MY dress. It was the bridesmaids. I thought I had made life simple... told the girls "A black dress, below the knee... we're getting married in a Greek Catholic church, so keep it modest, k?" I was making them all velvet and suade wraps in black and royal blue to unify them... but I thought this way, as I had girls my height but 140 lbs and others 4'8 and 380lb, this would let them pick things that would flatter them.

    Every woman needs a black dress... right?

    You would have thought I demanded they wear hot pink leopard print spandex! Fits, yells, flat out disbelief that I wasn't buying/making their gowns as gifts (two would revolt that they weren't getting $300 to buy their gown AND a limo to pick them up. I ran a wedding for 150 for $2,500 total, including dress and tuxes so my husband and I weren't getting a limo)... and three days before the big day I had to march 4 grown women into a department store and explain...

    NO bustiers, NO mini skirts, NO... I don't care how hot you think you look in the belly-barring number, absolutly NO! Took me FINDING a hot pink leopard spandex number and offering this as the other option to get them in line!



    Sorry to ramble. Months later and I still wish I had insisted on getting my way and skipped the whole big wedding for a simple service at my parents. But when you marry a man who's father has been head chef at a wedding hall for years.... other people get to make choices. Honestly, all I wanted was the ring around our fingers and him next to me in my bed and my life. I got that, so it couldn't have been TOO bad.

    Pretty dress though! (lol)

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 10:34:00 AM, Anonymous Theresa said…

    When I got married (2nd marriage) two months ago I HATED every dress I looked at. Nothing suited my style or my body. Finally, I went to JoAnns and got that retro Vogue pattern-2903. My best friends sister made the dress. I was afraid I would screw it up. I did it blue. I didn't feel right about white and all the creams were to on the yellow side for me. Another friend made the cake. My best friend and I did all the decorations. The ceremony was outside. The room where the reception was held had ugly Army unit crests on the wall that could not be taken down. So I blew up old pictures of my parents, grandparents, great grandparents, my children, my sisters,and I wrote little captions telling the family history. I mounted them on black poster board and used removable mount to stick them over the frames. The colors were blue and coffee brown. Vases where filled with coffee beans (donated by a coffee shop manager who got the over run roast from her supplier.) We nestled blue candles in the coffee beans. The vases came from the dollar store. I cared white hydragenga sprinked with blue ones form BFs garden. My son walked me down the aisle in white linen pants and a blue shirt we go on clearance at Macy's. My daughter didn't want me to make her dress so we got a lovely brown chiffon also on clearance at Macy's. People are still talking about what a great wedding it was. The entire thng including catering, wedding attire, decorations, professionally done make and hair came to about $2000. It was worth it. My first marriage wedding was very small and far away from friends and family. This time I wanted the whole world there...because I was marrying the absolute best man in the world. we both work for the Army at fort Jackson in different areas so a lot of folks from all over the Army were there. I am so glad i went through the trouble and "expense."

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 11:02:00 AM, Anonymous harthad said…

    Kate in England, yes! As soon as I saw that dress on the Vogue web site a few weeks ago, I immediately thought Grace Kelly. So much so that I was surprised it isn't labeled "vintage." If I were getting married now, I'd love a dress like that, so elegant and restrained.

    I agree the strapless wedding gown fad has been hanging around (!) a bit too long. Speaking of which, the model in the pattern photograph either needs to stop slouching or get some better foundation garments...

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 11:57:00 AM, Anonymous Becky O. said…

    I didn't make my own dress (I think I would have been too nervous!) , but I did make my own veil.

    I think the posted dress in a knee or just below the knee with white velvet piped on would FABULOUS for a second wedding or renewal!!!

    And Jenna- I did the same as you with the bridesmaids. I asked only for an off-white choice and the style was theirs to choose. My two friends are two different sizes and ended up really going with what suited them best. My colors were off-white and gold. One found a stunning strapless beaded top. She added straps and sewed her own full skirt and jacket to match. The other found a simple shift that also had beading. They ended up "match" without being clones.
    They were stunning -second to me : )
    13 years later I still love them dearly.... and husband too.

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 12:06:00 PM, Blogger Shana said…

    Am I the only one who looks at that neckline and long sleeves and thinks "older bride"? I think it's a lovely dress, but if 22 year old got married in it, I'd be shocked. Heck, if a 32 year old got married in it, I'd be shocked. (And dear lord, 32 is not nearly as old as it used to be, to me!)

