Tag Archives: custom

Custom Heirloom-Style Wedding Dress: Mary Dawn + Chris, Autumn 2013

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From the beginning, Alice was wonderfully supportive. Her input was direct and expert, and she guided me through each key decision. She managed to see the dress through my eyes, and I looked forward to each and every fitting with her. –Mary Dawn Hennessy, Bride

The Bride: Mary Dawn

The Location: The Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria and Pillar & Post Hotel, Ontario, Canada

 

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The Process: After her mother passed away the year prior to her wedding, Mary Dawn had the notion to celebrate her by creating an updated version of her wedding dress to wear at her own nuptials. Creating beautiful custom wedding gowns inspired by family heirloom dresses is a passion of Alice’s. From their very first consultation, Mary Dawn saw that Alice’s vision for the recreated dress would honor her mother while also creating a beautiful, fresh look for her day.

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For this type of gown, Alice worked closely with Mary Dawn to create a concept for the dress, guiding the process through fittings and discussion. In the weeks leading up to the event, Alice was even able to create a traditional bonnet to go with the ensemble, made out of fabric from Mary Dawn’s mother.

Mary Dawn says, “The final product was perfect in every way. It featured some very clever design, including a train that attached not with hooks, but with a belt. The fabric was quality, and the look was all I had hoped for. I was so proud to wear it on my wedding day, and I’m so grateful to Alice for helping me to realize it.”

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The Dress: The dress of Mary Dawn’s mother was a 1950s-style duchess satin and organza gown with leaf detailing. Alice Padrul’s custom creation honors this and added a detachable train, for ease of transition from ceremony to reception.

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Photos of the wedding courtesy of Reed Photography; other photos courtesy of the bride

We love to design custom dresses, so if you are interested in creating your own special look, please get in touch with us!

Styled Shoot with Christy Tyler

 

Fabienne [photos by Christy Tyler]

 

Claudia [photos by Christy Tyler]

Last week Chicago based photographer Christy Tyler stopped by the studio to pick out a dress for her upcoming Styled Shoot Photography workshop and took a few photos of two of our newest dresses as well. Above are Fabienne, a chiffon and lace dress, and Claudia, a bias cut charmeuse gown. To view more photos from her mini shoot or check out her upcoming workshop check out Christy’s site here!

Real Brides | Julia W.

We just received these beautiful photos and kind testimonial from our bride Julia W. It was such a pleasure to work with her, congratulations Julia!

“I never dreamed that picking out a wedding dress could be such a special and enjoyable experience, and I feel like such a lucky bride that I found you and your wonderful studio! Your dresses are works of art and I’m so grateful that you were able to work with me, despite my budgetary concerns and time constraints! As you said, you want to help all of your brides, and I’m so glad you were able to fit me in and make me one of your brides.

I started out with a very specific idea of what I wanted, and found a “perfect” dress shortly after becoming engaged. Months before the wedding I started feeling hesitant about the dress style (tea length), and decided to take one last look at dresses on The Knot. I broadened my search to full length dresses and very quickly found a picture of your Sofia dress. I was blown away! I knew immediately that I wanted one of your dresses, and as luck would have it, I discovered that you’re based out of my hometown, Chicago! Your space is so beautiful, warm, welcoming, and removed from the typical chaos that is wedding dress shopping. You were so patient and helpful while I was trying on dresses, and gave me your honest opinion about each one, helping me find the perfect, most flattering dress (The Anita!). Your creativity really comes through in your unique, romantic designs. I love that you customized my dress to make it more my style, and created the most beautiful, over the top veil! Your dresses are not only beautifully detailed, they are superbly made. I can honestly say that I did not see a dress similar to yours anywhere else in my search. Also, the gorgeous fabrics are the highest quality, which makes them SO comfortable!

Throughout my planning, I tried to work with as many local businesses as possible, and I love that you’re here in Chicago making beautiful dresses! I also sincerely appreciate your help in guiding me to other fantastic vendors for my bridal jewelry and shoes, which in turn led me to my wonderful florist! I would recommend your studio to any bride looking for a personal experience and something a little different from the usual wedding fashion suspects.

I felt like the most beautiful girl in the city on my wedding day, and I have you to thank for that!”

The Making of a Gown


choosing ribbons and trims


rough sketchs of the design


inspiration photos


working on the pattern

We’ve just started work on a new project here at the studio and we are very excited about it. One of our brides requested an 18th century gown for her wedding taking place on stage at Chicago’s Symphony Center and she was so gracious as to allow us to share the process on our blog. Right now we are gathering bits of trims and ribbons, pouring over historical fashion books and referring to movies like Marie Antoinette and Dangerous Liaisons for inspiration as well as working on the pattern for the first muslin fitting. We’ll be posting each stage of the process, design, pattern, muslins (which are mock-ups of the dress for fitting purposes) as well as the gown itself and all of the hand work that goes into embellishing it. Stay tuned to see this dress come to life!