    My sister got married in March, and we were all in spaghetti straps or sleeveless. But it ended up being surprisingly warm. She justified her dress by getting a white fox fur stole to go with it. :)

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 12:38:00 PM, Anonymous cheriezel said…

    Being a hobbyist costumer, I knew when I got married it would be on Halloween and no traditional dress for me! I knew I wanted my arms covered and that around here it's traditionally colder and rainy on Halloween. When I found this dress in a wedding book it just called to me! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheriezel/1009335140/in/photostream/)

    But those weren't good colors on me and since it was Halloween we went for darker colors. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheriezel/1009335256/in/photostream/)

    It must run in the family because my sister a year earlier got married in a mideval style in forest green. :)

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 1:04:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    The model's posture ruins it. You need to stand up straight in a dress like that! I like it, but I think it takes a certain personality to wear it - it's a very serious dress. Not for the girly type, regardless of actual age.
    /Monika

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 1:44:00 PM, Anonymous renee said…

    I've made my own wedding dress ( more than once, in fact ) and have long been an advocate of the DIY wedding.
    I agree with Shana in that this wouldn't be worn on anyone much under 35. I too am soo tired of being embarrased for the bride, not to mention the rest of the 'party' including all to many mothers who feel the need to either dress in competition with the bride, or look like their grandmother.
    A few years ago I made a beautiful white (fake ) fur full length coat, with train for a winter bride who got married outside in the mountains. It has since been worn by two others - that doesn't happen with many wedding clothes.She bought the cheapest dress to wear under it, and no doubt was warmer than anyone else there.
    Anyone getting married should read "One Perfect Day - the selling of the american wedding " it's an insight into the culture surrounding today's weddings.

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 1:55:00 PM, Anonymous Emily said…

    My younger sister and I got married less than a year apart, and my Mom made both our dresses. We're both big gals and trying to find a dress that we liked that covered up all the essentials (and not strapless - they cause "boobie-wings") was impossible. Not to mention EXPENSIVE. So we looked at Mom and said, "I like this part of this dress, this of another, but could we do this instead of that?" Mom made perfect dresses for both of us that we could never have found in the stores. She even took apart the dress that she and my Aunt had worn, and used the same trims on my sister's. Needles to say, both our weddings wound up costing less combined than the "average $20,000" that weddings cost.

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 2:34:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    My sister was married in April and she wanted all of the bridesmaids to be so matchy-matchy-I tried to explain that with the range in skin tones from red-haired/porcelain skin to dark mocha brown and sizes from 4 to 12- not a good idea to have us all in the same dress. Sadly I was not listened to and we wound up in a hot pink v-neck wrap top and a-line skirt. Skirt was great, top not so much. I was barely covered (34F) and other cousins who are not very blessed in the chest dept. had gaping tops. We just wound up sewing the shirts to our bras and vowed to donate them to Goodwill.

    I am tentatively engaged right now...no date set because both of our families have members all around the globe. I plan to wear a 1950s inspired fit-and-flare tea length dress with sleeves. I don't look great in white so I'll wear cream or even a light tan with red shoes! I just think that I should be able to wear a real bra on my wedding day; one less thing to worry about.

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 2:37:00 PM, Blogger JuliaR said…

    I regret not making my own wedding outfit too, but I did make the blouse that I wore with the suit that I bought. I was thinking of getting married in January (I ended up being married in May) and imagined a wool suit with a faux fur pillbox hat. I like hats and they actually do work on me but I never seem to wear them. We've been married 25 years and I thought of renewing vows but somehow, a bike trip to Europe got the nod, rather than a second ceremony!

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 3:32:00 PM, Blogger Joni said…

    Actually, an LDS temple wedding requires a modest dress, which are expensive to buy (unless you happen to live in Utah, which I don't) and hard to find patterns for. When I tied the knot almost 7 years ago, my mother sewed my dress (I didn't sew then) and we had to take a basic KwikSew dress and just make it longer. Which worked fine, and went with my style which was World's Cheapest Wedding (TM), but I wish I would have had more options.

    Next pattern sale, I am buying this one. For my daughter. I only hope my sewing skills have imporved enough by then.

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 3:38:00 PM, Blogger Joni said…

    I hope my spelling skills have 'imporved' too.

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 5:46:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Some of the best weddings I've ever been to have been modest affairs in which the bride's dress was home-made, the food was cooked up and brought to the hall by relatives, and the "venue" was a little community hall out in the country somewhere. Everyone has a good time because the new couple aren't stressed out by going into debt. At the most recent of these, held in early June, the bride carried white lilacs to go with the dress her grandma made, the bridesmaids dressed in lilac and carried the usual purple variety (syringa vulgaris, picked in the back yard) and one guest who parked a trailer in back of the hall so has not to have to drive back had to be pulled out by a farmer's tractor the next morning... the perfect country wedding.

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 5:49:00 PM, Anonymous Sewing Siren said…

    That is a beautiful gown. I made my own gown for our very small wedding in 1994. I was in my 30's and most of the ready made dresses were still pretty poofy then. It was white cloche with bell sleeves lined in Indian lavender/silver pleated organza and it Czech glass buttons down the back. I am actually the only one in my immediate family to marry in white. My grandmothers (1924 and 1926), mother(1958), and sister (1979)
    all married in shades of blue.

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 8:17:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I wonder how the average wedding can cost $20,000 with so many of us having $2000 weddings? Somebody is having very expensive weddings. I got married this April, and my wedding (and beef brisket dinner reception)for 200 came in under the $2000 mark, thanks to the support and help of friends and family, from providing potluck to loaning decorations. My best friend from high school made me a very cute cake. I wore my grandmother's (also worn by my mother) wedding dress, a simple but beautiful cap-sleeved number from the 40's, and didn't have bridesmaids . I was just incredibly lucky that the dress needed only minor alterations to fit me.

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 9:03:00 PM, Blogger Susan said…

    I wore a round neck dress, and sleeves, and nobody thought I was "older" (I was 27).

    I know what works on me, and sleeveless or strapless isn't it (and I was a size 8 bride).

    My wedding was in mid-August (19 years ago this month).

     
  • At Aug 4, 2007 9:54:00 PM, Blogger Thoughts on Life and Millinery. said…

    There's a website with pictures of wedding gowns of each era since 1880. I laughted to discover my long sleeved high necked 1976 gown was a knock off of the famous Priscilla of Boston design; I didn't know it at the time, but I can always tell a 70's bride by her picture in a similar dress. Now I can tell a 1990-2007 bride by the lack of sleeves. And for some reason for the last two years CHOCOLATE BROWN bridesmaids. Each and every single bride.
    OH please...bring back sleeves, and bring back interesting bridal head wear.
    I'm a Decemeber bride too. We all rock. Best time of the year to get married, seriously!

     
  • At Aug 5, 2007 1:22:00 AM, Blogger Elinoire said…

    There's no way I could have tackled the task of making my own wedding gown, but I found one from the '50s on eBay (that had been in the back room of a bridal store for 50 years so had never been worn, believe it or not) for a whopping $100. It wasn't quite big enough so an amazing local seamstress took it apart and sewed it back to together for me. Perfect! (And NOT strapless or backless.) It wasn't free but it was much, much cheaper than a new dress that wouldn't have felt like "me."

    Not to defend the mass acceptance of "everyone must look like X and right now X is strapless, no matter what the weather's like," but December isn't really all that wintry in some parts of the country...

     
  • At Aug 5, 2007 9:54:00 AM, Anonymous twollin said…

    I'm a 1978 bride and got married in a county park, so I made my own dress out of this nifty eyelet that had red gingham ribbons woven into it. Great stuff and I still have the dress -- square neck, bell sleeves and flowers in my hair. My fiance, all our friends and I made all the salads the night before; my parents bought the meat, cheese and rolls and ponied up for a couple of bottles of champagne. I think the whole thing cost about $500 and it was a hoot. Some kid walked by with his uke and played camp songs for all the guests to sing along with. We had a great time. My daughters, on the other hand, seem to think that what they need in life is a big deal wedding and yes, even though both of them are "built", they are going with strapless. My big problem(besides the technical side) is that they. are. boring. How many themes and variations can you do with strapless? Not many, so they are forced into a lot of beading and laces and what not which raises the cost astronomically. Believe it or not, I offered to make them gowns but..no good, they wanted what they had seen their friends wear at weddings. Sigh. Guess I failed the test of instilling character.

     
  • At Aug 5, 2007 1:44:00 PM, Blogger lissla lissar said…

    That's a lovely, elegant dress. So pretty.

    I made my dress and headpiece. I was married December 28th in Toronto, and it was damn cold. I made a princess line, square necked dress in cream and pale gold silk dupioni, with cream braid and pale gold piping. Turned back, sort of bell cuffs, and a silght train. It was simple and comfortable.

    I couldn't find a non-princessy headpiece, so I used my dad's soldering equipment, and some silver wire, and made one with a silk chiffon veil. I am never hand-hemming silk chiffon again.

     
  • At Aug 5, 2007 2:04:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    The 90s were horrible for those of us wanting a cleaner-lined look. That look was just coming into fashion, so the dresses of that ilk were really expensive. I hadn't yet developed my sewing skills or I would have considered it. I ended up with an off-shoulder, short-sleeved dress with a beaded bodice but completely unadorned skirt. Heavy duchess satin, off the rack for 1/3 the price. My Mom made my headpiece and veil. I liked the whole look, but didn't LOVE it. And now, 11 years later? Who cares! Brides obsess over things that don't matter years later. This is a really lovely dress, by the way.

     
  • At Aug 5, 2007 6:50:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Hmmm. Three things that have most influenced brides and the way they have dressed in the past century: Queen Victoria (who chose white silk and had bridesmaids--and set those traditions in stone), Disney (think of Cinderella, et al), and GRACE KELLY. HEY, wait a minute, THIS is HER dress! You, too, can look like a princess...

    Perhaps Vogue is cashing in on the 50th anniversary of her wedding.

    But, I agree, at least it is not strapless or showing too much cleavage. It is extremely elegant. Absolutely love the sash.

    My mom and I made my wedding dress just over 10 years ago. I guess I am not your run of the mill woman and didn't buy into all the things that people think are necessary for weddings. My dress was two piece with princess seams, out of a fine, white cotton, floor length, 3/4 sleeves, high neckline. We got married in my parent's living room. The neatest part is that I have been able to wear my dress as separate pieces to other weddings/events. I know this was the tradition for centuries, to make a dress that you could wear again (hey, even Queen Victoria wore her lace sash from her wedding dress again), but I don't think that many brides do that today. I recently had the pleasure to help a friend make her wedding dress out of yellow elephant silk, using a vintage evening gown pattern (1937). It turned out fantastic and she'll be able to wear it again!

     
  • At Aug 5, 2007 8:52:00 PM, Blogger Domini said…

    This is one of the dresses I was considering for my soon-to-be December wedding! It reminded me, too, of Grace Kelly. Throughout my searches, though, I've chosen this dress (deep v-neck with long sleeves, floor-length and with the pleats only in the back).

     
  • At Aug 5, 2007 9:02:00 PM, Blogger Canine Diamond said…

    So what if it is a complete knock-off of Grace Kelly? Can you think of anyone else with better style?

    I love that dress (I usually think wedding dresses are hideous). I might get the pattern anyway, if I can find it on sale, even though I unfortunately have no use for a wedding dress.

     
  • At Aug 5, 2007 9:10:00 PM, Blogger Susan W. said…

    I made my own wedding dress BECAUSE I was a student and was doing my thesis (such an excellent excuse to procrastinate!). However, I admit, my mom didn't work in a bridal dept. anywhere.

    I made Vogue 2641 (the bridal version was the "off" dress, the B side, with this one, lol), floor-length, with the sash.

    http://tinyurl.com/yq9dd8

    The whole thing cost me under $60. I was so proud of that!

     
  • At Aug 6, 2007 5:15:00 AM, Blogger mamacita chilena said…

    that is a really cool dress. not my style at all, but I know a few women who would look fantastic in something like that!

    I got married in a third world country. That'll cut the cost for you ;) The only thing that was expensive was my dress, because I bought it in the US (I don't sew so I could've never made my own). My dress came in at a 1/3 of our entire budget for everything!

     
  • At Aug 6, 2007 7:50:00 AM, Blogger ladykatya said…

    Wow.

    Thank you for this! :) I don't have a date picked yet, but it will most likely be a winter one and this is a perfect dress!

     
  • At Aug 6, 2007 9:26:00 AM, Blogger caroline said…

    I saw this pattern and immediately wished that I had a reason to make a wedding dress for myself. I don't think I would ever do a winter wedding, but I envision this in the short sleeve version, with a slightly shorter skirt, pink skirt and lining with cream colored lace and sash. I wear outfits like this in my regular life this is exactly what I would love to wear on my wedding day. Hopefully someday I'll get to...

     
  • At Aug 6, 2007 10:21:00 AM, Anonymous Monique in TX said…

    My mother set a dangerous precedent when she made my sister just what she wanted for a wedding gown--Gunne Saxe. I always threatened that she'd have to make me full Elizabethan garb. In the end,I was a January bride. My gown was Edwardian, made of pale candlelight silk organza that my mom found in a forgotten shop corner--60" wide and $1.69 a yard. Elbow sleeves with lappets, a shoulder-fall of antique lace, a gazillion pin-tucks all down the front, tiny waist, tiny seed pearls. I made my own veil and wore antique kid opera gloves and shoes with a Louis heel. It was a chilly day--I warded off the cold on the way to the receptionnwith a soft cape whose hood was trimmed with some soft white fox fur that had belonged to my grandmother. My wedding photos do not look like anyone else's in the last century!

     
  • At Aug 6, 2007 10:35:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    What a gorgeous dress. I got married in the winter (January) and wore a strapless dress with a white fur coat. I thought it was perfect....now I'm longing to go back in time and do it all over with this dress.

     
  • At Aug 6, 2007 11:37:00 AM, Anonymous Ashley said…

    Too early for velvet indeed. I found myself desperate to sew this weekend, but nothing at JoAnn's inspired me except for their newly-arrived printed corduroys! So there I was last night, unapologetically sewing corduroy on one of the hottest weekends of the year.
    Now I feel like I can't go back to summer sewing, now that I've begun the fall sewing.

     
  • At Aug 6, 2007 12:16:00 PM, Blogger Whitney said…

    I am absolutely in love with the long-sleeve dress from sleepless in seattle...you know, the one she accidentaly rips at the beginning? I am not engaged or anything...hopefully I won't be any time soon...but a girl can dream, right? Any leads on that dress? I can't even find pictures of it...

     
  • At Aug 6, 2007 1:17:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Eric, may I add my conundrum here? I'm going to be a winter bride, and I'm just looking for a pattern, a RTW dress, or vintage I can fit into (B40, sigh!) that is sort of 50s-inspired: tight bodice, modest neckline, SLEEVES, full skirt, no bows, lace, seed pearls, etc etc.

    Of course, I'm having an impossible time finding something. If the Dress-a-Day reading (ladylike!) hordes know of anything, I would love to know about it.

    ~Nina

     
  • At Aug 6, 2007 2:11:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Um. I called you "Eric". I swear I have long been aware that your name is ERIN. Good lord. Typing is hard, apparently.

    ~An embarrassed Nina

     
  • At Aug 6, 2007 2:27:00 PM, Blogger Jen ~ MOMSPatterns said…

    Hi everyone.. it's soo cool to read about everyone's weddings and what they wore and how it all came together. Thank you for sharing!

    *Married twice; got my gowns EACH time at consignment shops for less than $25 each time* :D

    Nina, if you google vintage wedding pattern and select the images tab, you might stumble across something you like.. or search ebay and tick the 'search titles AND descriptions' box to yield you more results. Hope that helps you!

     
  • At Aug 6, 2007 4:01:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    My fave wedding blooper: a bride who got married in November, in the evening, and wore a short "slip" type white satin dress dress with a big SUN HAT. A sun hat. For an evening wedding. In November. (Shudder.)

     
  • At Aug 6, 2007 5:19:00 PM, Anonymous Robinson said…

    I'll admit I've seen some pretty hideous things at weddings in the shape of brides but I don't want to jump on the bride bashing wagon.

    My first wedding dress was lovely, white, some fancy beading on the bodice and a steal at $500... My second wedding I wore J. Crew's Sophia long silk dress in brilliant coral they don't seem to offer anymore. I looked absolutely fabulous - the décolletage was very becoming.

    This dress is lovely and elegant but I don't think it would necessarily be great on a larger woman. I know my currently huge biceps would not carry off those sleeves the way the waifish model's are doing.

     
  • At Aug 6, 2007 6:33:00 PM, Blogger Thoughts on Life and Millinery. said…

    The Houston Chronicle carried a write up of a bride who wore a lovely black gown to her non-goth wedding. The announcement noted that the bride, a popular bridal gown designer, had requested that all the women who had a bridal gown that had been made by the bride in the past were asked to wear the gowns to the wedding in November. The bride's wedding announcement picture was her in her tiara with black tulling and gown, cuddling her cat. Apparently the cat was more photogenic that the new Mr.?

     
  • At Aug 6, 2007 6:42:00 PM, Blogger Sarah said…

    My mum married in '72 in a beautiful dress - white broderie anglaise, square neck, puffed sleeves, empire waist, tiered skirt - and a big, floppy, seventies hat!

    I love the dress, but after a mortifying experience of trying it on as an 11-year-old and finding not just the sleeves but the bust too small for me, it went back in its bag in the back of mum's wardrobe. Since it was a first wedding, and the dress will never fit me, she may well have given it away. :(

     
  • At Aug 6, 2007 7:25:00 PM, Anonymous Jen said…

    First of all, I LOVE this website. I am planning to buy a sewing machine when it's feasible and this site is really boosting my interest in dress making.

    Anyway, the wedding dress debate. I got married this January, and wore a cream satin dress with a black net overlay.
    It was a sleeveless dress with wide straps going into a v neck, but as I was getting married in Hackney & it was forcast to snow, I made damned sure I tracked down a cream wool coat with black buttons.

    I would have sweltered in the registery office wearing long sleeves, but finding the right coat pulled the whole thing together.

     
  • At Aug 6, 2007 8:08:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Amen to the idea of something other than strapless wedding dresses. Every bride for the past 6 or 7 years looks like she is wearing the same exact dress as every other bride out there. When you look at photos of decades gone by you see all sorts of styles long sleeves, short, cap, off the shoulder, low waist, empire, you name it. How luxurious to think of a velvet gown or trimed with fur!!
    thanks for bringing up this topic.

     
  • At Aug 7, 2007 12:24:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I love this site, too.

    Robinson - I agree, the J Crew long Sophia silk dress is absolutely lovely... it's been my fantasy wedding dress for some time now. I think they're phasing them out because chadwicks.com is selling a knock-off version, a choice of several colors, for $130 (rather than $225). The site also offers it in a knee-length dress, which might solve bridesmaid dress problems. (Um... no, I do not work for chadwicks!)

     
  • At Aug 7, 2007 2:26:00 AM, Anonymous well rounded dresser said…

    In 1975 I found the perfect wedding dress on sale for $45 at JC Penney. At the time huge pouffy things with lots of petticoats were in vogue, which was NOT my style. My dress was an empire with a long satin bow at the bodice. The top was little pleats with a square neckline (a nod to daring décolletage) with shear sleeves. The skirt was straight and smooth, with a shear piece over the skirt that formed a short train in the back. Our flowers were daisies, and I had a ring of them in my hair.

     
  • At Aug 7, 2007 4:59:00 AM, Anonymous sara said…

    wow, i never thought i would love short sleeves on a wedding dress. it's so classy. i would almost consider having a winter wedding just because of this dress. how tasteful.

     
  • At Aug 7, 2007 1:14:00 PM, Blogger Karen said…

    Late here, but I have to comment from the perspective of a recent bride. In January, I started shopping for dresses for my June wedding, and I was completely against strapless. But every dress I tried on with straps or sleeves made me look like I was attacked by a giant marshmallow, head-to-toe white was NOT a good thing for me. This dress, (I do agree it is gorgeous!), would have done the same. I ended up strapless because it really looked good on me, once I found the right one. Granted, I also liked the low back because of the reaction it got from my mother and mother in law. ;) I posted some pics on my blog.

    I didn't make my dress, I was also finishing my master's degree! Namely I wanted beading and there was no way I was doing that by hand, when the perfect already-made one was "only" $500. We also wanted a 6-month engagement, to limit the stress of wedding planning. It was a budget affair, though still big and extravagent and oh-so-fun!

     
  • At Aug 7, 2007 4:26:00 PM, Anonymous Theresa said…

    Nina,
    Vogue 2903. It was the closet I could come to an Oscar De La Renta dress I saw in a bridal magazine. Vogue patterns are on sale at Jo Anns this week of $3.99. I am a 38DD and it looked wonderful and was great to dance in with beautiful full gored skirt (no waist - short or 3/4 sleeves.) I put a crinoline under mine that I ordered from Hey Viv. Everyone loved the dress because different form every wedding they had been to this summer.

     
  • At Aug 7, 2007 5:53:00 PM, Anonymous Sewing Siren said…

    Here's an idea for anyone who has their gown still hanging in their closet. When you have your 25,30 or 50th anniversary have a young female guest wear it. Years ago my dh and I were invited to the 50th anniversary party for his aunt and uncle who married in 1945. They still had their wedding clothes but they couldn't wear them anymore so dh and I did! He wore a beautifully cut navy blue double breasted wool suit with cuffed trousers and I wore a cadet blue suit with a lovely pin tuck detail at the shoulders and an enormous bakalite buttons , a black felt hat, and white leather gloves. They were honored and it was a lot of fun for us too.
    Karen your strapless gown is beautiful and it was completely appropriate for your wedding (and your lovely figure).

     
  • At Aug 7, 2007 6:38:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Nina,
    Sorry to be obtuse, but is there any reason THIS vintage inspired pattern doesn't do it for you? It has all the features you mention (modest neckline, fitted bodice, sleeves, full skirt). I know the sample is made up with a lace bodice but it wouldn't have to be. The skirt can be cut without the train. Don't like the sash? leave it off, or turn it into a ruched midriff band (I vote for the latter).

    If you're looking for sources of inspiration, I suggest the vintage clothing sections of ebay. If you can get some clear photos of a style you like (even if it isn't your size), a professional seamster should be able to make you a reasonable facsimile, even without a pattern in hand.

     
  • At Aug 7, 2007 8:28:00 PM, Anonymous theresa said…

    Domini! That's MY Wedding Dress! I did it in blue!

     
  • At Aug 7, 2007 9:48:00 PM, Anonymous larkspur said…

    I adore this wedding dress. I think a young bride could wear it--it's more a question of the bride's style than age. As for the strapless dresses: if a bride wants to wear one I suppose she may but she should think twice about inflicting strapless on her bridesmaids. Chances are that they are of assorted shapes and sizes and probably won't all be flattered by that style. My poor sister, who is very busty, has been a bridemaid several times and generally is made to wear a strapless dress, which isn't at all flattering to her.

     
  • At Aug 7, 2007 11:42:00 PM, Blogger Marie said…

    Wedding dresses all used to have sleeves, there are even special types of sleeves that you have for wedding dresses - so what happened to them all? It's because evening dresses and evening wear that isn't dresses(eg. skirt/trousers plus a kind of singlet top thingy) are all strapless or spaghetti straps, and so thus are wedding dresses. At least, that's my conclusion. A wedding dress is a dressed up version of formal wear (not that most people know what the "formal" part of formal wear might be, nor do they know how to dress up) so it follows the fashion of the day. There's only so much you can do with these modern wedding dresses, so they are often boring :(
    That was my train of thought when looking at wedding dresses a while back anyway and wondering why none of them had sleeves.

    I made my wedding dress, it had sleeves, and was orange with mustard-gold 17th Century style stays worn over the top. Unfortunately the sleeves weren't how I wanted because I didn't have enough material.

     
  • At Aug 7, 2007 11:47:00 PM, Blogger Marie said…

    Another comment - what happened to veils? I thought wedding dresses were long with a wide skirt with a train and wedding sleeves and veils that covered the face as well as went down the back. Then when I looked at wedding dresses and went to weddings and so on, I discovered it was nothing like that.
    Everyone looks like they could be going just to dinner or an evening out at the pub, or if you're lucky, to a school formal - all requiring only a change of colour if the dress is white.

     
  • At Aug 8, 2007 2:19:00 AM, Anonymous saidee said…

    My cousins wore my parents' wedding garb on their 50th and we took a picture of them posed just as in a snapshot of my folks that we used for the invitation. My short mom is looking up at my tall father with an impish look, holding a tea cup midway to her mouth. He is smiling down at her, with napkins for them both in his suit pocket. Her look and his habit with the napkins endure to this day. Because it was wartime (WW II) she is wearing a blue suit with a short-sleeved white blouse (pin-tucked cotton, buttons down the back)that is not visible under her suit jacket. His suit is very dark navy with a pin stripe. My cousin Doug wasn't quite tall enough for the suit, and Tami's arms were too long for Mom's jacket. At size 10, she just squeezed into the skirt, too! This surprised the hell out of my mother: quite the new perspective on just how "big" she really was all those years ago...

     
  • At Aug 8, 2007 9:21:00 AM, Blogger Dusty Penguin said…

    I, too, had a December (22)wedding. I dreamed of a white velvet or white crushed velour (think 70s)dress. First we couldn't find a likeable pattern, but my mother was willing to combine pieces from several (saint that she is). However, we needed to make the dress during the summer, and it was impossible to find the cloth we needed. We were still undecided as to what to do, when in the search for a wintry type bridesmaid's dress, I saw a white lacy, high neck, long-sleeved prom dress. It was perfect (not nearly as perfect as the pattern above, which wasn't available then!!), and had been marked down so many times (who'd wear a dress to a prom that looked like a wedding gown?)that I got it for $12.00. I made my sister's dress in a style that she could use again. The groom and best man wore navy suits. Church was already decorated for Christmas. Very inexpensive. But we had the most beautiful ceremony--much nicer than any I've seen recently. I still wish I could've had this beautiful pattern then!

     
  • At Aug 9, 2007 10:07:00 AM, Blogger Stephanie said…

    Just wanted to let you know that I linked to this post in my wedding blog, Flaming Tulle.

    This isn't a shameless plug, though! I read you often and have commented before. :)

     
  • At Aug 9, 2007 2:06:00 PM, Anonymous Robinson said…

    Marie, I don't know about other people, but I don't like the symbolism of a veil. I think that might be a lot of why they have fallen to the wayside... symbolism.

    Anonymous-I looked at the Chadwick's dress and it is amazingly similar. I have to wonder if it is cut as nicely at half the price though, and J. Crew's is 2 inches longer which I think makes it look more formal.

     
  • At Aug 9, 2007 4:02:00 PM, Blogger bani said…

    I'm going to be spammy and post a link to a dress that was on British telly...

    http://www.heatworld.com/Article.aspx?articleid=1859&title=The+must-see+TV+event+of+the+week

    Watch it and weep. :O

     
  • At Aug 9, 2007 7:12:00 PM, Blogger barbie2be said…

    personally, i hate strapless dresses. they don't look good on ANYONE. but the dress you have pictured here, erin is scrumptious!

    i wore a white off the shoulder number that i got for $225, marked down from $1500 after some bride ordered it and never came back for it.

     
  • At Aug 9, 2007 10:16:00 PM, Anonymous Neller said…

    *gasp* It's GORGEOUS! And, not that I've been proposed to yet, but I have been tossing around the idea of a winter wedding. How beautiful! This dress may have solidified my hopeful wishes...

     
  • At Nov 9, 2007 2:56:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Hi!!

    I just got engaged last week - getting married in Ireland next November - and decided to make my own dress. I wanted to draft and make a copy of Grace Kelly's dress because I love the modest vinatge styles but now thanks to you am off to get the vogue pattern!! Thanks!

     
  • At Dec 27, 2007 11:11:00 AM, Blogger GC said…

    not getting maried any time soon but wanted to vent my frustration at all the sleeveless-ness going on in wedding dress design nowadays
    I WANT SLEEVES!!!

     
  • At Jan 2, 2008 11:54:00 PM, Blogger seairha said…

    I am going to be getting married in Dec. of 2009 and I purchased a wedding gown at a second hand store that fit like a glove, but I am having a train put on to it. I love to see other brides wanting long sleeve gowns too. I never understood why during the winter they would sell gowns that were strap less and short. I couldn't find a gown that was good enough for winter in a bridal shop and do not have the money to get one specially made. I also find it hard to find brides maids dresses that have sleeves and are made of velvet and fur. Could anyone help me find a brides maid gown that is made of velvet with fur and comes in hunter green and emerald red? Thanks

     
  • At Apr 21, 2008 1:32:00 PM, Anonymous Jess said…

    I love this dress. Found it today on this site after searching forever for a long sleeved dress!!! I am 29 and I don't see that this dress is more fitting for an older bride. It matches my style perfectly as I love classic elegance but I have a tendancy to add trendy touches to classic style. I think that this is very ladylike. I have always loved the Grace Kelly and Jackie O gracefulness!! This will be my dress!!!!

     

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